Microsoft's old MSN news app has been on Android since 2014, and it didn't exactly look modern even then. The app was in need of some updates, and Microsoft has provided them by completely rebuilding it. The app is now just called Microsoft News, and it includes new features, more topics, and a dark theme.
Here's the full changelog for the first version of Microsoft News.
- New first run experience, to get you set up
- Broader set of interests you can follow to personalize your experience
- Ability to roam your interests across all your devices
- New widgets, for easy access to Microsoft News
- Dark theme, enabling easy night reading
- Breaking news, to keep you immediately up to date
- Your local news, for many top cities
The various categories are arranged in tabs across the top of the app. Stories load in a stripped-down view inside the app, which scrolls smoothly to the nest story when you get to the bottom. There are a few ads peppered throughout the app, which it labels as "sponsored" items.
The default theme is white, but there's a dark theme in the settings. You can also toggle it on and off with a button at the top of the screen when reading stories. The changelog mentions "widgets," implying there's more than one. I only see a single resizable widget that's not even scrollable.
You can grab the new Microsoft News app in the Play Store or from APK Mirror. Logging in syncs news preferences across devices, but you can use it sans login as well.