1. What Explore is for
The bar at the bottom of a phone screen has room for five destinations. That is enough for the things you use every day, but the newspaper has many more sections than five. Explore is where the rest of them live: a single screen listing every section, so you never have to open the menu just to find out what is available.
You are never far from it. Explore is the last button on the phone's bottom bar, and it is also linked from this guide, so a reader who has never opened the menu can still find their way around.
2. Sections
At the top of Explore is the complete list of sections, one button each. The list is exactly the same as the one in the menu at the top of the page, so the two can never disagree.
- Tap any button to open that section and see its stories.
- Buttons you have already read stay where they are — the list is always in the same order.
- Every button carries a short description you can see by holding your finger on it, or by hovering with a mouse.
If a section has no stories at the moment, opening it shows an empty page rather than an error. Nothing is broken; there is simply nothing published there yet.
3. Trending topics and flags
Below the sections are two rows that change through the day.
| Row | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Trending topics | The subjects readers are following most closely right now. Tapping one opens every story on that subject. |
| Trending flags | Sections the newsroom has marked out for today — a campaign, a season, a running story. Tapping one opens everything filed under it. |
Both rows scroll sideways. Swipe them with your thumb to see the rest, and tap whichever one interests you.
The rows can be empty. They are curated by the newsroom rather than counted automatically, so early in the day — or on a quiet news day — there may be nothing highlighted yet. The sections above them always remain available.
4. Troubleshooting
| What you notice | What it means |
|---|---|
| A section shows no stories | Nothing has been published in that section yet, or it is still being updated. Try another section, or come back later. |
| The trending rows are missing | Nothing has been highlighted for today. They reappear as soon as the newsroom marks something out. |
| A section button goes to a page that looks empty | A refresh usually restores it; if it happens again on the same section, note the page's address and tell the newsroom. |
| Explore is not on the bottom bar | On a wide screen the phone bar is not shown at all, and the same sections are listed across the page. Open Explore by typing its address, or use the menu. |
5. Related guides
- User Guides — Index
- On Your Phone — the header, the section row and the bottom bar
- Homepage — the front page the Home button opens
- Search — looking for a particular story or subject
- Articles — reading a story, including saving it for later