We analyzed 494 negative reviews from the top 5 Reading apps on the App Store. Here's what users hate most.
Ranked by frequency — how often each complaint appears in negative reviews.
61% of negative reviews mention this issue.
"It's unbearable. I'm not being hyperbolic: every single time I open the app, there's a new bug."
"The app freezes up constantly to the point that it is unusable."
38% of negative reviews mention this issue.
"Still no dark mode. How freaking hard could it be?"
"In this day and age not having dark mode is crazy."
31% of negative reviews mention this issue.
"Every time I open it there are at least two things I have to close or opt out of in order to get to the actual interface."
"I’d love to get away from Goodreads, but I cannot import my Goodreads info without paying."
25% of negative reviews mention this issue.
"Customer service is horrible and just ignores you."
"I filled out their form multiple times asking for help to recover my account and nothing."
22% of negative reviews mention this issue.
"It’s impossible to browse for new book recs because all of the lists recommend books from 2010."
"I can’t get the scanner to work. Just circling forever."
18% of negative reviews mention this issue.
"The UI feels like it’s stuck in 2015, and basically every piece of UI looks like it’s a website."
"Navigation is clunky, not intuitive."
Design and usability issues driving negative reviews.
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