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LA Times: Essential California — Build villages, battle rivals in this addictive strategy game

Android NantMedia Holdings, LLC
3.3 GP
536,452+
Google Play

Screenshots

Description

I’ve been using LA Times: Essential California for a couple months now. It’s basically a news app that covers everything going on in Southern California. Pretty solid if you’re into keeping up with local and national news.

Here’s what you can do – you can browse the latest articles on politics, sports, entertainment, and more. There’s also an option to read the full digital newspaper. It’s got some good features like breaking news alerts and the ability to save articles for offline reading. Took me a while to figure out some of the settings but it’s pretty user-friendly overall.

Look, if you’re a news junkie who wants to stay on top of what’s happening in Cali, you’ll probably like this app. It’s not perfect – the app can get a bit laggy sometimes and the ads can be kinda annoying. But overall it does the job and I’d recommend giving it a try.

Editor Opinion

I've tested a bunch of news apps and LA Times: Essential California is one of the better ones. The design is clean and modern, and the coverage is pretty comprehensive - you get everything from breaking news to in-depth features. And the ability to read the full digital newspaper is a nice bonus. The only real downsides are some occasional performance issues and the ads, but neither of those are dealbreakers. If you want a reliable way to stay informed on California news and events, this is a pretty solid option.

Manya Lyalya
Author Manya Lyalya Editor, Grand Screen

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Tons of news coverage across politics, sports, entertainment, and more
  • Can read the full digital newspaper version
  • Breaking news alerts keep you in the loop
  • Offline reading mode is useful
  • Free to download and use

Cons

  • App can get a little sluggish at times
  • Ads can be annoying if you don't pay for the premium version
  • Takes a bit of tinkering to customize the settings

Specifications

Updated 28.08.2025
Age Rating Everyone 10+
Developer NantMedia Holdings, LLC
Android Android 8.0++
Package Name com.apptivateme.next.la

Ratings

65
Google Play
3.3/5
3,726 reviews
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