What could be the thin end of a wedge to charge Guardian readers has begun with the introduction of new premium access features.

App users pay £5.99 ($10.80) a month for access to new 'Live' and 'Discover' features which deliver rolling news updates and longer reads, reviews and recipes at a swipe of their device.

But digital editor Caspar Llewellyn Smith says none of the Guardian's content is going behind a paywall.

Instead the premium tier will offer "new ways" to access its journalism in "a reward for our most avid readers".

Llewyn Smith says the move is a response to feedback, with readers looking for better ways of accessing the app in "pockets of time" throughout the day.

The Guardian is looking for ways to cut its losses and last months announced it was on track to break even by April 2019 after cutting losses by two thirds.