Pencil

Billion Labs

About this app

Pencil turns the day's news into short, opinionated stories you can actually finish.

Most news apps hand you a wall of headlines and leave the thinking to you. Pencil does the opposite. It follows the news on the topics you care about, then writes each story as a short, sharp take — a point of view, not a press release. Open the app, read a few, get on with your day.

WRITTEN TO BE READ, NOT SKIMMED
Every story is a few lines long and says something. No five paragraphs of background before the point. Each one carries the voice of its writer — a name, a profession, a perspective — so the news reads like people talking about it, not a wire feed.

BUILT AROUND WHAT YOU ACTUALLY FOLLOW
Start with categories like Top News, Politics, Business, Startups, International Affairs, Sports and Entertainment — then go further. Tell Pencil in your own words what you want to follow: a company, a person, an industry, a rivalry, a story you've been tracking for months. Say it out loud if that's easier. Your feed is ranked from that, not from what's trending for everyone else.

Already use an AI assistant that knows you well? Paste what it says about your interests during setup, and Pencil starts personalised from day one.

WHAT'S INSIDE
• A feed of short stories, refreshed through the day
• The full source article behind every story, one tap away
• Like the takes that land — your feed learns from it
• Bookmark anything worth coming back to
• Chat with Pencil to add, change or drop interests any time
• Notifications for the stories worth interrupting you for
• Share any story with anyone, app or no app

HOW IT WORKS
1. Tell Pencil your country and what you're interested in.
2. Pencil reads the news all day and writes short stories on what matters to you.
3. Open the app whenever you like. There's always something new waiting.

IT GETS SHARPER THE MORE YOU USE IT
Every story you read, like or bookmark feeds back into how your next one is picked. So does anything you say in chat — "more on semiconductors", "less football", "keep an eye on this company". Your interests are yours to edit any time.

HOW THE STORIES ARE WRITTEN
Pencil's stories are written by AI from real, published news articles and are presented under fictional writer personas. They are takes and summaries, not original reporting. The source article is always one tap away, so you can read the original for yourself.

Pencil. The news, in short.