KING 5 News for Seattle/Tacoma

Review by eFreeware

Local news is scattered across more places than ever, and keeping track of what is actually happening in your own area can take more effort than it should. A single app that pulls together headlines, forecasts, radar and live video from one newsroom solves that problem for people in the Seattle and Tacoma area. TEGNA's KING 5 News app is the official one for the NBC affiliate covering the Pacific Northwest.

It is free and ad-supported. The app has been around a long time, with more than 100,000 installs and a 3.9 average from 5,590 ratings. That is a decent score for a local news app, where expectations tend to run high and patience for clutter runs low.

What appeals to me is the focus. This is not a general-purpose news reader pulling from hundreds of outlets; it is built around one station's output, which means the reporting, the meteorologists and the live newscasts all come from the same place. If you live in the region and already trust that newsroom, that consistency is the point.

Following the news as it develops

The core of the app is breaking news. It sends real-time notifications, so you can be alerted when something significant happens rather than checking repeatedly through the day. Stories appear as they develop, and the app also carries investigative pieces alongside photos, news clips and raw video from the field.

That mix matters more than it might sound. Raw footage and photo galleries give you material to look through when a story is still unfolding, while the investigative work is the sort of reporting that does not fit neatly into a short broadcast segment. Having both in one place means you are not hunting across platforms when a story interests you.

You can also follow topics you care about and mark favorites so updates lean toward your interests. Sharing stories and videos with friends and family is built in, which is useful when something affects people you know. The app also shows behind-the-scenes photos and updates from anchors and reporters, a lighter layer that gives the station's staff a bit of personality beyond the headlines.

Weather, radar and the alerts that matter most

Weather is where a local app can earn a permanent spot on your home screen. KING 5 News offers daily and hourly forecasts for your city, along with the latest forecasts from the station's meteorologists. Interactive radar maps let you look at conditions yourself rather than relying on a summary.

Automated severe weather alerts for your immediate area would be the standout feature for me. In a region where conditions can shift quickly, an alert tied to your specific area is more useful than a general regional warning. The alerts are described as automated, with no detail on how they work.

For families, school delays and closings are included as they happen. That sounds like a small feature, but it matters on winter mornings, when the information you need is time-sensitive and usually needed before anyone has had coffee. Having it in the same app as the forecast and the news saves a step.

Live video and what it adds

Live video covers KING 5 newscasts along with breaking news and local events. For anyone who has cut the cord or simply is not near a television at broadcast time, this is the most direct way to watch the station's coverage as it airs.

Live video also pairs naturally with the alerting. When a notification arrives about something serious, being able to open a stream rather than wait for a written story to catch up is the difference between following an event and reading about it afterward. I would treat the live component as something to watch in the moment.

Between the live streams, the clips and the raw video, there is a fair amount of watchable material here. That said, this is an ad-supported app, so it is worth thinking about how much you plan to stream.

What you need before you start

There is not much to set up. The app is free to download. Notifications for breaking news are part of the package, so the main decision is whether you want those alerts on your phone at all.

Favoriting topics is how you shape what you see, and it is worth doing early rather than letting the default mix decide for you. The app is the official one for KING 5 and KING5.com, so the content comes from that newsroom rather than an aggregator.

If something goes wrong or you have suggestions, feedback goes to [email protected]. The most recent update, from October 5, 2026, is described only as bug fixes and improvements, which shows the app is still maintained but not what changed.

Who this suits

This app is for people who live in or regularly travel through the Seattle and Tacoma area and want local coverage from a single source. If you already watch KING 5 or read KING5.com, the app is a natural extension of that habit, and the live video and severe weather alerts are the pieces that make it more than a shortcut to the website.

It also fits households that need school closing information and parents who want a quick way to check conditions before the day starts. The combination of forecasts, radar and closings in one place is genuinely convenient when a morning is going sideways.

It is less suited to anyone looking for national or international news as the main event, or for coverage from multiple outlets. This is one station's app, and it is built around that station's reporting. If you want a broad news feed, the scope here is narrower than that.

The ad-supported model is worth weighing too. Ads keep the app free, but they are part of the experience, and a 3.9 rating from a few thousand reviewers suggests opinions are mixed rather than uniformly enthusiastic.

A local news app worth trying if you are in the region

KING 5 News does a specific job well: it puts breaking news, forecasts, radar, live video and school closings from one Pacific Northwest newsroom into a single free app. For anyone in the Seattle and Tacoma area, that is a sensible combination, and the live streams and hyperlocal weather alerts are the features that separate it from a plain headline feed.

The trade-offs are straightforward. It is supported by ads, it covers one station's output rather than a wide range of sources, and the average rating suggests not every user is delighted. None of that is unusual for a local news app, but it is the reality of what you are installing.

My recommendation is to install it if you want a dependable local companion for news and weather in the Seattle and Tacoma area, particularly if severe weather alerts and live newscasts matter to you. If your interest is broader news coverage, this app's scope will feel narrow.

What's new in version 50.29.1

Bug Fixes and Improvements.