Top Problems With Puppetry Companion Apps in 2026

We analyzed 102 negative reviews from the top 5 Puppetry Companion apps on the App Store. Here's what users hate most.

102
Reviews Analyzed
10
Issues Found
72/100
Opportunity Score

Top User Complaints

Ranked by frequency — how often each complaint appears in negative reviews.

#1: App crashes and freezes during use

High Severity

24% of negative reviews mention this issue.

"when we try to save our 'show', the app closes and doesn't save our work. We've tried it on multiple iPads and have the same results on all of them"
"Overall the app is great. But it has several glitches that cause it to freeze, lose turns, or make characters invisible"

#2: No auto-save / progress loss on interruption

High Severity

18% of negative reviews mention this issue.

"However, it really needs some form of an auto save function. Too many times I have I been interrupted, phone went to sleep for too long, I had"
"Just don't expect the app to save your games. In theory it could even track your wounds and character status but once you close the app i"

#3: iPad compatibility issues (no landscape mode, crashes, black screen)

High Severity

22% of negative reviews mention this issue.

"when using on an iPad in particular, it could benefit from being in landscape mode. In portrait mode its not ideal for iPad to be in"
"My iPad Air 12.5.5 I just get a black scr"

#4: Payment/purchase bugs blocking access to full game

High Severity

15% of negative reviews mention this issue.

"when you attempt to buy the full version it doesn't let you press 'done' after putting your security password in"
"I was so excited to play the full game but was sadly limited to the demo as I'm not able to restore my purchase of the full game, anytime I try I answer the parental questions and then the screen goes back to the main menu"

#5: Limited content/features behind paywall

Medium Severity

16% of negative reviews mention this issue.

"I paid for the all access, twice as much as the upgrade in Puppet Pals 1, and am disappointed. Very limited selection"
"you can't actually do anything without paying. You only get a few characters and can't even use your own pictures anymore without paying"

#6: Audio/sound not working

Medium Severity

12% of negative reviews mention this issue.

"Noticed that the app has lost sound"
"Audio still won't play from device speakers. M1 iPad Pro 11'. I have to connect headphones or Bluetooth speaker to finally get audio to play"

UX Pain Points

Design and usability issues driving negative reviews.

Unclear demo vs. paid distinction

Users download expecting a full game but discover it's a short demo requiring purchase, leading to frustration and uninstalls

"The game never said it was a demo and I had to pay for the full version"

Non-functional UI buttons and controls

Critical buttons like 'end turn', 'attack', and 'done' either don't respond or behave incorrectly, breaking gameplay flow

"The end turn button is just there to make you feel better. It doesn't really add much functionality or make you feel like it's does anything"

Lack of feature explanations/tooltips

Advanced settings and mechanics are present but undocumented, leaving users confused about how they work

"Several features which are not in the boardgame instructions or difficult to find need explanations, such as bonus options n settings like what are the mechanics of 'yeti hug breaks, advanced goblins/skeletons, double wandering monsters'? I also can'"

3D/canvas orientation bugs

Content displays upside down or rotated incorrectly, with broken rotation controls on iPad

"On iPad there's bugs where the 3D stuff and so many paint canvases are flipped the wrong way I waited to see if they would fix they never did"

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