New and Improved Arab News Hajj App Launched in Partnership With Muslim World League

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, August 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

- Enhanced features to serve pilgrims and keep them connected to loved ones   

- Smartphone app complements newspaper's annual Hajj news coverage  

Arab News, the Middle East's leading English-language daily, today announces the 2018 version of its smartphone "Hajj App" for use during the upcoming annual Muslim pilgrimage season.

     (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/730487/Arab_News_Logo.jpg )

The free app - available to download on iOS and Android devices via the App Store and Google Play - will include new and improved features, including live news updates and the signature "Hajj tracker," which enables pilgrims to connect with their loved ones back home.

Arab News is also proud to announce that once again the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL) will be sponsoring the Hajj App. The partnership with MWL, which began last year, is part of the international Muslim body's global outreach efforts serving all Muslims.

The latest release of the app features several functions for use during the Hajj season, including safety features such as an emergency call number and list of embassies and important service providers during Hajj. New features include a digital Qibla compass, a real-time currency converter and Qur'an prayer audio files.

The app will also feature improvements to the hugely useful "pilgrim tracker" function. The feature, which is optional, allows users who activate the function to share their location and follow loved ones in real time, around the clock.

Mohammed Al-Sulami, Arab News' Jeddah bureau chief and head of the paper's Hajj coverage team, thanked MWL for its endorsement of the app and said that the aim of this corporate social responsibility initiative is to provide a useful and free service for pilgrims on this unique holy journey.

"Our mission is to make Arab News more global and more digital, and the Hajj App - thanks to the generous support from the MWL - does just that by providing a live news service and helpful, easy-to-use functions that every pilgrim can benefit from during Hajj," he said.

The Muslim World League commended the newspaper's initiative of using technology in such an innovative and useful way for the public good.

"We are happy to renew our partnership with Arab News and our support of this app, which reinforces our position as an umbrella body seeking to serve Muslims worldwide," the MWL said in a statement.

Arab News is part of the regional publishing giant Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG). It has been the English newspaper of record for Saudi Arabia and the region for over 40 years.

More details about the app can be found at http://www.arabnews.com/hajjapp

It can be downloaded via:

Apple App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hajj-app-by-arab-news/id1271217604?mt=8

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.srpc.arabnews_hajguide&hl=en

ABOUT ARAB NEWS 

Established in 1975, Arab News is the Middle East's leading English-language daily. As "The Voice of a Changing Region," the newspaper is renowned for providing the Arab perspective on international affairs via its network of reporters, opinion writers and analysts. It is considered the newspaper of record on major Arab affairs for a large number of global media outlets, governments and academic institutions. The newspaper is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a network on international bureaus. It can be read online at http://www.arabnews.com.