We analyzed 96 negative reviews from the top 5 Prepping Guide apps on the App Store. Here's what users hate most.
Ranked by frequency — how often each complaint appears in negative reviews.
18% of negative reviews mention this issue.
"I was in a desert without cell service — and I opened this app. What do I see? 'Please connect to internet for the first time use to see'"
"I was in the remote backcountry last weekend, opened the app, and it said I needed an internet connection to use. Lucky thing I wasn't in a real survival situation"
22% of negative reviews mention this issue.
"App will open for less then a second then crashes (iPhone 11 running current OS). Support link is broken, contact link also not working"
"App hasn't worked in years. It crashes on the developer splash screen. Only seems to work on iPhones from 8-10 years ago"
15% of negative reviews mention this issue.
"Paid for this app originally...then after an update it said 'LITE' and I would have to spend more money for the full version"
"I purchased the app, years ago. Got a new phone a few years later. Cloud not restore the purchase"
8% of negative reviews mention this issue.
"after purchasing and downloading this app, the user is FORCED to create a login (or you could just surrender your Facebook or gmail credentials, yay!). Only THEN are you allowed to download what you have PURCHASED! This is a bait and switch total"
"Forced social networking: you need to provide Facebook, Twitter or email account before entering. Unable to return to previous purchased version without"
10% of negative reviews mention this issue.
"CPR first aid is outdated by almost a decade. I teach American Heart Association CPR and First Aid and currently Registered as an EMT in Los Angeles, CA and I'm astounded that the authors have not checked"
"The CPR section is way out of date. It must be updated to meet 2010 guidelines and these guidelines are modified every 5 years"
12% of negative reviews mention this issue.
"The audiobook doesn't play. I downloaded it and whenever I hit a picture/topic it says there aren't any tracks"
"Can play videos. Neither stream nor download-to-play works. Also, once clicking a video, I can't navigate back to the book. There's no 'go back' button"
Design and usability issues driving negative reviews.
Users get stuck in sections with no way to return to previous screens, forcing app restart
"While navigating around the first time I hit several dead ends meaning no obvious way to go back fwd or go anywhere just stuck this is extremely annoying"
Content is inaccessible because users cannot scroll past the first 2 paragraphs in key sections
"when trying to access ANY category information there is no way to read further than the first 2 paragraphs TLDR: App doesn't work because the scroll function is com"
Users who paid for the app are shown advertisements for other products, breaking trust
"OK, I paid good money for this app and now I have to see an ad for an 'Urban Survival Guide' every time I start this app. It will now be promptly removed from my phone"
Low resolution graphics and incompatibility with current iPhone models despite being marked as compatible
"Having a low resolution, pixelated icon and UI 15 months after the iPhone 4 was released is simply unacceptable - especially for a PAID app"
Get the complete Prepping Guide market intelligence report — including missing features, pricing insights, build recommendations, and competitor weaknesses.
View Full Report — $9.9930-day money-back guarantee