If you own a smartphone or tablet, you likely have dozens of apps on your device — everything from social media, music and gaming apps, communication apps for email and messaging, and utility apps such as maps, weather or banking.
Estimates show the typical user has downloaded more than 80 apps to their device.
Well, make room for one more: the Hauxeda app is available now, giving you an easy way to browse the best in Springfield area news and features, whether you are at home, at work or on the go.
The app is free to download from either the App Store (for Apple users) or the Google Play Store. Just search for “SGF Daily Citizen.”
While it is free to download and sample, if you want unlimited access to all of the Daily Citizen content through the app, you will need a subscription — and if you’d like to try it out, we are offering our lowest-ever rates for new subscribers, as little as $4.99 per month.
Registration with valid email required
The first step is to download the app to your device.
If you have an Android device, such as a Samsung phone, we recommend you restart your device after you install the app and before you open it for the first time. This will clear some browser settings to give you the smoothest experience.
Whether you are already a subscriber, or a new user, to activate the app you will need to sign in, or register, with a valid email address.
- For subscribers, as well as those who have a registered account on our website, download the app and sign in with the same email and password you use on our website. (Don’t worry if you forgot your password, you can follow the easy steps to reset it by clicking the “forgot password” link.)
- New users will need to register a valid email address and create a password.
To complete the registration, all users will receive a confirmation email at their registered address. The email will contain a four-digit code; enter that code in the app and you’ll be signed in.
Once you are signed in, you’re all set.
Subscribers get unlimited access to all of the latest-breaking news and features, plus you can read our in-depth reports and all of the stories from our staff of eight full-time journalists, and cadre of freelance contributors.
Other users will get two free articles every 30 days before being required to subscribe.
Easy scrolling through top stories in each section
On the home screen, you will be able to scroll through the top 4-5 latest stories, then glance through a list of the top three stories in sections such as Business, Schools, Government, Culture and Sports — as well as local favorite Steve Pokin’s columns.
While the app is designed for optimal reading in a vertical format, as most of us do when using our mobile phones, it can be turned for horizontal reading.
Select any story and it pops right up. Or you can use the handy “bookmark” feature to set a story aside for later reading (accessible through the “My account” feature at the bottom right of the home screen).
When reading a story, you can adjust the size of the type to fit your preference, or share the story through text, by email or on social media and other apps.
When done reading, just hit the “X” at the top left to close it out, or the back arrow on the bottom, to go back to the app home screen or section.
Menus in two places for quick navigation
At the top of the home screen, you have two options for accessing the full set of content — either through the three line “hamburger” menu in the top left, or by scrolling horizontally through a top menu. Within each section, you can choose subsections; for example, under Culture you can find Arts, Food, Outdoors and Shopping features.
When you are browsing through a section, you can select a button at the top “Unread” if you would only like to see stories you have not previously read in that section. (Note: stories that you have not read will also have bold-faced headlines.)
Along the bottom of the screen, you will find app features, such as “Alerts” (to see the latest news) and a “For you” section where you can check out stories suggested for you based on your interests, or check out the most-read stories from the habits of other readers.
Finally, in the “My account” section, you can read stories that you have bookmarked, or you can see your own reading history. By clicking the settings symbol in the top right corner, you can edit your account profile, manage your subscription, change your notifications and display preferences, and review our policies.
Enable notifications to get the latest news
We encourage users to customize alert notifications so you receive a message on your device’s home screen whenever a new story is published. When a notification arrives, you can just click on the notification to go directly to the story — or when you open the app, look for the “Alerts” tab at the bottom of the home screen and you can see all of the latest alerts in the “Stories” tab.
You can set your mobile device to receive notifications in a couple of ways:
- Click on the “Alerts” menu at the bottom of the screen, and look for the adjustable settings symbol at the top right. Select “All News Stories” by sliding the toggle switch so the dark red color shows. Or you can select specific sections by toggling next to those topics below.
- Or click on the “My account” menu at the bottom of the screen, and look for the gear symbol at the top right. Look under Preferences for Notifications and choose your settings there.
You also can adjust some notification settings in the main “Settings” feature on your mobile device, but you have the most control by customizing notifications within the SGF Daily Citizen app itself.
Explore other features with these tips
The app is fully searchable — you can find stories about specific topics or people by using the magnifying glass at the top right on the home screen. It’s important to note: to search the entire site, search from the “Top Stories” screen. If you search within a section, you will only get stories that fall in that section.
The “For you” section includes two tabs:
- “Interests” will suggest stories to you from each of our sections based on your reading habits.
- “Most Read” shows what other app users are reading.
In the “My account” section, you will find two tabs: one showing any stories you have bookmarked; the other captures your reading history in the app.
By clicking on the settings gear symbol at the top right, you can:
- Edit your account profile, including giving us your name, your community and even your company name and title.
- Manage your subscription, including selecting newsletters you want to receive (tap “Account Settings” at the top of the subscription management screen to reach your entire account profile), or updating your payment information.
- Change your “Display preferences.” For example, “text-only” turns off images everywhere except in stories. This is great when you're where the internet is slow because the app loads faster! Or under “Show first” you can have the app show you unread articles first – although we recommend you go with the Default or Latest setting.
- You also can access our policies on “Privacy & Security” and “Terms of use,” you can submit feedback on the app, or you can learn more “About us.”
We hope you enjoy the new app, and for those who have been looking for a reason to subscribe, we hope this encourages you to support your 100% local, 100% independent source of Springfield area news.
If you need help with your subscription, please contact our reader helpline at subscribers@hauxeda.com
If you have other feedback or questions, you can reach me at 417-837-3664, or by emailing dstoeffler@hauxeda.com
