Develop a News App Like Al Jazeera

The way people of the UAE consume products and services has been completely transformed by the digital revolution.

Even the way people consume news has also changed. No more morning newspaper, a busy schedule has made people read news on the go, on their tablets or smartphones. News apps have become the most convenient way to get instant, personalized, and multimedia-rich updates at their fingertips.

One of the most demanding news apps of the UAE is Al Jazeera, which has set a benchmark with its robust features and millions of users. The success of this app has encouraged many to create such a scalable and robust news app.

Are you also planning to make an app like Al Jazeera, but don’t know where to start?

Read this blog till the end to get complete knowledge and create an impactful news app.

A Know-How about the Al Jazeera App

Al Jazeera is the official digital news platform introduced by Al Jazeera Media Network in the UAE. This is one of the leading and best news apps, as it gives instant access to international news, live TV broadcasts, and multimedia content to the population of the UAE right on their smartphones and tablets.

This app has made journalism more accessible and engaging for users on the go, with its extended presence on TV and the web. The best thing about this app is that it streams live news in two different languages, one in Al Jazeera English and the other in the Arabic channel.

Users will receive breaking news alerts in real time, and they can explore in-depth news coverage across different categories from politics to culture. Additionally, the app also offers users the opportunity to explore videos, podcasts, documentaries, and photo stories that make this news app more interactive.

A Market Overview of the News Industry in the UAE

The UAE has the highest internet penetration and smartphone users due to its rising tech-savvy population. For this reason, the traditional newspaper is gradually taking its leave from the country, and digital news apps like Al Jazeera News are strengthening their place.

We will give you an overview of the growing market of digital newspapers and magazines in the UAE.

• It is projected that the Digital Newspaper & Magazine sector of the UAE will reach $78.86 million in the year 2025.
• It is expected that by the year 2030, the market volume of the Digital Newspaper & Magazine will reach $78.96 million.
• So, during the forecast period, i.e., between the years 2025 and 2030, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 1.35%.
• By the year 2030, it is anticipated that the Digital Newspaper & Magazine sector of the UAE will have 3.8 million users.
• The Digital Newspaper & Magazine sectors will have 25.6% user penetration in the year 2025, and by the year 2030, their user penetration will increase to 37.9%.

So, you have seen that the Digital Newspaper & Magazine sectors of the UAE are not going to slow down. This growth comes with an excellent scope for the media businesses to turn the mobile app ideas like Al Jazeera into reality and catapult growth.

Steps to Develop a News App Like Al Jazeera

Since you are looking for a guide that helps you to develop an app like Al Jazeera, this section is all that you need to read. We have covered everything from scratch so that you don’t miss a single step. This is because missing a single step can affect the overall quality of the app.

If you feel that the steps will be tough for you to follow, then it is best to hire mobile app developers to make your work much easier.

Step 1: Research and Planning

First, start with proper research about the audience of the niche industry and the competitor news apps. The competitor apps also include Al Jazeera, learn about its unique features and the gaps.

This helps you to consider which features to integrate and what unique features you can create to fulfill the gaps and audience needs.

Step 2: Choose the Right Features

Now that you are done with the research and planning part of the app, it’s time to move forward with choosing the right features for your app. The features are a crucial part of a news app like Al Jazeera News because that’s what makes it different from its competitors.

Thus, to help your app lead the competition in the industry, you must integrate unique features. To develop a news app in Dubai that is famous and successful, just like Al Jazeera, requires the following key features.

• Personalized Content

The Al Jazeera app has integrated the power of AI, which allows it to understand the preferences and reading habits of its users. So, the user’s data helps the app to curate news content tailored to the user’s choice.

• Advanced Search Filter

The app Al Jazeera Times comes with a smart and advanced search bar that even allows users to filter out the required articles. You should also integrate that feature in your news app so that users can locate specific news articles effortlessly.

• Radio and Podcasts

Radio and podcasts are also crucial features of the news app Al Jazeera. This is the feature that helps to deliver comprehensive and diverse important news in a package to the users. This feature should also be considered in your app.

• Offline Reading

Offline reading is one of the mainstream features of the Al Jazeera app. This feature allows users of the app to read news even when they are not connected to the internet. To offer the best user experience, consider adding this feature to your app.

• Live News Streaming

The app of the Al Jazeera newspaper in Dubai has a very attractive feature that enhances users’ experience: its live news streaming. This allows the app to show real-time multimedia news elements, including interactive images, audio clips, and videos.

• Categorized Content

One of the best features offered by the Al Jazeera app is the categorization of content according to the tastes of users. This feature allows users to categorize their news content as per politics, entertainment, sports, and others. This allows users to navigate the news easily.

• Bookmarking System

The bookmarking system of the Al Jazeera news app is also an excellent feature. This gives the users the advantage of saving important news articles for future reference and reading. You can add this feature to your news app to enhance convenience and usability.

• Social Media Integration

Today, social media is playing an important role in connecting with people around the world; you must integrate social media into your news app. The app Al Jazeera has a feature that allows users to share articles, quotes, and images directly on social media platforms.

Step 3: Select the Right Technology

Now that you know which features you need to integrate into the app, it’s time to proceed and select the right tech stack for the app. The choice of technology plays a crucial role in deciding the quality of the app.

There are several important technologies that you must consider while developing an Al Jazeera-like news app that offers the best outcomes and helps in growth.

Step 4: UI/UX Design

Now that you are done with choosing the right features and tech stack for your app, it’s time to create a clear UI/UX design of the news app. For this, you have to use a wireframe to create the prototype of the news app like Al Jazeera.

Make sure it has an interactive user interface (UI), clear features, color, and icons that offer the best user experience (UX).

Step 5: App Development

Now, it’s time to start developing a news app like Al Jazeera. You have to carry out the backend and frontend of the app. The frontend development makes sure you have created an interactive app interface; for this, turn the UI/UX design into a clear app screen that shows all the features clearly.

Now, backend development is required to ensure all the features are working properly and create a robust backend system with APIs and databases.

Step 6: QA and Testing

Now that you have developed an app like Al Jazeera, it’s time to perform QA and test the app before you launch it. This step helps you ensure that you can present a high-quality and bug-free news app to your valuable users.

In this step, you have to carry out several tests, such as performance test, usability test, functional test, security test, etc.

Step 7: Launch and Marketing

Now that you have successfully tested the news app, it is ready to be launched on several app download platforms like Google Play, Apple Store, and others.

Potential users can install the app from these app download platforms for their use. Before that, you can promote the app through various channels. This marketing tactic creates buzz and attracts more users.

Step 8: Post-Launch Maintenance

Post-launch maintenance is also a part of the process, and it determines the mobile app development cost. After the app launch, you want your app to offer users a good experience by offering the best performance.

Thus, you need to keep the app updated with the latest features and security patches to keep the app safe from cyberattacks.

              Design, Develop, and Launch a News App Like Al Jazeera today!
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Cost to Build a News App Like Al Jazeera

Since you are sure to develop an app like Al Jazeera to make a thriving presence in the news app market of the UAE, you should proceed with a budget. To create a budget, you must know how much it costs to build an app.

The average cost to create a news app similar to Al Jazeera typically ranges from $20,000 to $150,000, and even more. This depends upon various factors, which include feature complexity, the developer’s location, platform choice, and others.

To create the MVP version of the Al Jazeera news app, it will cost less than $30,000. However, if you want to create a full-stack app just like Al Jazeera with trending features and the latest technology, then it will cost you more than $150,000.

Strategies to Choose the UAE’s Best Mobile App Development Company

As said in the above section, it is best to hire a mobile app startup or a company, as they will make your work easier. You must choose the right and best app development to create your app, ensuring it can thrive in the competitive market.

You must be wondering how to choose an app development company in UAE, that’s a very common concern. Thus, to make it easier for you, we have created a checklist to help you hire a developer company that is best suited for your app development process.

Here is the checklist below.

➢ Check Technical Expertise

It is very important that if you are in the process of choosing an app development company, you make sure they have good technical expertise.

It will determine the quality of the app they will create for your business. The company must have a specific platform specialization and must also have experience working with emerging technologies.

➢ Evaluate Design Capabilities

Next, check the design capabilities of the app development companies. A good app development company comes with a team that has strong UI/UX design capabilities.

Must do user research, create a prototype, and conduct usability tests. It is best to evaluate the past work of the company to ensure they make creative and innovative designs.

➢ Offers Post-Launch Support

The app development company must offer post-launch support and app maintenance services. Post-maintenance should be part of the entire app development process that the company provides.

The company must fix bugs, provide regular updates, and have the ability to fulfill the needs of your news app according to the requirements.

➢ Have a Good Local Understanding

Since you will develop an app like Al Jazeera, the UAE-based news app, you must ensure the app development company has a good local understanding.

The company must have good experience in the Arabic language, understand local culture, and understand the local audiences. They must know the specific data privacy of the UAE.

➢ Align with Budget & Project Scope

The company must have a clear understanding of the project scope, which refers to the type of app you plan to create. They should also have a good understanding of your audience, the app’s key features, and the deadline.

The company you will be working with must align with your financial scope, i.e., fit within your budget. You now know the way you can choose your preferred and the best app development company to build a mobile app in Dubai.

To make things easier for you, here is the name of a mobile app development company you must consider: Nimble AppGenie. We are the leading app development company in Dubai that offers the best and fully planned app development service.

Our team of expert developers starts from scratch to create your news app and maintain transparency. The best thing about Nimble AppGenie is that we offer the most budget-friendly service to our clients.

Conclusion

To create an app like Al Jazeera, you have to do more than just replicate its features. You have to make sure that your news app can beat the competitive pressure, so create a dynamic platform that can inform, engage, and build trust with the users.

Now, you already know the requirements of building such an app, which consists of complete planning, the right tech stack, features, testing, and post-launch support. You also know the secret to choosing the right app development company that makes the development journey seamless.

Now, apply all your learning to create the next big news app, just like the famous Al Jazeera.

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