Google Play Newsstand now supports magazines, adds improvements to Highlights and more

Google Play Newsstand 3.2 for iOS iPhone screenshot 001

Google has updated it Newsstand iOS client (formerly Google Currents) in the App Store with much-needed support for digital magazines available on the Play Store.

The new version has arrived shortly after Apple released the iOS 8.4 software update for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad which, among other perks, brings out support for Made for iBooks content on the iPhone and iPod touch.

Google Play Newsstand 3.2 also includes improvements to the Highlights feature and the usual performance and bug fixes.

Users can now read digital magazines sold on Google Play right on their iPhone and iPad in a mobile optimized format, though Google notes that publications with interactive content aren’t supported as of yet.

The Highlights feature has expanded the list of featured articles and topics and now includes articles from recent issues of digital magazines.

Content discovery has been made easier with the ability to click a link at the end of the article to find related articles. Lastly, there’s a brand new Top News cluster in the Highlights section which provides a curated selection of the most important news of the day.

The app is optimized for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Earlier in the year, it picked up offline support and Handoff so users can start reading an article on their iOS device and resume just where they left off on their Mac running OS X Yosemite, and vice versa.

Google Play Newsstand 3.2 changelog:

Magazine support:

  • Read magazines you’ve purchased (note: interactive magazines are not supported)
  • Read articles in a mobile optimized format
  • See articles from recent issues in Highlights

Improvements to Highlights:

  • Highlights includes even more articles from sources and topics you subscribe to
  • Stay up to date with the new “Top News” cluster in Highlights
  • Find related news at the end of an article

Performance improvements and bug fixes

The 13.2-megabyte universal app requires an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad with iOS 7.0 or later. It’s optimized for the iPhone 5/5s/5c, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus screen sizes and currently lacks a WatchKit component.

Download Google Play Newsstand free in the App Store.