Review: Official Arsenal iPhone app

The club released their official iPhone app last week, and Arsenal Mania were lucky enough to be provided with a copy for review. After playing about with it for a week I can say that it's easily one of the best apps in the Apple App Store, and whilst some may complain about the £2.99 price, this review will explain why it's a bargain.

I'm a big fan of the app and feel that the club have really put a lot of thought and planning into it. I'm not a big fan of the official site due to its tiny fonts and how it breaks some web accessibility guidelines, so the app is an ideal way for me to get to official content quickly and easily.

You can increase the font size if reading the text on the iPhone is difficult for you, though the default font size is just right. You can also email a story to a friend, and send feedback to the club easily.

There is a wealth of information available to you. Whilst you can expect the usual content such as news, fixtures and tables on the app due to it being fed (naturally) by the club's writers, where the app excels is its offering of match highlights and video content. What's even better is that you do not have to be an Arsenal TV Online (ATVO) subscriber to get access to these videos.

If you are an ATVO subscriber, there are some future developments coming soon for the app. It's a good bet that these upcoming videos will be the exclusive interviews the club runs regularly with manager Arsène Wenger and the players.

Clicking on a video opens the iPhone video interface and when played over a Wi-Fi connection, comes through very clearly. The one sticking point I have is the commentary from the highlights, it's not what you're used to with Sky but we sort of knew that with Arsenal TV.

Besides the video content, you can also view official match photos, player profiles and statistics. Fixture changes and league tables are also accessible.

The app also provides information on the club's other teams, such as the Arsenal Ladies and Reserves team and of course Junior Gunners. In addition to the launch of the club's new US site (are we pandering a bit too much to Stan Kroenke?), the app has a special section on the home screen for US-related content.

There is also a nice section of the club's efforts in the community, with features on the players taking part in activities to raise awareness on social issues such as racism and fair play, as well as opening football schools around the world with the club's branding and style of play.

The app currently has an average of 5/5 stars in the App Store, something of a record looking at the other reviews of cheaper apps.

As an added bonus, if there is content on the official site that's not yet available on the app, there is an in-built browser that links off to Arsenal.com.

If you haven't done so, you can purchase the official iPhone app for £2.99 from the Apple App Store.

User Comments

User Comments

• Got something to say?
• Read comments

Vs chelsea