What This App Does and Who It’s For
Dainik Bhaskar’s Hindi News app is a localized news hub aimed at Hindi-speaking readers across India, with a heavy focus on cities and towns in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal. It bundles text news, video news, an ePaper reader, astrology, politics, crime, business and entertainment coverage into one app, with the promise of hyperlocal updates from your specific town rather than just national headlines. If you grew up reading the physical Dainik Bhaskar newspaper or want city-level updates on things like water shortages, traffic or local crime, this app is clearly built with you in mind.
The ePaper and Local Coverage Are the Real Draw
Users repeatedly point to the breadth of content as a genuine strength. One reviewer called it ‘highly informative and sometimes even entertaining,’ praising the explainers as ‘knowledge-enriching.’ Another noted it serves news well ‘in all modes – text, audio and video.’ The sheer scale of city coverage, spanning thousands of towns, is hard for a generic national news app to match, and for readers in Bhaskar’s core states, that hyperlocal reporting on crime, accidents and civic issues seems to genuinely land with its audience.
Where the App Frustrates Daily Readers
The complaints here are specific and recurring, not vague one-star venting. Multiple users describe checking the app several times a day only to find the same stories recycled under different headlines, with one calling out the experience of opening the app five times and seeing ‘old news’ each time. There are also requests for basic customization, like removing the cricket tab so only selected topics show up, suggesting the interface currently doesn’t let readers trim it down to their actual interests.
Premium Subscription Problems Are a Serious Red Flag
The most damaging pattern in the feedback is around the paid tier. One user paid for premium and still saw ads running, directly undercutting the app’s own promise of an ‘ad-free’ experience. Others describe far worse: a Prime member reported being charged monthly since January 25 while access was cut off with a message claiming the plan expired, despite payment for subsequent months going through. A separate reviewer with an ‘Always Prime’ renewal said their payment was deducted but the app still wouldn’t recognize their active plan for ePaper access. Both reviewers used the word ‘irresponsible’ or similar language to describe customer support’s handling of these billing disputes. If you’re considering paying for this app specifically to remove ads or unlock the ePaper archive, these reports suggest real risk of paying without reliably getting what you paid for.
ePaper Reader Has Its Own Bugs
Separate from billing, the ePaper feature itself has functional complaints. One user said the newspaper PDF only displays across two-thirds of the screen instead of full screen, and flagged issues with backward navigation. Another reported that selecting cities like Bijnor for the ePaper instead returned editions from Lucknow or Kanpur regardless of which city was chosen, calling out ‘many bugs’ in that section. For an app that markets 200+ ePaper editions as a headline feature, these city-mismatch and display issues undercut that pitch for anyone trying to read their actual hometown paper.
Who Should Actually Download This
If you’re a Hindi-speaking reader based in one of Bhaskar’s core coverage states and mainly want free local and national news in text and video form, the app delivers reasonably well according to the positive reviews, and its installer numbers show it’s clearly established itself as a daily habit for a huge audience. But if your plan is to pay for the premium or ‘Always Prime’ tier to get an ad-free experience or reliable ePaper access, tread carefully. The recurring billing and access complaints, alongside real bugs in city selection and PDF display, suggest the paid tier needs more scrutiny before you hand over recurring payment details. Casual free users tolerating some repeated headlines will likely get more value out of this than someone expecting a polished premium subscription experience.
