Apple has announced a number of major enhancements to Apple News Format, affording publishers greater flexibility with the content that they post to the Apple News app.
These improvements include the ability to use a custom cover image. Previously, as 9to5Mac explains, only select partners were able to choose a custom photo or graphic specifically for the thumbnail that represents the news outlet in the Favorites grid and elsewhere.
Previously, Apple News would just automatically select an image from a recent post to appear in the thumbnail – though, as iClarified makes clear, this is still an option for publishers that prefer it.
Apple has also introduced a Map component which allows an article to indicate a geographical location on a map; readers can view the location in standard, hybrid or satellite map format. There’s also now a Place component that can be used for defining a specific area.
Other little tweaks include the ability to display images from remote URLs, rather than strictly in the Apple News Format article bundle, and a datePublished metadata property which means that older content can now published without it appearing at the top of the channel.
As noted on the official Apple News Format webpage, Apple News is currently only available in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia on devices running iOS 9.1 or later.