Accessing Online Magazines and Newspapers in UK for Free

 

The world of online e-reading has become a confusing place over recent years, with a 'battle royal' raging between the publishing industry and internet users as more and more content goes online. 

The industry are desperately trying to preserve their income streams in the face of increased online access to e-publications of all sorts which are outside their control, but the 'shadow' libraries are continually finding ways to outwit them.....

It would seem obvious that a new publishing model is long overdue, with some alternative arrangement for internet access when a book is first published, and a better deal for struggling authors on whom we all depend for our fiction. Until the publishers accept this, and act accordingly, they will continue to lose ground; their business model will continue to struggle, and could eventually fail altogether.

In an attempt to unravel some of the complexity of accessing reading material online while this battle continues, here is some info. on how you can (perfectly legitimately) access newspaper, magazine and audio-book content via your local UK library completely free of charge.

If you’re into eBook fiction, you’ll also find some useful info. about accessing and managing eBooks on my website along with a critical look at of some of the older Kindle e-readers, which can be had for budget prices now that Amazon have stopped 'supporting' them.

First Steps

The first thing you’ll need to access free newspapers and magazines is a valid borrower’s  card for your local library. If you are a council tax payer, you're already entitled to one, and you can get it simply by signing up at the nearest local branch library in your area over the counter – you’ll need some form of approved ID e.g. driving licence /passport and evidence of your current address (e.g. a recent utility bill).

Your library card will come with a user ID number (usually 8 digits) and you’ll also be given a PIN number to go with it. Keep both of these safe and don’t forget your PIN (you'll be charged a fee for a new one if you do!). Keep an eye on the expiry date for your card – this is normally around 3 years from date of issue. If you've had one in the past but not used it for a while, pop into your library and they'll sort you out with a renewal and organise a User ID and PIN for you.

Once you’ve obtained a card you’ll have access to the online catalogues of newspapers and magazines, as well as a wide selection of audio-books. Local libraries differ as to which online apps they use. Your card also entitles you to use the computer facilities provided at the library and the free wifi most of them provide on site. This can be useful, if your home broadband access is disrupted for any reason and you live nearby.

How do I get online access and what devices can I use ?

To make the best of the online library offerings, you need a smartphone or tablet pc (Android or Ios operating system); for Android, this needs to be running Android 7.0 or higher. The equivalent Ios version for iPhones, etc. is Ios version 10.0 or above.  

UK libraries currently use three main library service provider apps – 'Press Reader', 'Borrowbox' and 'Libby'.  The assumption by providers and local government library services is that most users will want to access material via their smartphones or tablets nowadays, and all 3 of these providers base their main offerings on Android and Ios apps. Please note that these are normally specific to a single device (i.e. any contents you’ve downloaded isn’t transferable between devices). Both ‘Press Reader’ and ‘Libby’ are the apps most used by library service providers, but the distribution of resources accessible via each of them may differ over time (e.g. our local library (Leics.) has transferred its magazine access over to Libby recently (thus effectively curtailing their use entirely for anyone with an older phone or tablet, since Libby only works with Android 7.0 or above). Version-creep in action, in fact - see below. You can, however, also access both of their providers' offerings via your pc – more about this later. Borrowbox is more of a legacy system and has the disadvantage of operating a waiting list for more popular titles, much as their pc based online borrowing systems do.

Do I need to Log In each time I use the apps ?

Normally, since the apps are device-specific, you only need to go through the full login and authentication procedure once to enable your device. This involves providing your library card number and PIN, and some other personal details if you’ve not already registered; there may also be a 2-factor authentication via text or email to confirm your ID. Once you’ve gone through this procedure, your device should take care of authentication automatically whenever you invoke the app. If you change devices, delete the app or factory reset your existing device, you’ll need to re-install the app and go through the process again, and won’t have access to any content you've previously downloaded onto the device.

Which Smartphone/Tablet OS versions work with the apps ?

As alluded to above, a particularly irritating phenomenon for the online user nowadays is so-called ‘version creep’.  App developers show no remorse whatsoever for suddenly upgrading an app, such that the new version excludes earlier versions of the OS and any devices running them. Many of us will have experienced this at least once already. Their attitude is that if your device is too old to cope – tough, you really need to upgrade and stop being a 'dinosaur'. This attitude is of course intensely irritating, and quite unacceptable from a consumer point of view; it is also extremely environmentally unfriendly, since it is desugned to encourage us to ditch perfectly serviceable older technology and buy new devices on an increasingly frequent basis. It is possible to upgrade the OS firmware on some devices, but this is often beyond the capabilities of the casual user and is not always successful.

Developers and ‘big tech’ providers both seem to manage to get away with this ‘e-crime’ as I see it again and again, citing their excuse as ‘the need to provide better quality apps for our customers’. Unfortunately there’s very little the average user can do about this besides vote with their feet and stop using the offending app. For now, at least, expect frequent upgrades and be prepared to change your allegiance as appropriate. More experienced Android users, and anyone with an older phone or tablet, will already have realised that Google's Play Store deliberately excludes any Android OS versions they no longer support from being offered apps - this can be easily circumvented by using other app providers and loading .apk versions directly - see this link for a description of how to do this.

At present, the Press Reader app will still work with Android 5.1 and above (PR version 6.5.23), as will Borrowbox. Libby will still run on Android v6.x (Libby version v6.4.0), but  please note that the latest version downloaded from Play Store will only run on devices with Android 7.0 or above, so you’ll need to install an .apk version manually if you’re running Android 6.x and want to use the app. 

If you don’t have a device with the necessary OS spec. for either app, all is not lost – you can access online resources via web versions of the two apps. You’ll only be able to use them in ‘streaming’ mode, though i.e you’ll need to stay online while you’re reading, and you won’t be able to download any content for offline reading.

What can I do with the apps ?

Press Reader

This app provides unlimited access to a wide variety of newspapers and magazines. It has a useful search function and will save titles you access frequently for you in a ‘My Publications’ section for easy access. Earlier teething troubles with the app seem to have been sorted out, but it does have an expiry date for tablet & phone access (ca 2 months from last login). After this you’ll need to log out and log in again on your pc via the web version to renew your access rights. 

You can download any of the titles available for offline reading and there is no expiry date on these i.e. you can keep them for as long as you want. There is also no limit to the number of items you can download, but bear in mind downloaded items will take up significant space in your tablet's non-system memory, so keep an eye on your available resource and get into the habit of deleting items once you’ve read them. NB you can only download PR content for offline reading via the app, not via a pc.

 Libby

This app is somewhat more restrictive as far as offline access is concerned, and is also device-specific, but it does offer a larger selection of items, including a range of audio-books. Some of the local library service providers also have legacy collections attached from previous providers such as RB Digital. Like Press Reader (PR), the Libby app allows you to flag frequently used titles for later use. As for PR, you can download items you want to read offline via the app, but the difference is that these will expire after 7 days and will be automatically removed from your device after this whenever you go online with it. This does introduce a degree of urgency to read them once they've been downloaded, but you can usually renew an item for another 7 days if you haven’t quite finished with a particular title. (You can also avoid using the app when connected to wifi). In general, the selection of accessible titles is more comprehensive than that offered by PR, but this may vary due to local restrictions imposed by your library services provider. 

Borrowbox

Another app popular with UK library service providers is Borrowbox.

This app does have a selection of magazines and newspapers available, but unlike PR and Libby, it is mainly focused on eBook access as a substitute for physical access to library books. Access is again via your library card, but there is a 3-week loan system modeled on physical library operation for all items…and a queueing system for access to popular titles. The app is also smartphone/tablet oriented, but there is a web-based version and unlike the other two providers, it is possible to download items direct to pc via Adobe digital systems for offline reading (you’ll need to install this software first, and any content you download will be DRM-protected and have a set expiry date).

For anyone just wanting access to newspapers and periodicals, I would advise using PR and/or Libby if your library offers it, to avoid the hassle. For eBook fans it’s worth checking out Borrowbox for the title you’re after, but be prepared to be disappointed if it’s a popular one, particularly if it’s just been published. If you want to get hold of it before next Christmas, you may have better luck with one of the online shadow libraries, and won’t have to tangle with Adobe and its DRM-induced expiries.

Final Thoughts

I hope this brief journey through the ins and outs of online UK online library access will have helped dispel some of the confusion and enable you to keep reading online without further trauma…or cost.

In these days of local government cuts and consequent physical library closures, it’s even more important to make sure we retain an acceptable range of online services as a substitute for the physical access that we’re progressively losing due to Local Government cost-cutting.

Don’t be denied access by the apparent complexity of registering…and do complain to your local council if you think your library service is difficult to use or needs improvement – that's what they're there for. After all, you’re paying sweetly for the service via your council tax, so make sure you get your money's worth !….

First published 27.4.25

Revised 29.6.25