20 Minuten app: Personalised news without the need to log in
Laura Baggenstos
“Why do users have to log in?” That was the question we asked ourselves at the start of the project. We couldn’t find a convincing answer. So we developed a news app that is personalised without requiring any personal data. The result won over millions of users and the BOSA (Best of Swiss Apps) jury: gold for Customer Experience.
In brief
Login-free personalisation requires a radical shift in thinking. We store preferences locally and use AI to generate intelligent suggestions.
Every click must count. With millions of daily sessions, there are no second chances – navigation must work instantly.
Platform features are opportunities, not crutches. We make targeted use of iOS and Android capabilities to deliver seamless experiences.
Hiding complexity does not mean avoiding it. Behind the simple interface lies sophisticated architecture.
Design is not decoration. Every visual element has a function – from the floating button to the Discover page.
The moment we dropped ‘Login’
Mandatory accounts are standard practice in news apps. The reasons are obvious: collecting data, creating profiles, and targeted advertising. But what does this mean for users? Barriers. Distrust. Users dropping out.
We asked the fundamental question: do we really need a login? The internal debate was intense. The data team argued in favour of accounts. The experience team argued against them. In the end, the users’ perspective was the deciding factor.
Data versus experience
The maths is simple. Every extra step costs users. A login form puts people off. A forgotten password is frustrating. Forcing users to create an account sends a clear message: “We want your data.”
We turned the question on its head. What do users gain from logging in? Personalised content? We can deliver that in other ways. Saved settings? We don’t need a server for that. Synchronisation across devices? Very few people switch between their mobile and tablet every day.
Personalisation without server profiles
The technical challenge was considerable. Traditional personalisation works like this: users log in. The server stores their preferences. On every visit, it delivers tailored content.
Without a login, there is no central storage location. We had to think differently. The solution: local data storage on the device. The app remembers preferences directly. No server required. No data transfer. Privacy by Design.
Notifications: Relevance without tracking
Push notifications can make or break a news app. Too many are annoying. Too few are forgotten. When developing the 20 Minuten news app, one question was central: How do we send relevant notifications without knowing the users?
Local preferences and contextual intelligence
Our solution combines two approaches:
Users choose for themselves which topics interest them. These preferences are stored on the device.
AI analyses the context. Which news stories are important right now? What is making headlines in Switzerland?
The combination works. Local interests meet global relevance. The result is notifications that really hit the mark – in both senses of the word.
The balance between ‘too much’ and ‘too little’
We tested different frequencies. Five notifications a day? Too many. One a day? Not enough for breaking news.
The solution: dynamic adjustment. Fewer notifications when the news is quiet. More when important events occur.
Users remain in control. They can mute categories. They can set times. They can disable everything. This autonomy builds trust.
Mobile navigation for millions: every pixel counts
News apps usually follow a set pattern: tabs at the bottom, categories at the top, feed in the middle. We challenged every convention. Not on principle, but because we wanted to improve mobile navigation.
Why we rejected traditional designs
Standard navigation systems have their flaws. Too many tabs can be overwhelming. Hidden menus are frustrating. Long scrolls are tiring. With millions of daily sessions, small inefficiencies really add up.
We observed users in real-life situations. On the train. Over coffee. During their lunch break. What stood out was this: time is short. Attention is fragmented. Every second counts.
The floating button: a deliberate choice
The floating button was controversial. Some in the team found it distracting. Others saw its potential. We tested both versions with real users.
The result was clear. The floating button significantly increased interaction. The reason: it is always accessible. Whilst scrolling. After reading. Everywhere. Users don’t have to search for it. They find it straight away.
The Discover page: Content discovery beyond the algorithm
Algorithms have their limits. They show you what’s similar, not what surprises you. We wanted to enable genuine content discovery: new topics, unexpected perspectives, and content beyond the filter bubble.
The Discover page is editorially curated. People select what might be interesting. This complements algorithmic personalisation. Machines and humans work together.
Architecture that nobody sees
The best technology is invisible. Users experience seamless transitions. They notice fast loading times. They appreciate reliable offline functionality. They aren’t interested in what lies behind it. And rightly so.
iOS and Android are not the same
Cross-platform development saves time. However, it can compromise quality if approached incorrectly. We opted for a hybrid approach: a shared codebase where appropriate, and native components where necessary.
The result feels at home on both platforms. iOS users experience familiar gestures. Android users find familiar patterns. The app respects the respective design language.
Performance within the news cycle
News doesn’t wait for release cycles. Breaking news can happen at any time. The app must be able to respond. This presented us with organisational challenges.
We established flexible processes. Critical updates go live quickly. Larger features follow planned sprints. This separation enables agility without chaos.
Offline capability: News even without a connection
Commuters know the problem all too well. Your connection drops in a tunnel. Articles won’t load. It’s incredibly frustrating. We’ve solved this with smart pre-loading.
The app downloads content in the background. When users open the app offline, articles are available. Not all of them. But the most important ones. That makes all the difference in everyday life.
What we learnt about customer experience design
We are honoured to have received the BOSA Jury’s Gold Award for Customer Experience. But the real insights run deeper. They concern our understanding of what constitutes good customer experience design.
CX is more than just the surface
Many people view customer experience as visual design: colours, fonts, icons. That’s not the whole story. The most important decisions are often invisible.
An example: we decided against automatic video playback. Technically, it would be simple. It would be good for engagement metrics. But it uses up data. It’s disruptive in quiet environments. It doesn’t respect the users.
When ‘less’ really is ‘more’
We deliberately chose to leave out features that our competitors have. Not out of laziness, but out of conviction. Every feature comes at a cost. Not just in terms of development, but also in terms of complexity for users.
An example: social features. Comments, likes, shares within the app. Many news apps offer these. We don’t. The reason: existing social networks work better for this.
The difference between saying and doing
In surveys, users say one thing. In reality, they do something else. This phenomenon is well known. Yet it remains surprising.
We asked about desired features. Many wanted complex settings. In A/B tests, the same people used the simple version. The lesson: observing is more important than asking.
Practical insights for your projects
The lessons learnt from the 20 Minuten app can be applied. Not just to news apps. To any application that wants to respect its users.
When requiring users to log in makes sense
Logging in isn’t a bad thing in itself. It makes sense when users get real added value. Cross-device synchronisation. Paid premium content. Personal data that needs to be secured.
It doesn’t make sense when it only benefits the provider. Data collection without any benefit to the user. Artificial barriers. Forced registration.
Local data storage as an alternative
Not all personalisation requires servers. Modern devices store data reliably. The advantages: faster access, better privacy, less infrastructure.
The limitations: there is no synchronisation between devices. Data is lost if the device is reinstalled. For many applications, this is acceptable.
A/B testing with millions of users
Large sample sizes enable precise testing. Small differences become measurable. But scale also brings responsibility. Any mistakes immediately affect a large number of people.
We started by testing with small groups. We only scaled up once we had achieved success. This cautious approach takes time. However, it prevented more serious problems.
Conclusion: Privacy by Design and user experience are not mutually exclusive
The 20 Minuten app proves it: great user experiences don’t require data collection. Personalisation works without a login. Relevance is achieved without tracking. Privacy and customer experience complement each other.
What we’ve learnt: the best decisions are often those that leave things out. Fewer barriers. Less coercion. Less complexity.
Instead, more respect. More trust. More quality.
Are you developing an app and looking to strike the right balance between functionality and user experience?
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