The Fig City News iPhone app, launched in April 2023, gave Apple iPhone & iPad users quick access to Fig City articles, Newton restaurants, community announcements, and local government meeting calendars. More than two years later, a major update transforms it into a daily companion for staying connected to Newton. And by popular demand, it’s now also on Android!
The iOS and Android versions of the app have the approximately the same features, summarized below.
“Accept Notifications” and stay informed on Newton happenings
Apps can be pests, and it’s easy to refuse notifications from them as a practice. But the Fig City News App aims to provide useful notifications, including those below. Click “Accept” when prompted and then select the notifications you want to keep in the the App’s Settings.
- ☀️ Morning Briefing — Start your day with weather, top headline, and what’s happening in Newton
- 🌧️ Weather Alerts — Get a heads-up the evening before when rain or snow is in the Newton forecast
- 🏛️ Government Meetings — Reminders for City Council, School Committee, and board meetings
- 📰 Weekly Newsletter — Wednesday reminder of the week’s news issue
- 🎭 Community Events — Thursday preview & reminders of happenings, performances, and events
- 🔥 Trending Friday — See what Newton is reading most each week from the Wednesday newsletter
- ⚡ Breaking News — Be first to know when important stories drop
All notifications are customizable in Settings — so you can enable only those that matter to you.
Newton weather, no clutter
Tap the weather icon in the News tab or weather at top-left corner to get hourly and 7-day forecasts for Newton — with no ads, no upsells, and no scrolling past radar maps you didn’t ask for. Just the forecast. Or add the Newton Weather widget to your home screen and check conditions without opening the app.
Reminders for meetings and events
Planning to attend a City Council committee meeting? Interested in a community event? Tap “Remind Me” on any item in the Events tab and choose when you want to be notified — one hour, one day, or one week before it starts. No more checking your calendar or missing something you intended to attend.
Newton widgets on your Home Screen
Several widgets bring Newton to your iPhone without opening the app:
- Newton Weather — Current conditions: high, low, and chance of precipitation
- Fig City News — Latest headlines at a glance
- Trending Now — List of the most-read stories of the week
- Community Events — List of upcoming community events
- Government Meetings — List of upcoming government meetings
Find your next meal
The Dine tab lets you access the Fig City News Newton Restaurant Directory, which includes 160 restaurants — up from 126 at launch two years ago — with the same features readers loved: Filter by village, cuisine, or your favorites. Search by name, or tap “Spin” for a random suggestion. New: sort by distance to find what’s closest to your location.
Listen to Fig City News stories
Separate from the newly launched Fig City News Podcast — which shares select stories from Fig City News in audio form for you to listen on the move — the app also can play the stories on the home page. Hit the LISTEN button at the top of the app, and advance back and forth through the stories with the media player that pops up. You can select the voice used in the settings.
Hey Siri
You can use Siri Commands from your phone or HomePod to ask the app questions. These features are still being tested on both platforms and may not be fully reliable, but you can give them a try:
📰 News Headlines
- “What are the headlines on Fig City News?”
- “What are the top stories on Fig City News?”
- “What’s the news on Fig City News?”
☀️ Weather
- “What’s the weather on Fig City News?”
- “What’s the forecast on Fig City News?”
🔥 Trending
- “What’s trending on Fig City News?”
- “What’s popular on Fig City News?”
📅 Events & Meetings
- “What’s happening today on Fig City News?”
- “What events are on Fig City News?”
- “What government meetings are on Fig City News?”
🍽️ (Random) Restaurant Suggestions
- “Where should I eat on Fig City News?”
- “Where should I eat in [village] on Fig City News?”
- “What’s for dinner on Fig City News?”
- “Suggest a restaurant on Fig City News?”
🎧 Audio Playback
- “Fig City News play”
- “Fig City News audio”
- “Play Fig City News”
- “Listen to Fig City News”
Newton 311
Report a pothole, graffiti, or missed trash pickup. The new 311 tab connects directly to the City of Newton’s 311 service request system.
The Fig City News app is free on the App Store and Google Play Store. If you already have it, update to get the new features. Questions or suggestions? Email [email protected].
