Smithsonian Magazine App Comentários

As much as I’d like to get a digital version instead of killing trees to have a paper edition, I can’t subscribe because the stupid button to double click is off the screen. Good web design, Smithsonian!

The magazine is great and the app is really good, too. But, could you please allow us to look at each back issue’s table of contents before purchase so we can tell exactly what we’re buying? It’s very hard to tell from just looking at a thumbnail image of a magazine’s front cover, even on an iPad.

Requires a separate purchase to access digital version of magazine, even if you are a print subscriber. App is clunky, doesn’t remember your progress and starts over at the beginning of an article every time you reopen the app. Two stars because the content is top-notch, but an otherwise disappointing experience using this app.

Great content. Lousy app. Can’t keep track of what is your last viewed page in an issue. Very frustrating having to remember where you were.

Ever since the app was updated, the magazines I’ve been saving from January 2012 to today have all been erased. The pages are gone and if this doesn’t get fixed, I’ll look for something else that will.

The newly updated version of this app is distinctly inferior to the previous version. You can’t set bookmarks any more, so unless you read the entire magazine in one sitting, you have to remember where you were. Also, in articles where you should be able to see multiple pictures by touching the picture or swiping left or right, you can only see the initial picture. There’s no way to see the others.

Saw that Smithsonian now says you can read the print magazine on your iPad, if you subscribe, which I do. Great, I thought, update and try it. Not only did this not work, it nearly bricked my iPad. Finally got it working again after some effort. THIS IS A DANGEROUS APP AND SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY DELETED BY EVERYONE! I cannot understand why the overwhelming majority of magazines have useful apps where I can read my print subscription and Smithsonian has been a major fail in this area literally for years. I doubt the app developers ever read these, but if you do: Shame on you. FIX THIS!!!!!!!!!M

I have been reading the magazine for decades and usually find the subject matter of the article’s interesting and informative. The writing is always top notch. The ap, however, is pretty minimal. You see pretty much a copy of the printed version, in portrait mode only. My complaint is you get no control over the page presentation - no scaling or other controls are offered. Fine for those with 20-20 vision. The ap doesn’t take any advantage of the digital medium.

Tried to contact Smithsonian people many times! No answer of any sort!! Very misleading and underhanded to make subscriber believe digital magazine included!!! WILL NOT RENEW!!!!!

As others note, you can't activate your account, so this is worthless! Time to cancel print sub as well

This is a terrible app. I have to download the same issue every time I want to read it. It does not remember where I was when I quit reading the last time. It’s completely user unfriendly. You’d think Smithsonian could come up with an app that works. I love reading the magazine when I’m traveling, but this process may make me drop my subscription. A previous version was great. This one is awful. What a waste.

What Smithsonian says if you call their 800 number is they no longer offer a digital version. They also say the digital apps are provided by your device third party developers and are not part of the Smithsonian, therefore, are independent. That is why I would have to pay twice - once for a third party app and once for the real (print) deal. No thanks-not getting either. Only want digital offered by the real deal.

Awful, won’t let me access

Used to work fine but then stopped downloading new issues. Only gave me the first three pages. Smithsonian won't take responsibility. Says it is an Apple problem. Apple says all my other apps work fine so it is a Smithsonian problem. Smithsonian says their IT will address and call me back but they never do despite repeated calls from me. Smithsonian Customer Service says nothing they can do, no offer of refund, no "what can we do to make things right". I've been a member for more than 25 years but no more. Worst example of customer service and giving the finger to a customer I've ever had. What a joke!!

When I renewed my paper subscription, I figured I would like to also be able to view the digital copy. This app doesn't allow me to connect to my subscription. I am not buying the magazines twice!

Since then the app has been clawing back the stages slowly from what it was before that improvement it wen from a 4 to 5 star magazine app to at best a one but it is now back up to a 3 to perhaps a 3.5 it is once again able to be read with minimal issues

I am surprised by all these poor reviews. I quite like the app and the functionality - easy to navigate and easy to read the magazine. The only thing I'd like is the ability to pinch in and out to expand the text side as needed.

Worthless app. Loses your subscription and has no ability to restore it without deleting the app and starting over.

Having to pay extra for digital when I already pay for the print version. Insane and pathetic. I will not renew. Read your customer feedback and wake up.

I have been a member of the Smithsonian for decades. I enjoyed the print version of the magazine (included with membership) for as long as I can remember. The original magazine app was excellent. It was a very good adjunct to the print version. And I'd already paid for it. Then someone at the Smithsonian got a) greedy and b) stupid and took control of the app away from the print magazine publishers. This was done with no notification to the Smithsonian members. And (also without notice) our paid membership no longer included the app. And by the way, as commented on here over and over, the new 'app' is junk. So we got robbed of a great app, without being told what was going on and the replacement is miserable and we're supposed to pay for it? a) greedy & b) stupid. You haven't treated your members as if they matter and you haven't done anything about it. You've ruined your brand and alienated your members. I won't be re-joining.

I'm really enjoying the updated app for Smithsonian magazine. Only wish they had more interactive features like Natgeo.

This app won't allow me to access my magazines. It wants me to pay for them again when I already have a subscription.

The magazine itself is terrific. But since I am going blind, I could no longer read the magazine and was no longer able to download it as previously. I called and found out the policy had changed. So here I am paying for a new digital subscription, and hoping it's OK. BUT it didn't start out well because it's rather fussy about passwords... requiring my Apple rather than Smithsonian password. I understand the need to keep non=payers out, but for those of us disabled, it becomes very difficult to keep this stuff straight. I don't put up with it from most digital magazines, but do with Smithsonian because the magazine is so good. Marie Barry, Beverly MA. 01915

Months have passed. Still no change. Terrible update. This app went from a great update to a basic PDF viewer. I've contacted Smithsonian several times to ask if it is going to be improved and have received no response. I'd cancel, but I can't even seem to do that from the "updated" app....

Here it is months later and I still can read the issues. Was once a great app, now it is ridiculous and frustrating

The app has gone from user friendly to simply cheap and lazy. Sadly the authors probably don't read these comments, else a fix would have already been issued

Terrible update. I had been away from Smithsonian for several months and "disappointed" does not begin to describe what I experienced when I got back to reading, hoping to catch up on several months of unread issues. This is an awful, horrible, terrible, crummy update. It completely destroys the look and ease of reading the digital version. Smithsonian should be embarrassed by what they've done. One star rating is much, much higher than what it truly deserves.

Bring back prior version

Using the Smithsonian magazine app has greatly increased my overall enjoyment of the magazine itself. The app has so much more including videos and sound and features that you do I have in the print magazine.

The content of this magazine is outstanding. The presentation in the app is not. Very unfortunate 😕🙁☹️!

Ap takes forever to load and is clumsy to read. Can't access account to turn it off!

I'm a trucker and getting my e-version of the Smithsonian is the highlight of my month. I wouldn't be without it!

I have been very patient, but this app has yet to be fixed. It is November 14th and the app still has not accessed the November issue, for which I have paid. The issues for which I had paid are gone, too. Smithsonian sold the digital rights. One of the best apps is now one of the worst. Please fix this app and restore my old issues, which currently cannot be restored.

I have subscribed to Smithsonian for years and the app always allowed me to read the magazines without having to carry them with me. Now there is not even any way to identify myself to confirm that I am a current subscriber. This is no way to treat your loyal readers. To make matters worse there has been no reply to the "Report a Problem" email link in the App. Restore Purchases does nothing. This app feels like a hoax. I expect more from The Smithsonian Institution. You did it right before — bring the previous version back!!

The app used to be excellent. At some stage it started to forget I am a subscriber and there was no way fix that. No option to put your password back in or some such thing. Now with the latest update all my old purchases are gone too and the "restore purchases" button does nothing. I have reported this problem multiple times without a response. A disgrace.

Copy National Geographic's format. It is the best! The new format still stinks!!!!!!!!!FIX IT OR CANCEL MY SUBSCRIPTION.....I WOULD THINK THAT IS NOT TOO HARD FOR THE SMITHSONIAN TO DO????????? HOW ABOUT IT???????????

If you have a magazine subscription, it will not allow you to use this app. You will have to buy a second copy of the magazine. How disappointing is that?!!!

I just read the other reviews for the Smithsonian digital magazine upgrade, and I really have nothing to add. The other reviewers are correct, this upgrade is terrible. The previous version was user-friendly and worked well. This version is several steps back from the previous version techlology-wise. The bookmark feature does not work, I have to zoom in and scroll up and down to read a page, it's a snapshot of the magazine pages. It is an extremely frustrating experience to use this app. Why would the developers do this? Please bring back the old format, or work on an improvement! I enjoy the content of the magazine and have subscribed for many years. I do not want to cancel my subscription or switch back to the print version. This is very, very disappointing.

I've been a Smithsonian subscriber for years. This "update" ( and I use that word loosely) caused me to lose every issue I had. Horrible! Sometimes it's better to leave things alone!

The latest update of the app has ruined what used to be an awesome app and format for use on the iPad. See other reviews for details. I contacted Smithsonian and they said they no longer support the app. Seems that they have "sold" the right to duplicate (in PDF format) the magazine to another company. What Smithsonian doesn't realize is that they have also "sold" their reputation and image. My current iPad subscription expires in December 2016 at which point I will read the magazine in the "hard copy" format.

Have your designers lost their minds? What were you thinking?!? You literally took away the things that made it great to read on an iPad. I am bitterly disappointed :-(

I used to be able to download magazines to read as I travel. I'm a magazine subscriber, but can no longer download. The triple bar is supposed to restore the issues I downloaded. It does not work.

I always enjoyed the digital version of Smithsonian magazine. The text flowed smoothly and I loved swiping to reveal additional photos. I thought it was one of the best digital magazine experiences. The new update is awful. It is merely a snapshot of the magazine pages and is quite uncomfortable to read as you have to pinch and zoom to expand the page to the screen and photos are not contained with in the viewing window. Even worse, articles do not flow freely. If an article continues on a page farther on in the magazine, you have to physically go to that page. And the app does not remember where you left off reading. Please bring back the old interface. This is a quantum leap backward.

Deleted all my downloads and wants me to pay for them again.

Went from being one of my favorite magazine apps to my least liked. It's now merely a clunky pdf-based app: no quick way to move quickly to an article that interests you and you have to pinch-zoom to read any page. I'm going to cancel my subscription.

Horrible redesign. The app went from a tablet-specific display to a straight PDF scan format (don't believe the example pages they're still showing; you're not going to see that anymore). Cancelled and uninstalled; lost a customer.

The Smithsonian requires supporters to pay separately for print and digital copies of the magazine. They have ended membership discounts. Worst of all I observed a Smithsonian security guard berate, humiliate, and photograph a disabled but recovering stroke victim and order him off all Smithsonian properties. She made fun of him because he had slurred speech and had physical balance issues. Argh!

Shame on you Smithsonian!! We have subscribed to this magazine for untold years. Having the added promise of the digital version to fall back on when traveling was a grand plus. The post office recently destroyed the most recent copy. Not to worry, say I...I can read online. Bah Humbug! I am disgusted with this development as are many readers. Thank you National Geographic for continuing the App version. And by the way, Smithsonian, I will not be sending the extra $$ you keep asking for. Do long time subscribers and donors count for nothing? There is no joy in Mudville.

I am removing the app from my phone, and reconsidering my subscription to the print edition of this magazine.