The Economist Android FAQs

How do I activate my full Digital access if I purchased directly from Economist.com?

If you are a digital subscriber who has purchased your subscription directly from Economist.com, you do not have to activate in order to obtain access. To get full access, log in using your Economist online e-mail address and password.

How do I activate my full Digital access if I subscribed via post or phone?

If you are a subscriber who has purchased a subscription with a Digital element via post or phone you will need your customer reference number (CRN), which is found on the mailing label of your print copy, to activate your digital access.

  1. Tap the Settings icon at the bottom of the screen
  2. Tap Activate digital access
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions

If you have not yet received your first print copy, please follow the instructions in your Welcome e-mail or contact customer service for more information (see below for details).

How do I activate my full Digital access if I am a Digital subscriber who paid via Google Play Store?

To enable access on all of your devices, you must log in or register for an Economist account from the device on which you purchased your subscription.

  1. Tap the Settings icon at the bottom of the screen
  2. Tap Activate digital access
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions

Once you have set up your full digital access your subscription will have been authorised against your Google Play Store ID. You will then be able to log in on other devices using your Economist account email address and password.

How do I purchase a Digital subscription in-app?

To purchase a Digital subscription in-app, please:

How do I purchase a single issue in-app?

To purchase a single issue in-app please:

How do I download audio?
  1. Tap the speaker icon in the top right of the screen to open the audio panel
  2. When inside the audio panel, tap download all or an individual article title
  3. The download will then start automatically

Note: due to file size limitations, audio downloads are only available through Wi-Fi connections.

To listen to the audio, tap the speaker icon and tap the article title.

How do I delete an issue (and audio)?
  1. Locate the issue in your Library screen
  2. Tap and hold your finger on the front cover
  3. Tap the trash icon that appears to delete the downloaded issue and audio data

Note: The covers will remain, but the content (including audio) will be deleted.

What do I do if I receive an authentication error? How do I restore my purchases through iTunes?

If you purchased a subscription through iTunes and have lost your access, you can restore your subscription.

  1. Tap the Settings icon at the bottom of the screen
  2. Tap Restore subscriptions
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions
How do I stop receiving push notifications and auto-downloaded issues?

To stop push notifications and auto-downloaded issues please carry out the following:

  1. Go to ‘Settings’ on your device
  2. Tap ‘Notification Centre’ in the left hand column
  3. Tap The Economist in the list of included apps in the right hand column
  4. Tap ‘None’ under ‘ALERT STYLE’ and turn off all of the other options in this menu
  5. This will place The Economist under ‘DO NOT INCLUDE’ and you will no longer receive push notifications and issues will not download automatically
How do I turn on push notifications and auto-downloaded issues?

To start receiving push notifications and auto-downloaded issues please carry out the following:

  1. Go to ‘Settings’ on your device
  2. Tap ‘Notification Centre’ in the left hand column
  3. Tap The Economist in the list of included apps in the right hand column
  4. Tap ‘Banners’ or ‘Alerts’ under ‘ALERT STYLE’ and turn on all of the other options in this menu
  5. This will place The Economist under ‘INCLUDE’ and you will receive push notifications and issues will be downloaded automatically
How do I leave feedback about the app?

To leave feedback in-app, please:

Troubleshooting (updated September 2014)

Please watch this space for updated fixes for any technical problems with the apps.

Subscribers not receiving full access

If you have an active subscription to The Economist but the app is asking you to subscribe to view the latest issue, please log out and log in. Failing that, please delete and reinstall the app.

Issue appears but does not download

Once you commence the download, if the download progress bar does not begin, this is tied to the date and time on your device. Please correct the date and time on your device and close the app in multi-tasking. Please then re-launch the app and try to re-download the issue.

Contacting customer service

When contacting customer service please include the following with your query:

Digital subscriber service centres

North America: +1 800 456 6086; americas@digital.economist.com

United Kingdom: +44 845 120 0983 or +44 207 576 8448; uk@digital.economist.com

Europe, Africa & Middle East: +44 845 120 0983; emea@digital.economist.com

Latin America & Mexico: +1 314 447 8091; americas@digital.economist.com

Asia Pacific: +44 845 120 0983; asia@digital.economist.com