Des Moines Register Reviews

I love having digital access to the local newspaper. I do not love the format of that access. I generally use the ‘Top Stories’ to try to peruse the latest news headlines. The section has grown larger and larger over time, but has not improved or given me more actual news. It must have some sort of random story poster and keeps the same stories up for weeks, NONE OF WHiCH ARE DATED. New stories mix with the old and the only way to know is click into each one and check. This is particularly bothersome with things like COVID statistic updates, which appeared daily for a long time. A story about 500 new cases might appear right alongside a story about 30 new cases and you’d never know if either was current. In addition, the same story will often appear many times in one scrolling, sometimes with a different headline. There seems to sometimes be a loose grouping of similar stories, but that is not consistent. The lead-in text is highly variable in both amount and quality. I would like to see an overhaul where there is a section for today’s news, with some divisions or sections for subject matter. Any stories from other dates than today need that date right there with the headline, and to be somewhere else entirely. Lead-in text should be consistent and concise and let me tell easily whether I want to read the rest of the story within a few words.

DesMoinesRegister is awful. It doesn’t work well with a password protection program. When I log on through my password protection program, it takes me to the manage account section. If I click on the register link at the the top of that section, it brings up news from multiple dates and doesn’t even have the date at the top of the story. And sometimes I get to a place where I am asked to log in again. I want to read today’s paper! I want to have one log in place that gives links to today’s paper, archives and search, and subscription management,

Inessential a limo, long time physical newspaper subscriber. One of my friends has encouraged me in the past to subscribe digitally to the DM Register because it was a very nominal fee and you still be informed along with the television news.
I finally did it when the DM Register ran a special.

DesMoinesRegister provides clear headlines to breaking stories, editorial content and stories relevant to our state and local governments as well as our schools. It’s convenient to access the Register electronically at any time and any where!

Easy to check up on the latest stories from my phone (which means from anywhere). The format and interface of DesMoinesRegister is intuitive and easy to use. One of the best news sources in Iowa.

App has never been anything spectacular, but at least it worked for getting Des Moines Register news coverage. However, around a week ago it started taking a loooong time to load the list of articles every time I open DesMoinesRegister . Sometimes it wouldn’t load at all. Something seems to have changed that caused the performance to go from a very vast/instant load to a long delay that often makes DesMoinesRegister unusable.

DesMoinesRegister is the worst newspaper app on my phone! I can’t enter DesMoinesRegister even when I put in my email address & password. It says I have an account but it won’t me in unless I use Facebook. Finally I go DesMoinesRegister Store daily & can read through DesMoinesRegister in DesMoinesRegister Store until I hit the limit for DesMoinesRegister . Even when I attempt to sign in it won’t allow me full unlimited access despite being a delivery subscriber for a decade! I can read newspapers from around the world that I subscribe to, but not the Des Moines Register!

Average at best. Weak design and organizationally confused. Almost all photography exactly same size and shape. Looks as if they have forgotten design needs altogether. Must look all over site for anything other than general news and headlines. I feel like they designed one website to fit every single paper in the corporation. Too bad too, quality but ever shrinking staff producing good news product.

All I want is the paper! In it’s normal format. The Des Moines Register’s online is hard to navigate. I don’t understand why they don’t just post the daily paper. It will only take this review if I give 5 stars! Every “nickname” comes back taken.

I can always count on the Register to have the latest news. It’s updated throughout the day and does a great job covering news, sports, weather plus national topics with more content.

I don’t need or want any sports news. I just want news, local, national and international. DesMoinesRegister is glutted up with sports news I don’t want to push through.

Please

DesMoinesRegister is clumsy at best and keeps asking for renewal though I have done that—almost every time I log on. So, to read the articles, I have a 5 minute navigation through strange pages. Sometimes I don’t get on at all.
I also am now being directed to Gannett since I also have another Gannett digital subscription.
I think I get quicker information from Google so likely I’ll quit this subscription.

I use the DMR app to get an overview of current news and events. If I want more I go to those articles or find other stories of my interest.

I am disappointed with the Des Moines Register online newspaper. I haver seen other newspaper online Apps. That offer the paper as it appears in printed copy and it is much more like actually reading the paper. You can still isolate individual stories, photos, cartoons, etc. The paper that I am familiar with is the Salt Lake Tribune. In it, the full paper option costs the reader slightly more than that offered by the Register, but is, in my opinion, much more readable.

Don Smith

I love it that the paper is laid out just like a newspaper! Since daily delivery isn’t possible in my area, I can use this to keep up on important events across the state. The USA Today edition is a nice bonus too.

I have a paid subscription. Always times out when I try to log in. Full of ads even if you have a paid subscription. Notifications you ask? Maybe if you want to know score of 1-A pointless middle school sports. I wish there was another option.

I grew up in Iowa and read the Register and the Tribune. Iowans are so lucky - AE Dairy and the Register! It’s comforting during this difficult time to receive the news I’m used to. Thank you!

It’s great getting the Register on my cell. I can read factual reporting. I enjoy getting alerts of breaking news and weather. It is the best of both worlds. Welcome to the “real” world!

I grew up in Iowa reading the Register. It’s obviously not the same paper it was 60 years ago. Now, having left Iowa for California 50 years ago......it is great to touch in.

I subscribe to the Register for local news and to support local journalism. When I use DesMoinesRegister with my subscription, I keep getting the same recycled news, day after day. I have to search to find anything new.

I’ve tried the e-edition on this iPad and it’s almost unusable. I’m about to cancel my subscription to the Register.

Local hero raises million dollars for children’s hospital so they dig thru his old tweets from when he was 16. Found a couple to print against him and rake him over the coals. Hero does the honorable thing and gets out in front of the story and apologizes saying he has grown and learned from his old self. Turns out the writer of the story has even worse things said on twitter, which apparently they dont do a background check on him but will do an exhaustive check on a puff piece hero story. Instead of appropriately firing said writer they issue out a statement at midnight defending their own story saying it wasnt their fault for having to publish the hero’s old tweets. Then they eventually acknowledge the writers old tweets have been brought to their attention right as the writer is going thru twitter deleting the tweets. Such trash.

Still tends to be slow and clumsy

Is the best part of the paper, she is so professional on her contractor stories. It’s too bad elected official will not do anything. I will remember that when election time comes around.

I hate the new tactic of only letting you read a few paragraphs of story and the demanding $5 a month to read the rest! Oh, you still have to deal with all the ads, but they want your money. It’s amazing other media outlets can provide top stories for free, but the USA Today rag wants more money. About to delete DesMoinesRegister!

Works great good reading but I have to sign in two to three times a week reminds me my trial is up
I sign in again and goes away says I have full access but continues to count my articles does need work

The videos are fine when that's all that shows, but when the video is included with other content, the page freezes when the whole article loads and the play icon shows on the video.

Whoever controls the notifications needs to understand the difference between “breaking news” and every story they post on social media. As a new resident to Des Moines, I was very excited to see DesMoinesRegister had the option to select which notifications you’d like, but they obviously don’t honor your request.

Your app won’t let me sign in about 50% of time. The screen won’t enlarge without being blurry half the time. Just a real poor use of time and energy. I plan to drop my subscription. This used to be a quality newspaper, and has just gone downhill over the past few years.

Always enjoyed the paper all the way back when I was a paperboy deliver back in 50’s

Come on Des Moines, you can do better. Right now DesMoinesRegister behaves like a 2 horse John Deere plow. Others have described how bad it is, I can only concur. Maybe you don’t realize it but the future is digital. Maybe you are fading to obscurity.