Global Times

Review by eFreeware

If you follow China in English and want reporting written from inside the country rather than translated into it, Global Times is the app to look at first. It is the mobile edition of the national English-language newspaper published under the People's Daily, and its stated aim is to give readers both sharp reporting and analysis alongside video and multimedia pieces. That combination of written coverage and video commentary is what separates it from a plain news feed.

The app has been on Google Play since July 2019 and has passed five million installs, with a 4.3 average from 4,567 ratings. Those numbers suggest a settled, widely used product rather than a new experiment. It is free to download, carries ads, and offers no in-app purchases.

What you get is a fairly broad daily paper in app form. The developer lists ten distinct sections, from Editorial and Opinion through China, Business and World to Arts, Infographics and Sports. That spread means the app can serve as a general news source rather than a single-topic feed, and the sections are the clearest guide to whether the editorial line and subject mix match what you want to read.

Following China's domestic story

The China section covers major news and trends at home and abroad, tracking the country's rise. If your interest is how China reports on itself, this is the part of the app that carries that weight. The Editorial section sits alongside it with original analysis on contested topics, which the developer presents as a forthright and distinctive voice.

Opinion runs separately, described as thought-provoking views, and Hu says provides short video commentary. Between the three, the app gives you argument and interpretation as well as reporting, which matters if you want to understand a position rather than just collect headlines. I would expect readers who already follow Chinese current affairs to get the most from these sections, because they assume some familiarity with the debates being discussed.

Infographics is the section that interests me most in principle. It presents news through diagrams and numbers, which is a useful counterweight to text-heavy coverage when a story involves trade figures, economic data or anything else that reads better as a chart. It is a small section next to the main news categories, but it gives the app a second way of explaining a story.

Business, world affairs and the wider mix

Business coverage is framed from a China-focused angle, covering major issues from the financial world with commentary attached. That framing is the point: the app is not trying to be a neutral global wire service, and the developer is explicit that the perspective is Chinese. The World section follows the same logic, offering international stories through that lens.

Beyond news, the Arts section is unusually wide. The developer lists design, cuisine, fashion, art, movies and television, travel, celebrities and health under it, which makes it closer to a lifestyle and culture desk than a narrow arts page. Sports rounds out the app with updates from across the sporting world. Together these sections give the app a daily rhythm that is not only politics and markets.

For anyone building a reading routine around one country, that breadth is the appeal. You can start with the day's China and World coverage, move to Business if markets are your interest, and finish with Arts or Sports. The mix is broad enough that the app can be a primary English-language source on China rather than a supplement to one.

Downloading, ads and the recent update

Getting started is simple: the app is a free download from Google Play and rated for everyone. It carries ads, which is the trade-off for free access to the full paper. There are no in-app purchases.

The most recent update, dated September 6, 2026, reworked the video feature and fixed some bugs. The developer also points readers to globaltimes.cn and to the @globaltimesnews accounts on Facebook and Twitter, which is useful if you want the paper's output in more than one place.

One practical note: the app's own sections are the best way to judge whether the editorial perspective suits you. The app's voice is described as unique and perceptive, and Business and World are framed around China. Readers who want reporting from a Chinese vantage point will find it here in English; readers who want a different vantage point should weigh that before installing.

Readers this app is built for

This suits people who want China's national English-language paper on their phone: students and researchers following the country, professionals with business interests there, journalists and analysts who need to know how Chinese outlets are framing a story, and general readers who want international news from a non-Western source. The English-language format makes it accessible without Chinese fluency, which is a large part of why the app has the reach it does.

It also works for readers who prefer a paper with a clear point of view. The Editorial and Opinion sections are presented as distinctive voices rather than neutral summaries, and the China, Business and World sections are openly angled. If you read several international outlets and want one more perspective in the mix, that is a reasonable use for it.

The app is free and ad-supported, so the cost of trying it is your time and tolerance for advertising rather than money. With five million-plus installs and a 4.3 rating, it is clearly serving a large English-reading audience already. The sections are broad enough that most readers will find at least two or three worth returning to daily.

A daily read for China-watchers in English

Global Times earns a place on the phone of anyone who needs China's English-language press in app form. It covers domestic and international news, business, culture and sport, adds video commentary and infographics, and does it without a subscription or in-app purchases. The advertising is the price of that access, and the China-focused framing is the character of the paper rather than a flaw in it.

I would suggest it to readers who want a Chinese perspective in English as part of a wider news diet, and to anyone following China closely enough to want the country's own English-language daily on hand. The breadth of sections means it can serve as a primary source rather than a supplement. Install it if that perspective is what you are after; the app is built around delivering exactly that.

What's new in version 2.13.0

Updated the video feature and fixed some bugs