What You Need to Know About ABC News' New Android and iPhone App

Oct. 24, 2013 — -- Breaking News: Today ABC News is releasing a brand-new app for iPhone and Android.

Sure, you'll always be able to read the latest headlines here on our site, but if you want to know the minute breaking news happens with updates and alerts you'll want to download our new apps.

The new ABC News app was designed with several advanced features to ensure you stay informed and entertained all day. Want specifics? Check out our guide before you download the iPhone or Android apps and start exploring.

1. A Different Kind of Push Alert

Look for the red ABC News Inbox icon in the top menu bar. That is now your own custom Inbox, with news and updates tailored for you and your interests. Just "star" stories that interest you when you read them, and they'll be saved in your inbox. Any updates, breaking developments or related follow-ups to that story will be sent directly to your inbox so you can quickly catch up in one place. You can go deeper too and read the full articles via the Inbox at your leisure. You won't miss the stories everyone's talking about though: We'll still send major breaking news alerts directly to your phone's lock-screen.

2. Our Best Reads

Go beyond the day's headlines with Best Reads, a brand-new section featuring eight engaging stories. Our editors will handpick stories on all subjects – from health to political analysis to technology and more -- and deliver them daily, before lunchtime. The focus will be on original reporting and informative, emotional storytelling. You can always find Best Reads from the app's new bottom navigation.

3. Watch Video at Night

At night, the app will automatically open to Daily Rewind, a playlist of 10 videos designed to inform you and to help you unwind from your day. Start the first video and the rest will play automatically. (You can, of course, skip over any videos you want.) If you prefer to see the day's top stories when you open your app at night, change this setting in your defaults to easily read the top stories all day.

4. Watch & Read

Watching video in the ABC News app is even easier now with the Watch & Read feature in articles, designed so you can multitask. Look for related videos atop articles. When you press play, continue reading and scrolling through the article as the video plays at the top of your screen. Underneath, related videos are playlisted together to allow you to easily keep watching videos in the same spot.

5. All Your Favorite Sections … Plus Radio

Reading the news is still core to this app, and you can find stories that interest you by sections such as International, Technology, Travel or by shows such as "GMA" and "World News" from the top left navigation. You can use grippers to customize the menu and move your favorite content closer to the top to get into the stories that most interest you even quicker. For the first time, ABC News Radio has been integrated and you can play those broadcasts from the top left navigation too. And any developing news and live video feeds will appear in a scrolling, dynamic bar atop the app. Just tap to play.

The Android app is available here and the iPhone app here.