Getting onto Usenet can be a lot of fun, but users soon find that the majority of activity has to be done on a desktop computer. Usenet was created well before the ubiquity of mobile devices, so most clients are designed for computers rather than phones or tablets. However, that doesn’t mean that you are completely unable to enjoy Usenet on your phone, just that you have to plan ahead.
Why You Would Want Usenet On Your Phone
Usenet is a very powerful platform for sharing articles and having discussions. It’s been in operation since 1980 and hosts a feed with millions of users and countless gigabytes of posts to enjoy.
If you’re an average Internet user, you probably find yourself using your phone to consume information online more than any other device. As phones become more powerful, with easier communication and enough processing power to run more complicated applications, people will keep shifting their attention to mobile devices. And that includes Usenet.
If you’re having an in depth conversation about your favorite new book, for example, you don’t want to wait until you’re home to reply. Like most online services, you want to be able to browse and enjoy Usenet on the go. Fortunately, there are ways to accomplish that.
Mobile Newsreaders
The best newsreaders are for desktop, but mobile newsreaders do exist for both Android and iOS platforms. Unfortunately, most aren’t very good and we can’t recommend any specific ones here. The majority of mobile newsreaders are fairly basic and not particularly well-designed for intuitive use. None that we have encountered include Usenet search and they all had pretty extensive bugs when we tested them.
Since the majority of mobile newsreaders are from small developers, they have very little in the way of support and often are barely usable.
If you’re using binary downloaders like NZBGet or SABnzbd, you can find mobile apps on the various app stores that allow you to control your article downloads from your mobile device, but that requires you to use your home computer and open it to remote access, which can pose a serious security risk. Moreover, it restricts you to binary newsgroups and limits the features you can access.
So while there are mobile newsreaders that you can use, they aren’t very good. We do have another recommendation, however.
Mobile Usenet with Easynews
The quickest, most complete mobile Usenet experience is with Easynews.
Easynews is one of our best Usenet providers and the only provider that includes a web-based Usenet search feature that will let you access all 120,000+ binary and text newsgroups, find the posts you’re looking for, download articles, and reply to conversations.
Because of its web-based interface, you can use Easynews on any device that includes a web browser. For people new to Usenet, it’s also a more familiar interface than most newsreaders, is pre-configured for your account, and has post previews to make sure you’re getting the article you actually want.
If you prefer to use a regular newsreader on your computer, you can still connect to Easynews’s NNTP servers with your favorite client. It’s not restricted to the web interface, but it does allow users to enjoy Usenet while out and about.
Bottom Line
The only way to completely enjoy your Usenet subscription while on the go is by getting a subscription to Easynews. Fortunately, you can save 75% on a subscription if you sign up through Top10Usenet.
You’re a busy person, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to enjoy Usenet when you’re away from the house. Start browsing Usenet on your phone today!
