# How the news apps work

Six apps bring current news from one newsroom each: Tagesschau, DER SPIEGEL, BILD, NDR, Deutschlandfunk, and BBC News. They share one design, the same settings, and the same behavior without a network. This page covers what they have in common, and each app's own page covers its sections.

> **Type:** reference
> **For:** anyone who puts news into a scene
> **Prerequisite:** the Pro package, and the app installed
> **Where in the portal:** scene editor › palette › **News & info**

## Which app fits

| App | Sections | Pictures |
|---|---|---|
| [Tagesschau](/apps/tagesschau) | National and international news, business | Yes |
| [DER SPIEGEL](/apps/spiegel) | Headlines, politics, business, health, sport | No |
| [BILD](/apps/bild) | Politics, sport, entertainment, advice, technology | No |
| [NDR](/apps/ndr) | Northern Germany, each northern state, sport, culture | Yes |
| [Deutschlandfunk](/apps/deutschlandfunk) | One news roundup | Yes |
| [BBC News](/apps/bbc) | UK and world news, business, health, technology, in English | Yes |

For several sources at once, or a feed of your own, use the [RSS feed](/apps/rss).

## What they show

A news widget shows one story at a time with its headline, section, and age, and the next story every ten seconds. Up to six stories take turns, and small bars show how many there are and when the next one comes. Each time the scene appears, it starts with the newest story. The header carries the original logo of the newsroom and the time.

When you insert the widget, a template sets its size:

| Template | Size | Shows |
|---|---|---|
| **Picture and headline** | 1280 × 720 | The picture edge to edge, with the headline over it. Apps with pictures. |
| **Headline** | 1280 × 720 | The headline large. DER SPIEGEL and BILD. |
| **Split** | 1280 × 720 | The picture on the left, the story on the right, and the next one below it. Apps with pictures. |
| **Square** | 600 × 600 | A tile with the headline |
| **Portrait** | 540 × 960 | The headline large, then the next story |
| **List** | 640 × 560 | Several headlines one below the other |
| **Band** | 1340 × 120 | Logo, time, and headline in a narrow strip along the edge of a scene |

After you insert it, the widget adapts to its frame: if you make it smaller, the next story, the teaser, and the section drop out first. Source and headline always stay.

![The settings window of a news widget in the scene editor, Data tab: the source (1) with the section (2), the data status (3), and the Content tab with the view and the story age (4)](/apps/bilder/7de8f5ff-news-settings.png)

## Settings

Open the settings with the gear icon above the widget. They are on the tabs **Content**, **Appearance**, and **Data**. The toolbar also offers **Template** and **Colors**, plus **Background** and **View**.

| Setting | Tab | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Sections** | **Data** | Which stories appear. The choice depends on the app. | depends on the app |
| **View** | **Content** | **One story at a time** with a large headline, or **Headlines** listed one below the other | One story at a time |
| **Picture** | **Content** | **Large** behind the headline, **Beside** the text, or **None**. Only apps with pictures. | Large |
| **Story age** | **Content** | How old a story is, such as "2 hr. ago" | On |
| **Colors** and **Font** | **Appearance** | **Style of the app**, **Brand colors**, or **Custom** colors, plus the font. See [Configure widgets](/content/configure-widgets). | Style of the app |
| **Background** | **Appearance** | **Brand** (the newsroom's own color), **Light**, **Dark**, **Glass**, or **Transparent** | Brand |
| **Brand logo** | **Appearance** | The original logo in the header | On |
| **Corners** | **Appearance** | **Rounded** or **Sharp** | Rounded |
| **Maximum age** | **Content** | Under **Advanced**: stories older than **6 hours**, **12 hours**, **24 hours**, or **Two days** drop out | Two days |
| **Exclude keywords** | **Content** | Under **Advanced**: up to 20 words. Stories with one of them in the headline don't appear. | none |

The **Brand** under **Background** is the newsroom's color, not your own brand. You choose your brand colors under **Colors**. They apply to the accent, the font, and the **Light** and **Dark** backgrounds, and the newsroom's color stays.

> **Tip:** In a waiting room or shop, set **Exclude keywords** for topics you don't want next to your own content, and a **Maximum age** of 12 hours so only today's news appears.

## Fetching and offline

We read each newsroom every five minutes, once for all customers, and the displays fetch the stories from us. Only the pictures come straight from the newsroom. No data of your organization goes to the newsroom. If a source fails, the last stories stay on the display, and stories older than two days drop out. Without a network, the display shows the last stories it has, without pictures. Nothing on the display is clickable, and stories appear without their full text.

## If something goes wrong

| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| **No stories at the moment** | The source is read for the first time or doesn't respond, or the maximum age and keywords leave nothing. | Open the scene in the editor. The preview names the reason. |
| No pictures | **Picture** is set to **None**, or the display can't reach the newsroom right now. | Check **Picture**. Without a network, stories appear without pictures. |
| The teaser or the next story is missing | The frame is too small. | Make the frame larger, or choose a larger template. |
| The thumbnail always shows the same story | Thumbnails don't rotate. | Nothing to do. The stories change on the display. |
| The widget can't be inserted | The app isn't installed, an update is waiting, or it is **Not in your package**. | Check the status under **Apps**, see [When an app doesn’t work](/help/apps-troubleshooting). |

## Related

- [RSS feed](/apps/rss)
- [Configure widgets: template, preview, and fields](/content/configure-widgets)
- [How do you design content that people can read?](/content/design-content)