National Geographic App Reviews

This is terrible!!! Disgraceful!!! I give up. It’s impossible to read an entire story. If the screen moves even a fraction, the story returns to the beginning and I have to scroll down again each time to try and find my place. Over and over. There are no controls whatsoever to help navigate the articles. National Geographic Magazine should be ASHAMED for this sloppy, care-less presentation. And owners are charging $4.50 per month?! Robbers! Thieves! Don’t waste your time on this. I’m deleting the app forevermore. I don’t even want the magazine off the rack because of this disappointment.

Have tried in vain to follow the directions (using an iPad) to unlock current year’s issues, but there is nowhere to do this so there is not digital access for me!

This app. Works fine on my IPad. I can read an article almost anywhere. However I wish they would use the technology that allows you to increase the size of the text. My other programs I am able to do that and it makes it so much easier to read.

The YouTube videos I watch from random Vloggers have better resolution than the photos in this app, which is a shame since NatGeo publishes some of the best photos in the world. If I were a natgeo photographer I would be ashamed to see my images in the app.

Been a while reading in a small box. Time to break out!

Literally cannot even read a page in-app. It's all a blurry mess.

Between my wife and I, we have been a subscriber on and off for years and have been constantly disappointed in both the app AND the increasingly obvious politicizing of your content. We expected better. Instead what we have seen is more and more guesswork and out right lies stated as fact is in your magazine. You have become part of the problem instead of the solution in our country, employing writers and editors from an increasingly corrupt pool of academia h*** bent on achieving their agenda by any means necessary, spouting half-truths and outright lies to the world as if you represent ALL academics. You do not. This will be my last check-in to see if honest change and a return to neutrality in your writings as I no longer believe you are capable of doing the right thing. Congratulations, you’ve alienated yet another reader. Such a shame. Goodbye and good riddance.

No complaints against the magazine itself but the app could use some updates. While using on an iPad, the screen stays in landscape mode which is not how I read on a tablet. It would be nice to have the option geared towards personal preference.

The app is so poor.. no iPhone X support.. it’s not helpful for reading at all! Needs a lot of work!

I love to read the National Geographic Magazine. But wide screen view is a bit uncompotable to me. Vertical screen view mod on ipad was available but not now.

The app is completely a waste of time. It posts itself as ‘free’ with ‘in app purchases’ but when you load it there is nothing you can do until you ‘subscribe’ and pay them. Nothing! You can buy downloads of magazines but you cannot even get links to stories. If I could have seen what the company offers in their app? Maybe. I subscribed for 13 years when I was younger, buying the hard cases and saving all those years for the kids to refer to in school. Now it simply resembles a publishers clearing house ad with a dignified cover and no ‘free’ stuff that isn’t.

National Geographic has stunning photography and great articles- why they would want to present it in a half baked app like this is beyond me. NG won’t even bother to optimize it for iPhone X, which is just plain lazy. Hopefully they will take this app seriously and give it a major facelift.

What’s with this app? I just paid $19.99 and could open the app the first time I used it, but no more. Thinking it’s a password issue, I tried to reset. But it doesn’t recognize my email address. THANKS, Nat Geo. Another frustration and rip off to deal with in the digital age.

What else is there to say? This app won’t even open. I think there might be a bug?

Nothing like the magazine. Also, it does not give you the option in settings to cancel subscription. I’m still trying to find out how to do this??

This app worked find when I initially used it. I was able to view my online issues without any difficulty, pages looked great. Now it no longer has one of the issues I’d paid for and downloaded, with only the Buy option for it, even tho it has issues prior to, and afte it, and also allows me to download the most recent July issue. But this July issue no longer looks as nice as before: the top and bottom of the view window are cropped (I am on an iphone X) so you have less real estate than the screen allows, and the page content no longer appears to fit the page as well as it used to

Worst app ever I thought this app would be the best app I ever downloaded fail I got in and it wants you to pay for the magazines heck no

The app doesn’t even open! I love the magazine. Please fix this. I refer to this resource constantly. This is cramping my know it all style...just joking. But, please fix this great resource. Thank You

Get halfway through the story and either lock the phone or close the app. When you return it always defaults back to he beginning of the story. Frustrating to try and read articles without ever leaving the screen.

This thing still crashes. I am updated to iOS 11.3.1.

The swipe gestures are too sensitive and if you swipe slightly in the wrong direction it will hop 1 page forward or backward. Then, when you go back to the page you were on it starts you back at the top and when you try to scroll down it does the same thing again.

There are bugs that have persisted in this app for years. Why haven’t you fixed this? Try this. Open and article and start to read. The push the screen slightly to the left or right. BLAM! You’ve turned the page. Turn back and guess what? You’re at the beginning of the article. This can’t be that hard to fix. PLEASE do something about this and other bugs. I’ve kept this app hoping it would be updated, but I’m almost out of patience.

Went for digital issues. Paid by credit card. Was charged and cannot sign in. Authentication failed. Did follow instructions and still cannot sign in. Very frustrating. Waste of money.

Instead of opening Instagram, open this app and marvel at beautiful photos and read great articles. App developers: it would be great if the app would remember how far I scrolled in a long article. It is frustrating that every time I open it I have to start at the top and try to find where I left off. Also when reading articles the sensitivity to move left or right to the next or previous article is too sensitive. While scrolling I often accidentally go to the next article, then when I go back to the article I intended to read I am all the way at the top of it.

A long time subscriber for Nat Geo magazine, and I just notice this app on iOS. I have to say the user interface is just not anywhere close to the top of the line magazine. Contents and photos are still top of the line, but this app is not.

Lifelong National Geographic subscriber here. This app has potential, and the content is great, but there are a few glaring holes that make it feel like an afterthought: - when reading an article, if you exit the app for any amount of time (even to quickly respond to a text), you are taken back to the beginning of the article when you return. This makes for a lot of tedious scrolling to pick up where you left off - the text and visuals are completely separated from each other. You read a story and then get caught up on all the visuals it references on the next tile. For a mostly visual company like NatGeo, it’s not a very engaging way to read. - it is completely static. The iPad app is immersive and dynamic and interactive. Why can’t we have a taste of that on mobile? - still no iPhone X support I actually love what NatGeo is doing as a whole, and I’m a big fan of the new, bold, visual approach the just rolled out. But for some reason they are investing in a new paper stock for the magazine instead of a truly immersive mobile experience. Here’s hoping it improves!

Needs an update! Won’t open and hasn’t for over 2 months since iOS 11. Crashes instantly and so far, a total waste of money.

Put it back now!

You wondered what would happen when Murdoch bought the magazine, here you have it. Forcing you to be tethered to the internet, going against very nature that made the magazine great. I can read a website when I’m home. I wanted the magazine. Canceling my subscription after being a member for decades.

This used to be a great app. It was like sitting down and reading the magazine, now it’s just a disjointed mess of links completely disconnected from the feel of the print edition. I used to download issue when traveling, now that’s not there. It’s not an online version of the mag anymore, it’s just a poorly designed website. I’m taking it off my devices. It’s just a waste of space. What a disappointment. I’ve never given an app only one star before.

What a tragedy to see how National Geographic has ruined their app. For years I have referred to it as the gold standard for how print media can successfully move into the digital realm, retaining the look and feel of their print publication while improving on it by incorporating interactive displays, video and audio, virtual and augmented reality, and dynamic updates. Sadly, all of the elegance is now gone, and you are presented with a side-by-side shuffle of articles indistinguishable from the most basic of digital ‘zines. The text and photographs are still there, but all the pleasure in the reading experience is gone. As with so many, I will not be renewing my subscription, particularly given my concerns about the environmental impact of their hardcopy publication.

This app doesn’t allow users to download magazines for offline reading. It’s a pointless app quite honestly, you might as well spare the memory space and just surf nat geo’s webpage.

I’ve lost hope in restoring purchases and offline reading. Customer service via email gave up responding/trying to restore my purchases as an itunes-only subscriber. The recent update addressed literally zero of the negative feedback posted here. And now they finally realized they can respond to our comments here in the app store - and they paste the same canned response on one out of every 10 negative posts. What a joke. It literally feels like the whole operation is being run by robots. Uninstall UPDATE: Developer response here sends me a link to email customer service (which I wrote above - I already tried that). #robots

Previous versions of this app offered an experience that paralleled or exceeded that from the print version. I have been a long time subscriber and donator to Nat Geo but if the next app update does not provide a return to the print magazine experience, I will be cancelling my subscription.

I was hoping that I could download a magazine for offline reading, but alas no. Anything other additions or tweaks are meaningless.

This app is just about useless to me without the ability to download issues and read them offline. I used to love reading the magazines on flights but that is impossible now.

I'm kind of heartbroken, honestly. Longtime subscriber, and longtime subscriber of the iPad edition, specifically, which for so many years was perfect: NatGeo's world class journalism and photography in a portable magazine format that seamlessly integrated text, video, sound, and images. It was way ahead of the curve in terms of getting new digital content out in a format that still appealed to lovers of the traditional magazine experience, especially compared to other science/tech magazines. But now... this. I don't understand these changes at all. I don't understand why we wouldn't want to be able to read the magazine offline — I don't understand what sense that makes, or why someone reading a MAGAZINE would be expected not to care that they can no longer read it as a magazine. I'm heartbroken because this was my favorite magazine, and it seems like the people now running it don't understand what consumers loved so much about it.

This redesign is an atrocity. The lack of a magazine organization/content and the lack of offline reading make this app useless. What am I even paying for??

Terrible update. Can’t download and carry magazine with you any longer. No connection, no magazine. It is no longer a copy of the print edition either. Went from perhaps the best electronic version of a magazine to one of the worst.

NG Magazine has built a tremendous reputation on over 120 years of excellent content and fabulous format. When NG jumped on the digital bandwagon it wisely decided to keep the reading experience as close to that of holding the real thing in your hands as possible (with many improvements). The new version of the NGM app is a cruel joke that shows how strongly the new management of NG is detached from their readers’ base. Not to mention the outright theft of the content that has been already downloaded by the readers. It appears that when you pay money for the magazine, you barely borrow your copy and they can take it away at any moment. Plus, I live in a place where I have to pay good money for each MB downloaded and have no option to receive printed copies. For me the experience of reading NGM is over.

Nat geo why!!!! I loved downloading the magazines before going on a long trip and now.... we’ll it’s back to the printed version for me.

Why? WHY? WHY? Why would you ruin a good thing? I can’t enjoy offline. I can’t restore my old purchases. What’s the point of going digital if you’re not going to follow your paper format. Please, please fix it!!

I was reading the last article in the Jan 2019 issue: “Spending more on healthcare”. It was only 1 paragraph long. Other articles I have read also seem to be truncated? When are all of the issues with this new version going to be fixed? So many issues I and others have reported. It is terrible.

I have been subscribed to the digital version for a long time. Left the subscription slip for a while due to crazy work travel. Today, decided that I would like to subscribe again. Didn’t even read the app review and just paid. When I opened the app, the whole layout has changed and I can’t even download a digital version for offline reading, which I considered as one of the most important feature when I travel. Cancel immediately and only got a partial refund online. Thanks for nothing!

I hope the developers respond to the many legitimate criticisms. This is just a jumble of webpages, not National Geographic.

We used to really enjoy NG magazine digital edition. This redesign reigns as the worst redesign in history of app. National Geographic needs to fire this app designer. The layout is just bad

Need internet connection in order to be able to read magazine. Cannot download to read offline. Option of using digital subscription in lieu of physical printed copy in the interest of reducing paper waste is unfortunately removed.

“We are aware of the lack of ability for offline viewing and recognize the importance of it. We are looking into this as a possible enhancement in the future.” So you consider offline viewing an enhancement? And you understand the importance of it? It certainly doesn’t appear that way. I download magazines for offline viewing for travel. For my trip last week, I downloaded several issues of Scientific American, The Atlantic, and The Economist, but not National Geographic. Also, you took all of my issues of National Geographic that I had downloaded before the update. That seems akin to theft. “This was done so that we can offer our readers content that is more in line with the latest publishing technologies.” What does this even mean? The magazines listed above have no problem offering downloads. "We also would like to share that we do have exciting planned [sic] for the future and ask for your patience.” I’ve read nearly four months of reviews here. As a long-time print subscriber (45+ years) who loved the app before it was “redesigned,” I have been very, very close to cancelling my subscription—print and digital. I’ve been patient. However, in one of the reviews, I learned who owns National Geographic now. I had no idea that the magazine was taken over by a new owner a few years ago, and I Googled it to be sure. A hard decision about whether to cancel or not suddenly became easier.

If I could give it zero stars I would. Did anyone bother asking subscribers of the print magazine what they think? You have taken what was a great companion to the printed magazine and turned it into a webpage or news app. I used to love this app because it allowed me to download complete issues (btw, where did they go? I had two years worth on my iPad - now gone) and I could read them when and wherever I wanted. That is no longer the case. No WiFi? SOL. Navigation? Huh? Why would you need that? Just keep tapping on all the pictures. Looking for a table of contents? Yeah, right; that’s so last century. If you like reading the printed magazine, you likely won’t like this app; if you like Instagram and Snapchat, you’ll probably love it - and that’s great. I’ll still keep my print subscription, but I won’t be using this piece of crap.

They say they want feedback, but then, they don’t actually listen. Done with Nat Geo.

I can’t believe there is now no way to download issues for offline reading. Usually when you come out with new updates to an app you add new features, not take away existing features. I have already turned off auto-renewal.

As an extremely nearsighted subscriber, I got the digital edition to be able to adjust the font size...then stayed for the magnificent presentation, much better than print. But now I can’t read the photo captions and there is no way to make them bigger. And the design overall just seems duller visually.

I used to tell everyone that National Geographic had it right with their digital version and was leading the way that every print magazine needed to follow. This DOWNGRADE changed all that...National Geographic is now one of the worst digital magazines out there. Unless things change by the time my subscription ends, this will be the last year I will be subscribing...very sad after almost 30 years!

Why does NatGeo waste their time updating version 3.0? They aren’t listening to their readers - we want DOWNDLOADABLE issues and OFFLINE READING. In other words, version 2.7. To the accountants at NatGeo: you are losing digital subscribers. Update: Received the same canned response- “looking into this as a possible enhancement in the future.” “Possible enhancement”? It was a standard feature for years until they REMOVED it with version 3.0. The “enhancement” should be digging up the 2.7 app code and reposting it. Face it: the 3.0 “reimagined” app was a complete misguided disaster. More in the canned responses: “This was done so that we can offer our readers content that is more in line with the latest publishing technologies”. Translation: “Our millennial developers have never seen a ‘paper’ magazine and only know the world of tap-and-swipe e-zines.” Stop trying to be tech-trendy and give customers what they actually want. Want to end the 1-star reviews? Stop making excuses and put v2.7 back online. (Someone who’s actually in the consumer SW industry)

Maybe this is part of the plan with the awful update others have already detailed. But I no longer have access to over 5 years of magazine issues that I’ve subscribed to. I’ve hit restore purchases in 3 different places. Restarted my iPad. Logged out of my Apple ID and logged back. Sent an email to NatGeo 3 weeks ago and have gotten no response. I loved the magazine and the app before it was “improved” as the developer says. It’s been over 3 months since this change; my subscription ended in March, and I will not re-subscribe until I’m able to access the magazine while offline. Overall, very disappointing for what used to be a great app.

The app no longer allows for the downloading of the magazine to be read offline. I was told “our engineers are working on that.” Huh? The older versions allowed this. Why doesn’t the new one? Stupid app from what used to be a smart company. New ownership isn’t quite the same. So, I just received a response to the review above. They are “looking into this as a possible enhancement in the future.” WHAT!? Downloading the issue was always a feature. Has Nat Geo taken leave of their senses? Or do they just figure subscribers have? Just an update. After waiting weeks for a response, I was told there are no plans to restore the previous functionality to the app. I made my decision to cancel my subscription because of this. New owners definitely do not share the same mission as the founders. Nat Geo didn’t seem to mind I was cancelling. And why would they, I’m only one subscriber. Maybe if thousands did it matter. All we an do is vote with our dollars. I’ll send mine to Habitat for Humanity instead.

Why can’t I download magazine content anymore? One of the best features (much like Netflix, Bloomberg, etc) is having access to material at your digital fingertips. If they were worried about pirated/shared content, why not add an expiration to the content like Netflix? It’s not like the hard copies don’t ever get passed around to multiple non-subscribers anyways. I’m still trying to rap my head around why they’d take something simple-good and turn it into this... bright idea fairy

How many 1 star reviews and cries for the return of offline viewing will it take for NG to restore this formerly great app? The reviews are almost universal. Offline viewing is THE feature that your subscribers want. Please fix the app. It was great. Now it is useless for most of us. Please listen to us. No other future improvements matter. Offline viewing— that is #1-100 of our suggested improvements.

What a waste for everyone!

There is no way to back to the article (that I was reading)again after looking up a word meaning.

New app stinks with lost ability to download entire issues. I’ve been a print and digital subscriber for years but have now cancelled. Losing past downloads feels like theft. Wish I could leave a zero star review.

As a professional designer, I must give some credits to the app’s modern-looking redesign. Before the redesign, the app was technically a PDF reader. Every time a new issue came out, I had to download the entire PDF file — hundreds of megabytes — and worry about exceeding the storage limit on my iPad (16 GB). I have always wanted an app that’s designed for mobile. Why would anyone want to read a magazine on the screen? That’s why I have been reading the hard copy instead. The old PDF reader used a redundant UI, which constantly obstruct my view of the content. The navigation was confusing. The layout of each article was inconsistent... It was horrible. The redesign is a huge step forward but still has room for improvements. For example, I’d like to be able to read the content in portrait mode on my iPad. I’d also like to have more options in the settings, such as a Night Mode or Low-battery Mode. Just keep the app light and simple, and keep improving the user experience in future updates. Great job, NatGeo!

I can read websites online any day, please bring back the magazine format. The New Yorker has a nice format you can follow. Please!!!

I have not been on for a few months and came back to a garbage app. I have been a subscriber to the magazine since 1990. I have been a digital subscriber since the third issue. This used to be the model. No it is just web articles. It had great interactive features, videos and top notch writing and photos. Now it is just a commodity item. I can’t read offline. I used to love taking the magazine on my phone backpacking. I loved how reading on an iPad in the coffee shop, it felt like the magazine. This is terrible and I am so sad. I read an article and go away and it forgets my spot. Sometimes it logs me out. Really? What happened to the editors article and the best your shot image? Come on you can do better. This app is worthless. 😢 2/27 - I just brought my iPad to my sons snowboard class, hoping to catch up while he was out. No WiFi and my iPad does not have cell service. Guess what I get to read. NOTHING. come on Nat Geo - Fix this and at least make offline reading available. 4/1 - Checked back to see if you made any updates. No and by your comments you aren’t reading or listening. 1.4 stars for Nat Geo. You should be appalled and ashamed of yourself. You can do better. Start with offline reading.

I’ve read this magazine for 50 years but this app layout is just horrible. It makes no sense. Just a simple pdf of the magazine is all anyone wants. I read a lot of on line magazines and this is by far the worst

It’s almost unusable. Much of the magazine content is inaccessible. What’s there is awkward to use. It loses it’s connection to server often.

I am very disappointed with this new version of the app. No longer can I download the magazine to read on plane flights or other places where internet access is not available. Why did you take this capability away?

I really loved the digital rendition of the magazine. This new look completely kills the app for me.

This new app is just a browser for web-based National Geographic content. As a magazine subscriber I’m simply floored at how awful the experience is compared to the old app, and I’m ticked off that I no longer have access to the downloadable magazine issues that I paid for. The feedback from the developer to many reviews is not promising. For example, they say they’re looking into making content available offline, but if they think that will solve people’s frustration with this app they are completely missing the point. It’s just a bland, generic, uninspiring app that brings none of the joy I used to get from Nat Geo. I get that technology and media evolve, but Nat Geo really needs to listen to the feedback they are getting on this.

As so many have noted, this new version loses all the amazing feel of the actual print magazine brought to life on my iPad. I LOVED the enhanced aspects and frequently worked to convince friends and colleagues to buy a subscription for the online access. The print copy coming in the mail was almost a bonus. This new app edition loses all that. I can no longer recommend it. Please take us back, or at least give loyal subscribers the choice to have the old version again. You have truly made me sad! Update - so many of us that have been loyal, paying subscribers have said the same thing and it seems to make no difference. Time to start voting with our dollars. I will no longer be paying for my subscription.

I used to tell people how great this app was . I stopped using it. And I am thinking of un subscribing to the magazine after 50 years. Why did they s**** it up so bad !

Wow. This upgrade makes absolutely no sense. It is nothing but a glorified web browser. Gone is the ability to read offline. Gone is the layout and organization of the print magazine in a convenient digital format. I am completely speechless as to how an organization could sabotage itself so swiftly with such profound stupidity. Wow.

Since their first app, National Geographic has been on a mission to continually downgrade their app to complete uselessness. And, now, their mission is complete. The app has no features that make it a “magazine”. Most of the time I can’t even tell if I’m in the magazine or not. The layout is beyond horrible on an iPad. The app never recalls the location or page I was on when I go back to the magazine. I’ll still subscribe because the print magazine is worth it and I support NatGeo’s mission, but the effort here is beyond abysmal. Zero stars really.

I gotta say I never leave reviews. But had to do this one in a really sincere way. I've been reading Nat Geo all my life, inherited the habit from my grandfather... why do I say that as a preamble? Cause I hold it dearly to my mind, and I actually used to love the digital design. I remember where I first saw what they did with it and I was like wow. This is how a monthly should be made on digital form.. It was clean. Fluent. Respecting a history of magazine design while still being contemporary and feeling fresh. I truly enjoyed it it’s mediatic approach. I had a backlog of a couple of months that I was gonna go down on while traveling and noticed that the whole layout changed. And that was a truly confusing exp as I felt I was missing stuff and kept going back and forth to the website... anyway. Confused still, making sense of the baffling of the whys. Can’t even create a coherent response about the letdown and why I’m unsubscribing.

My subscription is now canceled. If this is fixed so I can download and read offline (like kindle books for example) I will resubscribe. Until then you’ve removed my primary reason for the subscription. Congratulations. Update: just got an email to supply valid card for renewal. Ha! I subscribed for the offline digital magazine especially for air travel. Without offline reading capability I most certainly will not renew!!!!!!!!! Lost back issues, terrible waste of money now. Won’t login, .... minor tweak of an update fixed nothing. If I can’t login and down load full magazines including my paid for back issues by my next international trip in mid January the subscription will be canceled. Most likely forever.

Loved the previous version. So many others have said it, so no need to rehash in detail, but lacking the ability to download the magazine is terrible. Please bring it back. Loved having the additional app content versus print...almost as much as being able to read it offline!!

I love this magazine and have been subscribed to it for several years. This year I tried to be more eco friendly and just get the mobile app subscription instead of a paper copy every month but that was a big mistake. This app makes reading very difficult. Please fix this app :( the magazine and the content are great but this app is infuriating. Not good.

I received notification that my subscription was coming due and I had not read my magazines for a while. I tried opening the app and it will not load, on my iPad or iPhone. Bummer. I don’t think that I will be re-subscribing.

The only thing that keeps me from giving your kids a five star rating is that when you leave the app uses and hold the place where you were reading. It would be great if there were someway to book mark. But otherwise than that on my God I love this app to pieces

This is almost unusable. As soon as the screen locks, my text size selection AND my current reading location defaults to the standard text size and the beginning of the article. This has to be corrected.

I subscribe to National Geographic for the photography. The images in this app are of frustratingly low resolution, and there is no way of zooming in to an image. I will not resubscribe.

Can you please fix the daily Jigsaw Puzzle. It has stopped loading when I use the app in my IPAD

This app does not appear to work on iPad. I became a paid subscriber and was never able to access content through this app without being charged a $4.99 fee. Despite repeated requests, I only received unhelpful automated responses. After a month of having zero access to digital content I gave up asking for assistance and canceled my subscription.

If you navigate out of the app and return, it puts you back at the top of the article. So frustrating to lose your space and have to scroll down to find it again

I have paid my subscription money for getting December 2018 issue until now 3/12/2018 the issue didn’t appear in the app where it will release? I hope you reply to me

Beware - they do not honor what you pay for on Apple News and cannot find your subscription when you cannot access NatGeo articles - it’s a scam

NatGeo issues have always been released well ahead of the due month. The December 2018 is not available for download and today is the 2nd! I wonder what the problem might be.

What does a person have to do to have the old app restored? I am considering canceling my subscription as well as never making another contribution to National Geographic.

Ah great I’m getting old I guess, but I’m not digging this update. I loved reading the magazine like a magazine. This update turns NG into a website. No offline reading? I’m sad now...and even old[er]. Ending subscription until it’s fixed:(

The new version requires an active internet connection and also lost the appearance of an REAL magazine which are the two main reason I subscribe... with this change I am canceling my loyal subscription to NG.

Losing the ability to download issues is a major flaw in this update. No more reading offline while traveling. Even at home with an internet connection you better finish each article in one sitting or you have to re-download the article and scroll down to find where you stopped. Not to mention that even with a high speed connection each article takes a while to download and if you want to see a larger version of an image it takes at least 4 seconds to download the image then the caption goes away until you tap the image again. Oh, and if you are on a metered network each time you open an article you eat into your precious data limit. Only slightly less annoying than losing the ability to download issues is the complete destruction of the readability of the magazine. Instead of smoothly scrolling through the issue you have to keep going back and forth between web pages. How anyone on your product team thought this update was a good idea is a complete mystery.

I used to love NatGeo on the iPad. The mag looked great, and I could go page-by-page. I could download the latest issue for reading in an airplane. All this is gone. I don’t know who thought this re-design was a good idea, but it’s awful. Thinking of canceling my long-time subscription.

I loved the old version of the app. This new version, while incorporating different content and media types, makes just reading the magazine almost impossible... Unless you want to focus on just the main articles. Where You Shot? Where are the short pieces? And while the embedding of photos it's now more natural in the body of each piece, the captions disappear in a few seconds making it difficult to appreciate all the information contained in the image. This app used to be the way I read my monthly magazine. Guess I will have to go back to paper to make sure I am getting my money's worth and not missing anything. Ugh.

Many of us want to read the magazine on the iPad, but the new app seems to be missing content from the magazine and the photographs and charts (what NG is famous for) are not all represented there. Zooming in on them is unsatisfactory as well. Very disappointed in the redesign.

TLWR: While the previous app was imperfect, the main benefit was the ability to download issues and read the magazine on your phone or iPad. This is no longer possible, making it useless on flights with no WiFi access (or in other myriad situations where readers don’t have an internet connection). Additionally, content, INCLUDING ENTIRE ARTICLES, available in the print edition IS ABSENT in the digital editions (examples described below). FURTHER ANALYSIS AND EXAMPLES: Making a digital edition of a print magazine should not in any way be difficult. Make a digital analog of the table of contents that mirrors the print edition in terms of titles, bylines, and ordering; make a link for every single item; and put all of the content from each print item in the digital item. This app fails in ALL of these simple guidelines. For example, in the December 2018 issue, there is an article in the print edition that is simply missing in the digital edition. The print article “Our World, but Not Our Worldview,” by Mark Trahant appears nowhere in the digital edition. In the January 2019 issue, in lieu of “The Future of Medicine” by Daniel Kraft, the digital edition instead simply includes a slideshow of the pictures that were provided in the article and have titled this slideshow “12 innovations that will revolutionize the future of medicine.” Again, the print article text appears nowhere in the digital edition. Moreover, content within articles is missing. The Dec 2018 print article “The Global Peril of Inequality,” by Jared Diamond, has a box in which the author announces his upcoming book and summarizes four major issues humanity faces that he details in his book. Again, this appears nowhere in the digital article (which is instead titled “High consumption by some nations puts all of us at risk”). Additionally, there is an entire graph and text that appears in the print edition of the article that summarizes global inequality (titled “Income Imbalance,” credited to Taylor Maggiacomo). This is a very helpful pictorial synopsis of the current situation. Again, it is ENTIRELY MISSING in the digital edition. The same goes for the illustration “Continuously Monitoring the Human Machine” in the Jan 2019 print article “Every Body is Unique,” by Fran Smith (again, confusingly renamed to “How personalized medicine is transforming your healthcare”). As touched on in these examples above, the connection between the articles in the print and digital editions is unclear, as the app now lists “articles” that have titles that are completely different than those in the print edition. Bylines can only be seen by clicking through. The end result is an app that, while it appears beautiful at first glance, has been restructured in confusing and head-scratching ways that confound those who read both print and digital editions. Meanwhile, those who only read the digital editions are missing out on important and helpful content, including entire articles, while never being the wiser.

No Downloading! Are you kidding me? Grandkids are used to reading while traveling. No longer an option. After 30 years supporting NatGeo, it may be time to say goodbye.

Loved the old version of the National Geographic App except that on iPad it forced me into landscape mode. So was really excited about the new app. But the new app does not work. It does not give me access to the digital subscription. It keeps asking me to subscribe after I log on with my email. Called the magazine and they said they are working on it. When is it going to be fixed? Been a month or so already!!

To whom it concerns, I used to download issues to my iPad and take them away from wifi to read. The latest update will not even open without wifi connection. If the offline option is not returned to this app I will cancel my subscription immediately.

This is a very bad update. This was not thought through at all!

Good: can read previous issues without going to the archive page. Bad: I want to read it as a magazine, not topics to topics. Please at least have an option for people to choose. One last thing, what happened to the ngmservice.com?

After more than 20 years as a subscriber I’m seriously considering cancelling my subscription. I travel extensively and really enjoyed being able to download the magazine to read on my iPad. Now, there isn’t a single airline that has internet that’s fast enough for the new app to function. Please undo this horrible blunder soon or you’ll be losing a long-time subscriber.

I used to be able to download the current issue to my iPad to read while traveling. Now it seems to require an internet connection...so useless unless I want to pay for WiFi on flights.

I love National Geographic and have for a very long time but there are 2 specific things that absolutely drive me nuts about this app: 1) it doesn’t save your place in the article you are reading. It opens the app at the beginning of the article. SO ANNOYING. 2) 95% of the time when I touch the screen when I’m on an article it refuses to bring up the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen. You’re literally stuck in the article and can’t go anywhere, forcing you to close and re-open the app over and over again, hoping you’ll get lucky and be able to leave the article. (I’m open to suggestions if this is just a dumb user error) I am very disappointed in the quality of this app. But hey. At least I have access to it on my phone?..been waiting for the actual magazine to arrive as I re-subscribed a few weeks ago. National Geographic, PLEASE fix this!

Great content in videos and articles! The new layout is amazing!

I can tell from reviews from years ago that this app is so much better. I love it!!! Everything works like it’s suppose to.

What the heck? What am I paying for now? Asking for refund like everyone else since December 2018. This went from literally a digital magazine, layer out like the print mag, cover to cover, page by page, to basically being exactly the same as reading the articles for free online and nothing more. You can’t read offline or download anymore?? You can’t see most of the magazine short stories or content other than stories?? No back issues?? What were you guys thinking.

They have removed the ability to download issues. App no longer serves any purpose if you can’t take the magazine with you.

Did the recent upgrade in December do away with subscribers' ability to scroll through a digital version of the magazine?! I can no longer view the magazine in its entirety, only specific articles.

Making online only is a horrible experience. The UX UI is much better but it is let down by requiring internet connection for functionality. Won’t even load the app without internet. fail.

I have loved this app since its early days. I downloaded issues and read them on my long flights and enjoyed a magazine that I have read for over 30 years. The new update is awful. I cannot download issues and the new interface is terrible. Also, they practically force you to sign up. Hey NG, you already have my money, so I am not signing up. So I canceled my subscription and deleted the app. It is so sad it had to end this way.

The newest app update was really ruined the magazine experience. It doesn’t remember where you left off and splits he magazine into separate articles so you have to keep going back to the main menu. And much less interactivity. Unfortunate as this was one of my favorites.

I only need this app to do 3 things. Keep me logged in, allow me to download issues for offline reading, and save my spot. Right now it does none of these things. If I wanted a website, I would go to a website. I just want to be able to take with me and read national geographic without carrying physical magazines around. Bring back the functionality of the old app!

This update eliminated the most valuable feature of the old app - offline viewing. What is the point of loading the app on my iPad if the principle time I read articles, while traveling for work, is eliminated. It’s as if the kindle app required you to connect to amazons servers every time you wanted to read a book. Plus the new layout for the monthly magazine is awful, eliminating any vestiges of the magazine feel and the easy ability to scroll between articles.

The new layout makes it so much easier to view on mobile devices! So much more content!

Lost back issues, terrible waste of money now. Won’t login, .... minor tweak of an update fixed nothing. If I can’t login and down load full magazines including my paid for back issues by my next international trip in mid January the subscription will be canceled. Most likely forever.

No longer service the purpose. I cannot download the magazine as before. I used it to download and read off-line. Bring back to old app.

Whoever did the re-design and restructuring of this app really FAILED. What was once a clean app with the magazines arrayed simply and efficiently accessible is now nothing more than a ham handed digital display of the printed publication. Further, the elegant interactive methodology and format are gone replaced by the chunkiest and most obtuse flow in any app I’ve ever seen. If you changed developers -fire them, if you lost the folks that knew that less is better and simple is smarter - go get them back. In short WILL NOT RENEW IF THIS ISIN’T FIXED.

Honestly I will use the kindle versions going forward. It’s no longer a magazine, but now just a website. No offline viewing.

The latest version from Dec 2018 forgot about offline users. I can’t view any of my issues when off line and they changed the format eliminating the magazine feel. Please provide an option for full offline magazine and article support.

The old app was not great, but this is a huge step backward. You can’t download an issue and much of the content seems to be missing. You have to click on each photo to read the caption, the caption heading is missing, and the caption times out after a few seconds so you have to click on it multiple times if you don’t read fast enough. I used to really like viewing the photos and videos online, but I will go back to reading the paper version, which is a shame. Absolute disaster and I don’t know what they were thinking.

For digital subscribers, the new version of the app, “Nat Geo”, does not allow you to view the magazine in its entirety any longer which means you’ll be missing quite a bit of content that the former app, “NG Magazine”, allowed you to view. Gone is all the charm of reading this magazine in digital format including sounds and videos in select articles. HOW DISAPPOINTING!!! I am paying for the entire magazine with my digital subscription so I am entitled to the entire magazine as if I were to read the paper hard copy. Thankfully I can access the old app with my old iPad where I can read the magazine digitally BUT ONLY UP TO DECEMBER 2018. National Geographic please fix this or I will be cancelling my membership!!!

Terrible. My iPad has been left behind by the latest, greatest NatGeo app update. Well, that ends my subscription. No app for me, no money for you.

The new app looks slick, but I can’t figure out how to download an issue for when I’m offline (usually when I’m flying). Does this option still exist or has it been removed?

This new app has completely missed the point. No downloads to read offline, no continuity with print magazine and downgraded photos makes version 3.0 worth less - far less. It took me a long time to realize there was nothing more than a collection of disconnected articles. I thought I was missing something but it turned out that NG was. Shame on National Geographic for abandoning their readers like this. I most definitely will not renew.

DO NOT USE THIS APP!!! All my magazines are gone, I paid to subscribe through Apple but the app doesn't recognize my account! I can't read my old magazines and can't open the new ones that I paid for!!! This new app is useless!!!! What the heck did you do???

Why destroy what was already working? No longer feels like a digital magazine. Very disappointed!

Loved the previous versions, this update is a major downgrade. The app feels like a website not a magazine, and there is no way to download any of the issues. Graphics and pullouts that are in the magazine are missing in the digital version. Why bother with a digital subscription?! It would have been preferable for NG to just turn the magazine into a pdf and not cut content. So disappointed!

The magazine app used to feature a rich, interactive experience with lots of features like mini-videos, Your Shot, etc. I downloaded every one and would read snippets when I could. All those are gone and in their place are static web pages that require being online. It looks like a 1990s news aggregator. Bring the magazine back, please.

I used to show people while traveling how great the National Geographic App was for reading the magazine. It was by far my most preferable way to read it. No more as you can not leave an internet connection and instead of being the best app out there for a magazine it is below mediocre. A quantum leap backwards.

The previous version was great, this one is terrible! I’ve been a subscriber for 27 years and had completely shifted my use from the print to the old app when it was first released...loved it. With this DOWNGRADE, you’re better off just going to the website! As for me, I’m sad to say that I won’t be renewing my beloved National Geographic subscription. RIP

This app is not intuitive at all. I have tried several different ways to get to the digital magazine and was successful once. Now the web site doesn’t even recognize my account. The previous version was infinitely better than this version.

Terrible update, removing the option for offline viewing is the worst idea. I don’t always have internet when traveling and now I can’t read the magazine on the plane like before. Please bring back offline reading and the old format.

What used to feel like a nicely laid out version of the print magazine has turned into a bunch of links to web articles. Before the layout and images felt very purposely laid out and arranged, now it just seems like a jumbled mess. As others have noted you can’t download the entire issue and browse later when you don’t have internet access making it useless for reading while traveling. If I want to see all these other articles they are trying to cram into the magazine app I would just go to the website, or they could make it a separate app. I want the subscription to feel similar to the magazine that you can peruse and enjoy, not just a bunch of quick links to the website because the company is too lazy to bother doing the layout and page design that they used to do before. A terrible move and I will not renew my subscription if this is the direction the magazine will be moving to now.

Please bring back the prior version or at least fix it so I can read offline... I will not waste my time describing what others are saying about this update as it is all true. This has been a grave mistake of an update! Fix and I'll change my rating back to five stars.

I used to love this app, but this update goes backwards. I loved the fact that I could download a bunch of issues and save them for offline reading, either on the subway, plane, or on my downtime when traveling in a country with lousy internet. Now I can’t do that—I must be online. For me, it defeats the whole purpose. Please give us the option for downloading multiple issues or to go back to the previous version.

This new app is several months late for an April fools joke. It totally ruins the iPad experience. Please fix this joke of an app by restoring the previous version. Failure to do so will result in my refusal to renew. It’s not even worth 1 star.

After this update, I lost years of magazines, even after restoring purchases. Annoyed.

Give me back my old app, doesn’t match the paper version. I had to re-link my subscription after I was told I didn’t have an account

This is a terrible “update” for all the reasons previously stated. But I think my main beef is all of the content from the print version that is nowhere to be found online. Why in the WORLD would they not include the December print article “Elegy for a Lion” when it is about the life, and passing, of a beloved NG character. I used to tell people that NG was the pinnacle of iPad magazines—fully taking advantage of technology. Not any more... by a long-shot!

The latest update is terrible. Opening the "magazine" makes me feel like I'm missing content that is found in the print edition. Also can't scroll through articles and pictures like in the old magazine layout. The app was bad before, now it's worse. Now I just feel like I'm paying to browse a website. My cancellation notice is coming soon.

This new app is terrible! I can’t read my magazine like a magazine anymore. I want to see each page just like my print magazine with advertisements and articles. The titles of the articles in the app aren’t the same as the articles in the print magazine. Whoever designed this app should be fired!

I subscribed to the “National Geographic Magazine”, not a web site full of disjointed articles like a newsfeed. I love reading the magazine from front to back just like the printed version. I like to read the magazine at my leisure, often where there is no internet access. Not being able to download the magazine for offline access ruins the experience.

I have subscribed via Apple for years, and either clicking the restore purchase doesn’t work, or this new app is FAR less functional than the old one. In general the app seems to be getting cheaper all the time; it used to have far more interactive content. It feels like it has been squeezed relentlessly for profit by its greedy new corporate owners. I doubt I will renew.

The old app was great at presenting a magazine reading experience in a modern format. This version is pretty much worthless when it comes to the reading experience. I’m a subscriber and I would like to read my magazine cover to cover. There doesn’t seem to be a way to go from article to article now, and I don’t even know if the full content is available.

Lack of offline reading and the new magazine layout is a deal breaker. Please bring back the prior format. My subscription expires in January. I won’t be renewing unless this is fixed. I hope NG is reading these reviews as takes appropriate action.

With each update the app kicks you out and they offer NO recourse for resetting your password. Apple can’t help and emails to NatGeo “customer service” go completely unanswered. Been an ongoing issue for years. I’m done and have cancelled my subscription.

I always loved reading the National Geographic magazine on my iPad. Just as it looks on paper. The new NatGeo app changes all of that, it’s just plain awful. I hate it. The worst online magazine by far. Please, have the decency of giving us subscribers option of reading the magazine as it is! And, like other readers wrote, I AM NOT GOING TO RENEW MY SUBSCRIPTION IF I CANNOT READ THE MAGAZINE OFFLINE!! Got it?

No idea why they would do this but it ruins the entire experience to not be able to read the issues offline.

The new app version is horrible. Back to print.

The latest update trades functionality, convenience, and content for a “modern” look. Captions are a nightmare to read, old videos are in the article but not uploaded to servers, some past issues are missing articles, it never remembers where you are even when rotating from portrait mode to landscape, no offline reading, you have to sign up for a new online account in addition to your Apple account, etc. I suppose it looks nice. Yet with all these idiotic flaws, this is honestly an update deserving of ending your subscription.

You can no longer download and read offline. Since I don’t have home internet I will be asking for my subscription money back.

I loved the old app and all that was included with the magazine. It present an exceptional visual experience. This is just a bitter disappointment after being a subscriber for 54 years. So much is missing from the digital edition.

It took me an hour to finally logon to the new app as my password no longer worked. After getting on I am surprised that this upgrade is so bad. No offline access.... so on an airplane or poor WiFi service means you don’t take it traveling. The old version used to be wondrous while this version is like looking at internet articles. It seems like one giant step backwards. I am going back to reading the magazine. I got used to the old app navigation and found it interesting. This is just dull.

I really don't understand the logic behind this update. Not only can I not login anymore (and it doesn't send me a reset password email either), but removing offline reading and the magazine format removes the whole reason I subscribed in the first place. I don't want a personalized feed of web articles, I want to read the magazine format that YOU curate and design on my iPad. That's it. Why is that so hard? Stop overthinking it, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the previous format. Nothing. Having to actually call support for a login issue is a joke in this day and age. I've cancelled my subscription. Revert it back to what you used to have and I'll re-sub.

Updating to the new Version of this National Geographic‘s magazine was a mistake. I really enjoyed the digital version and being able to read the full magazine with all the ads and articles. Is in fact the main reason why I have both a print and digital subscription to National Geographic. I love having the physical versions to display on my bookcase, and the convenience of the digital version to read on the go. Unfortunately this new version of the app gets rid of the full magazine and instead only connects you to the Internet versions of the articles within it. Worse yet my four years worth of magazines on my iPad were deleted without my knowing or being able to access. There is no option to keep the four magazine version instead you’re forced to use the new articles which you cannot read off-line. Well I can still go into the archives on the desktop and read the full magazine versions on there, there is no option like this on the iPad. Overall this was a terrible decision by the team that developed the app, and unless I can revert back to the older version of the app or get full access in a future update I am strongly considering canceling my subscription to National Geographic magazine. To the National Geographic’s team I simply say please bring back the full digital versions of the magazine, the really cool covers, all the photography and full articles that your writers work so hard to produce, the ads which are just as much experience of National Geographic’s magazine, and all the things that made the previous version of the National Geographic’s up so great.

It really saddens me. How to I read this on the plane? Go back to buying on the newsstand. So sad.

The individuals responsible for this update should be swiftly brought to justice. Do the right thing, Nat Geo, and give us back our favorite digital magazine.

We can not get the subscription to work. Got 1 issue. Iphone shows subscription is active. But the app does not take iTune account. We called Nat Geo and they said it is apple issue. Now we are stuck with a self renewing subscription that i can not cancel since i can not get into the account.

Finally got the update!!! Thanks!

I cannot access any of my purchased issues. Of what I can see, I do not like the new format for the magazine. Fix this please.

I have not been on for a few months and came back to a garbage app. I have been a subscriber to the magazine since 1990. I have been a digital subscriber since the third issue. This used to be the model. No it is just web articles. It had great interactive features, videos and top notch writing and photos. Now it is just a commodity item. I can’t read offline. I used to love taking the magazine on my phone backpacking. I loved how reading on an iPad in the coffee shop, it felt like the magazine. This is terrible and I am so sad. What happened to all the extras beyond the main articles. I love the photo stories the little tidbits. They are all gone. This app is worthless. 😢

This new apps I don't like it at all. Can't save the page. The old apps could open to the last page you read. And it more like reading a book compare to the new one. It doesn't save the page at all. Hope they change it back. I don't know what they are doing ???

Loved the magazine but HATE the new format. I don’t want to feel like I’m googling random news articles; I want to read a magazine and enjoy great photography (otherwise I could just cancel and start googling subjects). I literally can’t figure out how to see if the content is downloaded so I can read without a WiFi connection. Nothing is user friendly. This is one way to get people to go back to print...

Hate the new update, can’t download and read offline. Captions on photos disappear as you are reading them, video links don’t work. Just give us a digital edition of the print magazine! Will be unsubscribing unless the issues are fixed.

With the new update the app is no longer just scanned copies of the magazine. The layout is a lot better as well. Overall my favorite magazine app.

Not native on iPad pros

The upgrade looks great, but I can no longer read offline. Why would they remove that basic functionality? So now I can’t read the magazine on the subway, on a plane, etc. My holiday travel now has no National Geographic in it.

App says I don’t have a valid subscription. I have every issue of NG since January ‘83. Sadly, if they don’t sort this issue and provide a true app of the print edition I’ll end my relationship.

Please bring back the option to download for offline viewing.

Dec. 21, 2018: Another update today. It is still broken. Dec. 13, 2018 update: I just dutifully updated my National Geographic app. Not only it does not let me login, it does not recognize the password information I had successfully used several days ago. Selecting the forgot password option has not yielded the expected password reset email. I have had this for many years, so I could read my issues offline. I cannot access them now. Earlier in the week I had called about my other app, National Geographic Traveler. They confirmed that both my NG and NGT subscriptions were up-to-date. I had been told that the NGT digital team have been working on the NGT broken access issues for two weeks. It looks like they killed the regular NG, too. Please fix the apps, so I can read my years of magazines offline again.

Version 3.0.1 does nothing to fix this dumpster fire of a redesign introduced in v. 3.0. I also appreciate how we have reviews from someone called “MS-natgeo” giving it a 5 star glowing review about how great the redesign is... They clearly don’t work for them or anything 🙄

I’ll watch this space to see if they revert to how the app worked before v3.0. Otherwise I’m going to stay away...

This is a great update for National Geographic. It looks like they are focusing on modern design, and how people use apps by adding the Look and Watch section along with the full suite of digital content. Hope Nat Geo invests in this product and keeps moving it forward as it would be really nice to see and offline mode for magazines return along with more new features and content.

I’ve been digital subscriber since 2012. The new app is terrible and the magazine format is just a web page. I am not going to pay for this. Unsubscribing and will call Apple to retro cancel my subscription. Shame, it was very useful to be able download magazines to read on metro or airplane. Shame.

New release still not useful. Not only can the issues not be downloaded anymore, the app doesn’t save your place - you cannot re-open the Magazine where you left off. No option to even set a bookmark. I also cannot figure out how to go to another issue without closing the app entirely and relaunching it. At that point I’m back at square one. I have subscribed digitally since you first offered the magazine online. My main objective was to be able to read the magazine offline at my leisure when I had no internet connection (without having to carry a hard copy of the magazine with me). This new format is a big disappointment.

Why in the world the download feature was removed?? It was the best part of the subscription. Please bring it back!

I signed up for a 1 month subscription which only then gave me access to buy the magazine. I thought with the "1-month subscription" meant I would be getting the magazine free that month. But no, you don't get anything actually. I see no point in it. What a joke. If you're going to subscribe to this magazine, just do it in print through their website. Even then I would only rate the mag 3 stars, it went downhill in 2015...

I have been a digital subscriber for a few years now, and it’s sad to say what was once the best digital magazine experience is now the worst. First this new version, I cannot restore my subscription bought via apple. And there is no customer support to resolve this. Please fire the staff which made this change to your app, start from the top the decision makers that pushed for this change. The design, navigation is horrible - the decision to make it more news like is horrible, move to less readable content to even more visual content is bad. Don’t get me wrong love the visual content - but you had intelligent thought provoking reading material too, please keep that around. I can understand the drive to change and experiment. Sorry to say this experiment is a failure - about to lose this customer. Unfortunately can’t rate with 0 stars so 1 star it is.

Simple navigation and layout, super easy to use, overall great app.

This is perhaps the worst Upgrade ever. Digital issues can now be read only by being connected online - all the time. The ability to download issues for offline reading has been removed. In this day and age when every digital subscription allows subscribers to download full issues for offline reading (be it an Airplane, subway or somewhere remote) , I am not sure what the “Tech” department of Nat Geo were thinking. If the offline download access is not restored, it may be time to call it a wrap on my decades long subscription to the Magazine.

I just want to download the magazine and read it. No more. Looks like a cheap webpage now with low budget articles. Plus you cannot even download an issue and read offline anymore, so what is the point? Seriously the worst app update I have ever seen. I have been a loyal subscriber to NG for over 25 years and this latest update clearly shows the unfortunate death of what once was a well respected and quality publication. Did they get a new editor or something?

Very disappointed with this update. Please go back to the magazine format. Very confusing and difficult to navigate and the article I was right in the middle of has vanished completely. Why this unnecessary change?

Like others have said, one of the worst app “updates” ever. I like to read NGM wherever I am on iPad, not cart the paper copy around. The most basic requirement is to allow those of us who have PAID for a subscription to be able to download and read it. If this isn’t corrected, I will not be renewing my subscription. Note: would be losing a customer of 29 YEARS.

Update is awkward to use, does not allow magazine download and archiving. Lost the feel of going through the paper magazine article after article, need to go to the home page to select and read each article, awful update !!!

Zero stars now used to be a 5 star experience Images tiny now. Nothing like old digital or print Very sad

I liked the app before the new version came out. I subscribe to the Digital Version and can no longer download the issues to read at a later time. You have to be connected to the internet to be able to read the articles. I’m hoping this will be fixed as I enjoyed downloading at home and reading on the train.

The reasons 1. When the is no internet connection, an annoying yellow banner on top keeps flashing. That's why we use the app. Download the magazine and read it whenever. Otherwise, we can just go to the website and read it. 2. Seems like everytime I use the app, it asks me to sign un to my account. 3. Content of the magazine, looks like a watered down version of the old magazine. 4. I have to click on the picture to read the caption. Guess what. You need a internet connection for that. What a joke

And I won’t be renewing with this new app. Why would you do this to the most iconic magazine ever? Did you listen to the consultants instead of your readers?

All my previously downloaded issues are lost. I am an itunes NG subscriber and after the last update I am not able to restore my past purchases or to download the new issues for offline reading. This was a terrible app update... I hope it gets fixed soon.

Spoke with a representative via the phone. They are apparently working on releasing a second update that will bring back some of the functionality that was available with the last version of the app. Subscribing through Kindle is an option that’s more like the printed magazine and less like a website however it’s not like the previous NatGeo app. Going to be patient to see if the update is an improvement as I too am very unhappy with the current state of the app.

I’ve enjoyed NG for years but when I renewed this week through Apple the format had all changed. I can’t download and read on the bus on my iPad, can’t flip through pages like a magazine and it keeps asking me to login. I plan to see if I can cancel and get money back through Apple and if not will make sure I’m not charged next year. Why’d you try to fix what wasn’t broken? Oh yeah, and the political spin is getting a little heavy.

The new version, which came out Dec 2018, is terrible. It seems like I am missing something. I signed in to my digital account, but the new format makes me feel like I’m not getting the full issue, only the article available for free on the website. Issues don’t appear to download, so I have to be connected to the internet to read the articles (that wasn’t the case with the old version). Photo captions are difficult to read; you have to click the photo to pop up, then a very small caption appears for a few seconds before disappearing. I’m not happy with this new version.

Like numerous people before me, the new update is horrible. Either fix it or change it back.

The Nat Geo app was simple but effective so some app developer had to add all sorts of new features. The problem is that the app now says that we don’t have any subscriptions and never had any. Care to explain what happened to a grandkid? No response besides automated emails from customer support.

A small problem was quickly remedied by fast and excellent support. The update app works fine. You can no go wrong with such an outstanding product as the National Geographic magazine.

this was fabulous until the latest update. Now you can’t download the magazine to read offline, and not all the magazine’s content is included. This isn’t what I paid for when I got a digital subscription.

I have used the digital issue for year now I’m trying to download the January issue and there is nothing that saids download l click on the issue and it takes to what is in the mag so I don’t understand if this is how it is now or what. Cause I would down load the mag and read during bus rides or flights . Somebody tell me why or this is how it is Now.

If I could go back to the old app I would. Bad layout, bad navigation. I want to read a magazine not a webpage. Captions on photos disappear before I can read them. Unable to scroll through stories. Disappointing. Will read the print edition.

I can’t believe National Geographic can have such a c***** ap. I bought a subscription 8 months ago and now can’t get in without signing up again. I’m done with this crap. Good luck

Not ok. Go back to the previous version of the app

Some pics not displaying. Please check.

I’ve been reading NG for over a decade and enjoyed the app, BECAUSE I WAS READING THE MAGAZINE. Now I can’t see 1/2 of the things I loved. And I’m not going to let some algorithm decide what I want to read. Bring back the magazine style - ads and all. You’re all for profit now - you should want the ads. This version is really horrible!!!

This update took all of my magazines and it won’t open up with out a password. I paid for my subscription with an Apple Card so I don’t have an account number they keep asking for. I called their office and she could not find any information on me. This is just another reason I don’t trust everything digital. How can this be fixed and restore my account?

First review I have ever written the update is so bad. You can’t read the magazine offline. Used to be able to Download and read like a magazine. What I am supposed to do on planes or way from my home. This is useless and a complete waste of time. I will have to cancel if this isn’t fixed soon. Just ruined a few days off for Christmas as I looked forward to reading some issues I need to catch up on. If I could give zero stars I would.

App no longer keeps my place in an issue, and appears to not include all content. (Comparing unupdated iPad to updated iPad). Captions are incomplete, graphics are incomplete, and videos don’t play. I’m certain there are additional things I’ll find. I’ve been a reader since childhood, and like the content devices can provide, but this update is a huge step in the wrong direction.

I used my Apple ID to subscribe it. Now the new version ask me to type in other account to log in with email address. What’s that? How can I have my digital stuffs back and my subscription?!

This just puts an app on top of the website. Really bad. This is no longer a magazine experience. 1. Can I download an issue for off line reading? Nope. So long to reading on a flight. This may be the worst part of the update. 2. Is the entire issue there? I don’t think so. Just the articles. No editorial, no non-article material. The magazine section of the app should to presenting the old magazine experience. The home tab can be the blob of articles presentation. All the magazine tab does is filter the articles blob by issue.

I want the old digital magazine back. Reading the magazine offline was convenient. I could read natgeo anywhere. The new format is hard to read.

I share the sentiment with all the other subscribers that have left reviews stating that this new update is horrible. How was this allowed to happen? The experience of reading NGM like a magazine is completely gone and replaced with something similar to Reader View.

This update is terrible. I have purchased digital subscriptions for several years and have enjoyed them on my iPad. Now all I get are links to articles, not the entire image of the print magazine. So now I’ll pay an annual fee to view all issues back to day one? Same as any person who just now got on board? Bad decision by Nat Geo. The main reason I gave up print magazines was that I could get exact magazine in digital form. The old app FAQ stated that whether downloaded or archived, the issues were mine to keep. Now will I lose all access to those if I don’t pay a fee each year? The absolute worst new feature is that you can’t read them offline, like in an airplane or anywhere else there’s no wi-fi. All in all a huge letdown to a print and digital subscriber since early eighties.

Please bring back the ability to download issues so that I can read them on the go without worrying to not have a connection. I did not pay my subscription to only be able to read while connected to the internet.

This update literally cuts out what made national geographic magazine so cool on the iPad. I started subscribing because of the text combined with these interactive little videos, pictures, stories, put together in a cohesive package. I went back to stories where the exploration videos and interactive content was especially memorable. ALL GONE! You cut all of it and made it look like a webpage. Whoever approved this update clearly does not read national geographic. You took something good and made it cheap garbage. If the application stays this way over the next month or two, I am going to cancel my subscription. I am sure others will too. It is just not enjoyable anymore.

I really like the new layout and redesign!!

For years the digital edition was complimentary if you had a paid hard copy subscription....but NO more ! Appears that digital subscription is now only possible at additional cost.

I bought the monthly subscription after it said that would allow me to access archives. iTunes asked to share my email so I could use this with my subscription. When I found I couldn't access archives and my email was useless on the web site, I contacted National Geographic support and told them all of this only to be told: "We are sorry to hear that you are having problems with your digital subscription. Because you have purchased your digital subscription through iTunes, you will need to contact iTunes with your request. We do not have access to digital account information for subscriptions purchased through iTunes. ..." I don't want to cancel my subscription because I want to support great content but I feel like I was lied to. iTunes has nothing to do with the national geographic website and they don't provide technical support for apps. It's funny, because if I got the dead tree edition instead of an electronic subscription, this wouldn't be an issue. And really, the icing on the cake for this is that I got most of my Nat Geo news in Apple News and my subscription hasn't changed how much conent is or isn't available in Apple News. I've basically been paying monthly for a few months to get copy and paste email response and send money to National Geographic. I just thought I should support National Geographic and get access to the archive. I'm very disappointed and unsure if I should try contacting support again or request my money back since I didn't receive anything different for my money but a careless tech support email.

I have been reading the digital version (thankfully have kept the print version) for years. I am totally unable to access my subscription. Please FIX the app ASAP!

This update eliminates why I loved National Geographic. Please add the ability to read the magazine straight through. I’ve renewed my subscription for multiple years without questioning it, but unless they change the layout I will cancel my subscription.

What the heck? All my magazines are gone, I subscribe through Apple but the app doesn't recognize my account! What the heck did you do???

WTH? Can’t log in or get access to my previous issues. I got app to read a MAGAZINE, not articles where you can’t even read the entire caption to see what the article is even about. Going to unsubscribe shortly if it doesn’t get fixed

I’ve been a loyal subscriber to National Geographic for 27 years and, although I received the printed format without fail, I absolutely loved the previous digital format. With this downgrade, I’m now doubting if I’ll continue to subscribe at all. I’m sure I’m not alone in my disgust with this new format and will be joined by the majority of NatGeo’s previously loyal paid subscribers to say adieu.

The new iPad update is terrible. You can no longer access the magazine as a complete magazine. Instead you only get a few articles that is all. You do not get the remaining articles which are there in the iPhone version.

All the things I enjoyed most about the app are gone. I enjoyed paging through a digital version of the magazine with its amazing photography displayed through bright and sharp full page images on my iPad. All of the shorter articles are gone. The jigsaw was a great feature that is now gone. User submitted photos are gone. I am constantly reminded to renew my subscription because I subscribe through the iTunes store, and even though my subscription renews automatically each year. I really don’t think this new app was well thought out. What used to be a standout example of excellence now just appears as just another second rate web page. I will sadly be cancelling my automatic renewal.

This is the most horrible update. You pay for a magazine in digital format and it’s like reading the internet. Extremely disappointing!

Worst update imaginable. The previous version was fine even if sometimes problematic, but at least it could be read as a magazine. This new piece of junk is completely unusable and had I known how c***** it would now be, would have never renewed. Money wasted and time wasted trying to cancel subscription. Thanks for nothing, literally.

This new update is horrible. You can no longer download issues and the daily jigsaw puzzles are gone as well. I had to re register my subscription as it would not take my credentials. Unless they fix this "update"I won't be using the app any more and will likely not renew my print edition ether.

Please do something!

I really want a NatGeo magazine but the update is just an aggregator for NatGeo’s content. I like that the content is broken down by video, reading and photos and will utilize the personalized feeds help to narrow down content but the flow of a magazine is gone.

This update is horrible and I see others think so as well. I like to read and interact with the issue much like thumbing through the actual print version. I’m traveling this week for the first time in several months and wanted to download a few issues to my iPad as I have always done in the past. I’ve wasted an hour this morning thinking for sure there must be a setting for a print view but I guess not. Please go back Nat Geo. Did you test this app design with any readers?

what is this？bullishit。。。。。。i am angry！！！！！

What could they possibly been thinking? I mostly scrolled through back issues while offline. Where are my back issues?

What did you do? Why did you do this? The NGM was my absolutely favorite app. The format kept me coming back and extending my subscription. This new format is so mediocre that it defies the very nature of what NGM was about. I’ll be removing myself from NGM moving forward.

Updates are meant to improve using the app, not to go backwards. Now cannot read the entire magazine, cannot return to reading an article where one left off (have to download the article again and find where you left off), captions under photos are difficult to read..... There may be other problems with this app but these are what I found so far. Please return to the previous format. I used to look forward every month to reading NGM on iPad but not now. Extremely disappointed!

This update is terrible. I have purchased digital subscriptions for several years and have enjoyed them on my iPad. Now all I get are links to articles, not the entire image of the print magazine. So now I’ll pay an annual fee to view all issues back to day one? Same as any person who just now got on board? Bad decision by Nat Geo. The main reason I gave up print magazines was that I could get exact magazine in digital form. The old app FAQ stated that whether downloaded or archived, the issues were mine to keep. Now will I lose all access to those if I don’t pay a fee each year? The absolute worst new feature is that you can’t read them offline, like in an airplane or anywhere else there’s no wi-fi. All in all a huge letdown to a print and digital subscriber sine early eighties.

Just like the other reviews, I used to enjoy paging though the magazine. Now I get a “curated” tour. I’ve only been a subscriber since 1988, it’s too bad your new digital editors may put an end to my membership.

The worst update imaginable! I was reading the December 2018 issue on my iPad using the previous version of the app which was a delight! Then I was forced to update to this abomination to get access to January 2019 issue. The new app has no way to download for offline reading. No way to view photos fullscreen with captions popping in when you press + button. Nothing! Instead I get access fo useless online newsfeed. If app developers will not go back to the old version of the app,I am cancelling my subscription after 25 years.

The app was so good until it was updated. It was like reading a proper magazine and now it is like reading a webpage. What happens if there is no internet. Can one still read it offline? I want the old one back.

Unfortunately I just downloaded the soap and paid for a monthly subscription and it does not work at all. The app won’t let me log in to read any articles... what a joke. Save your money and DONT DOWNLOAD or SUBSCRIBE!!

no more immersive features that you can only get on the ipad version. now articles are just links and are no better than the paper form. no compelling reason to renew my electronic subscription.

Latest update (1) lost all my downloaded issues, including the one I was reading (2) cannot access the ‘magazine’ unless connected to the internet (3) cannot download magazines for offline reading, which was key for me (4) cannot see the digital version of the printed magazine but can only see articles and only if online, so it’s not really a digital version of the paper magazine (5) nice I can see related information, but that’s not why I subscribed. Must be the worst ‘update/enhancement’ ever. Yep, let’s make thing better by removing major functionality. If this isn’t fixed, my subscription will be cancelled.

Very disappointed with this update. Please go back to the magazine format. Very confusing and difficult to navigate and the article I was right in the middle of has vanished completely. Why this unnecessary change?

While I appreciate all the extra content available, I miss the option of reading the magazine in its entirety on the app. Many of the smaller articles are not available on this version, that I can find. As an improvement, an option to read the magazine cover to cover in digital would be appreciated.

This redesign fails in all regards. Like many others, regaining access has been a nightmare. I am attempting access with my credentials used to subscribe and get nowhere. Most apps with login credentials keep them during an update. Not this one! Very disappointed in you, National Geographic!

I have to agree with people not liking the update. I like having access to all the old issues on the app now since before, even though I had access to the archive, it wanted me to pay for issues older then a few months to read on the app, which made no sense. Now I have access, which is nice, but I can’t see the whole magazines, just the primary articles, and that’s no fun. :C

This recent update has caused major confusion opening the application. My problems started when, after logging into the account, the app stating I did not have a valid subscription. I looked at my account online and found that my subscription for the next year was valid. So, logging on and off several times in the app produced no headway. I then went back into the browser and Account Settings to discover I needed to “Link My Subscription”. After entering the new account number from my latest invoice, everything worked. One more log off and log on in the app, I was in business. Now, my comments about the app itself. It is not as user friendly as previous versions. I loved the idea of downloading several issues at a time since I travel a lot and access to the internet can be sparse. Plus, not having to reload issues or articles saves me a lot of data since my tablet does have a data limit from my carrier. Therefore, I recommend better information in the notification box to point subscribers in the right direction to link their subscription when it used to work once before. Secondly, please bring back offline issues for us power travelers that have limited access to the internet. And third, I agree with my fellow subscribers that the new magazine format is not user friendly and does not flow right. Changes listed above and in other reviews would be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately, while the apps's screenshots in the App Store show what looks like full support for the new iPad Pro's (11 and 12.9) layout, post installation i can say that isn't accurate to say the least.

I love the app, as I could download all the magazines for offline reading, which I do a lot. Also going through the magazine was easy and I could go through all articles, stop at any time an start again from where I left off. With this update, everything what was great is now gone. If this is not going to change I will cancel my subscription as it has no use to me anymore. Very, very disappointing.

Update removed all stored editions from my iPad and now works only via the Internet. Really disappointed, I’ll likely cancel my subscription. Edit: The more I see of this update, the less I like. I’m canceling my subscription.

Doesn’t recognize my correct password and no email to fix. You people need to hurry up and fix this or stop telling people to upgrade.

I am someone who subscribed to the print magazine from 1997-2010, and then switched over the the digital format when it was released on iPad. I received my first subscription as a 12th birthday present in 1997. I have every print issue I ever received. I’m one of those guys who bought the yearly slip cases for the print copies since I like keeping old issues around to flip through. The layouts and covers were beautifully done, and sparked a lifelong admiration for the journalists and photographers. I have subscribed digitally since 2010. — The lure of the digital subscription was that I could have an archive of all my past magazines in one place. This new design of the magazine is honestly sickening in that it tossed out everything that breathed life into the magazine itself. Want to read letters to the editor? Tough luck. Photos of the month? Gone. We’re left with links to the featured articles and nothing more. We can’t even view a full sized copy of the cover, so forget trying to access the actual magazine layout. Every issue from your past issues? Also destroyed by being tossed into this dumpster fire of a redesign. I really have no idea why some of the decisions were made when the developers decided to gut it, but there are no redeeming qualities in the new version of the app and it sickens me that I’m considering unsubscribing from National Geographic for the first time in 21 years.

Cannot view off line. All previous issues that were on my iPad are lost. That is theft! Cannot read when in places like a national park or forest. Cannot read when in places that do not have free Wi-Fi as data costs are high. Why bother? Unless this is fixed it’s goodbye Nat Geo.

Lost back issues, terrible waste of money now. Won’t login, ....

I renewed my subscription in March for two years. This most recent app update claims I am not a subscriber and refuses to accept my credentials.

Lost the ability to download the issue. Reading the magazine is virtually impossible with the new design, as you pick from a menu instead of flowing from one article to the next. Maybe I’m just not the audience this is geared toward anymore.

In the news app when I bought the subscription it offered me to give National Geographic my email so it could keep track of my account and I could use the app without having to log in. I pressed no by accident how do get that request back so I can say yes? Until I get an answer this app is useless to me so I’m rating it one star!

App allows easy access to great coverage by National Geographic

Update removed all stored editions from my iPad and now works only via the Internet. Really disappointed, I’ll likely cancel my subscription.

Horrible update. I can’t see my magazines, only articles disconnected. The videos of the articles have been disappeared. Is it possible yo return to the old version?

Awesome

What happened? I can no longer access my subscription after the update today. HELP!!

Soooo good!

The NGM app has always been somewhat of a challenge, but this new update gets rid of decades of tradition by departing from the magazine format and linking only to specific feature articles. There is also no way to download/save the issues or the individual articles; they reload every time you reopen them. The whole point of a magazine is having it available to you wherever you go, not having to repeatedly download parts of it. Horrible update; strongly recommend you return to the true magazine format.

The sign in process to the National geographic web site and subscriber account does not work anymore and thus it's impossible to download the issues.

I just dutifully updated my National Geographic app. Not only it does not let me login, it does not recognize the password information I had successfully used several days ago. Selecting the forgot password option has not yielded the expected password reset email. I have had this for many years, so I could read my issues offline. I cannot access them now. Earlier in the week I had called about my other app, National Geographic Traveler. They confirmed that both my NG and NGT subscriptions were up-to-date. I had been told that the NGT digital team have been working on the NGT broken access issues for two weeks. It looks like they killed the regular NG, too. Please fix the apps, so I can read my years of magazines offline again.

It pretty awesome being able to browse the old magazines and see how things have changed over the years. Nice update, keep them coming.

The app requires an internet connection now in order to work. No more offline reading, saving or downloading issues. It wastes huge amount of mobile data, instead of the previous version, where you could download the issue over wifi and read it on the go. The app now keeps bugging to create an account even with subscription. After 8 years of subscription, I cancelled it. This is not a magazine anymore, it’s a browser only that tracks you and bugs you for an account. Very disappointed about the direction nag geo went with this app.

National Geographic should stick to print publications-the digital experience is beyond them.

I’ve been a Nat Geo subscriber for a few years now, and I receive both digital and physical editions, though I most often choose to read the physical magazine. The main reason for this is that I own a 12.9” iPad, and because the app hasn’t been optimized, the entire app looks blurry and fuzzy, especially the photos which are the best part of the magazine. I’ve been waiting for the app to update to support the 12.9” iPad since the first one released in 2015. With the new, more compact 2018 12.9” iPad Pro, more users than ever will be downloading this app with a 12.9” iPad. Please update to support it.

I have tried to reset password, contact them for help, proven I pay monthly on iTunes and have for years and nothing! No issues for me no account they say. I am out a LOT of money for the past years I didn’t read yet. Stopping my subscription obviously and deleting app.

Update fixed an issue where once you were viewing an issue, you couldn’t get back to the library. Called and reported a couple of times and now it has been fixed. Thank you.

This app has been updated and it back to working order! I would love to see he ability to highlight and make notes in a future release.

cannot download any issues

I paid for the one year subscription through iTunes. I try to restore it so I can get my new issues and the app freezes. I got the first month when I ordered it but nothing after that. I love the magazine but this app does not let me access subscription. Also because I ordered on iTunes I can’t access the subscription through any other means. I would suggest subscribing from the National Geographic website.

I subscribed monthly and as of yet I’m unable to download an issue. So far ripped off.

Before updating, when I came back to the app after closing it, it would remember where I was in each article. I tend to read articles a bit at a time on the train, and having to find my place each time is irritating -- especially since it used to be fine. And unlike some others, I actually preferred the page by page scrolling vs continuous. That's not a huge issue if it would remember where I was or provide bookmarks though. The new design also wastes space at the top of eac screen for a new, rather pointless toolbar. I'd rather it maximize screen real estate for the content and provide (infrequently used) tools via some other method. Overall, I love the content, but am disappointed in the new version of the app. Update: the above issues are still problems -- especially that it doesn't remember where you left off reading. And now there's a new problem: the photos for which the magazine receives so much acclaim, do not scale up to fill the screen on the 6 Plus (nor 6S Plus?). Very annoying. Another update: still all the same issues above AND now it won’t keep my issues downloaded I download one and start reading it. When I come back to the app later (next day for example) and the issue is gone and I have to re-download it from scratch. How does this keep getting worse??

The app needs some work, but the stories and photos are always good

New release only shows latest edition. Please fix this.

The UI looks very antiquated and only for iPads. I can barely see what’s on the cover of every issue unless I open them!

Please change it to where if I accidentally swipe left or right from an article, return to the library, or exit the app in general, when I return to my article it would be in the same spot. I spend so much time scrolling trying to figure out where I had been. If I leave safari, for example, to answer a text, I know it'll be on the same spot of the page as it was when I left it. But not the Nat Geo app. This small change would greatly enhance my experience.

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله هذه المجلة من أفضل المنشورات العلمية والتثقيفية على مستوى العالم، في انتظار نسخة العربية التي تصدرها ابوظبي للإعلام

This magazine continues to awe me with the depth of articles. The app does have a learning curve because it offers so many extra features. First time through I missed 1/2 of content. KNEW that couldn’t be all there was, and went back to help section. Found a treasure trove of info second time their. Interactive features, deeper dive options and their usual gorgeous photographs! Impressive

But can still use some improvements

Currently, the is no way to get back to the library from a certain magazine, even force closing the app takes me back to the last app I opened. Also I noticed the they haven’t updated the app in a year so they must not really care about it anymore...

The person complaining about the magazine being ‘political’ - to me - read as ‘the magazine is honest;’ thanks to that person, I subscribed.

My sentiments are the same as the previous. Once you open a magazine you are stuck in it. There is no way back to the library other than deleting the app and reinstalling it.

Doesn’t give me an option to go back to the menu, or select other issues. I’m stuck in the same issue. This wasn’t the case a few months back. Same situation as the other individual who posted on 10/4

The new app update does not have back buttons on iphone to go back and see previous issues. As a result i cannot navigate to the previous issue . please fix this issue

I’d read the issues in my auto-renew annual subscription if I could close out of an issue I’m reading and look at a different issue! I emailed the customer service department in regard to this many weeks ago! They said it’s a known issue!

I can’t get back to the library! Please fix!

I bought a subscription for NatGeo magazine and when I open the APP it won’t let me read anything without buying the individual magazine. When I try to log in it tells me there’s no record of my email. But they had no problem sending my billing invoice to my email. Funny how that works. I cancelled my subscription. Don’t bother.

Everything that Nawroth74 says in the one-star review is true. I suspect the problem may have occurred following iOS recent update. The matter is extremely frustrating for those of us who count on catching up on our reading while flying or accompanying a friend during a hospital in-patient stay. I typically read/re-read 3-4 issues while traveling. The only time I can see the “old” menu is when a new month’s digital edition is available, but when I download it, and everything but the downloaded edition disappears. Unacceptable!

My review date is 10-23-18 since real dates don’t show. I hate the font size keeps going back to minuscule size when you sneeze and pages are a little difficult to return to and not know where you left off, should also have a feature to save an article if you want. National Geographic, you should be doing a better job. Get the magazine.

Unable to read other months unless I delete the app and redownload it. And then I’ll have the same problem if I want to read another month’s issue. Considering canceling my subscription over this.

I’m so glad I ignored the negative reviews. Maybe for people with older versions of the iPad, some of the features are buggy, but on my 2018 iPad this app provides a virtual adventure world to jump into, rich with stunning photos, videos, interactive diagrams and maps, and 360 views. Unlike some of the reviewers, I don’t mind that some of the pages are laid out in portrait mode rather than landscape mode or that the pages are not all designed to fit to the iPad screen. I get that this may have been an artistic choice by the design team and that some pages just read better when they are arranged in a certain way. In my experience, this makes every page turn interesting and keeps me engaged. I already love the print version of National Geographic, but this just took my subscription to the next level!

I hope this app will be fixed. It used to work well, but malfunctions on iPhone 7 with iOS 11. Problem has been reported.

Its open to the last issue. There is no way to go to library.

Can’t go back to other issues and stuck

The latest version released for the app no longer allows you to navigate back to the Library. There is no way to exit the currently open edition of National Geographic or the newest edition if you get prompted to download the current month. This is a bug that needs to be fixed.

As a subscriber for 50 years I find the stories compelling. I’ve read issues on iPad for 7 years. The app is in the worst condition since the iPad was invented. Scrap or fix the Tap, Pinch, Zoom junk feature, it does not work on any iPad made in past 4 years. The stories all read in different directions. Content from the paper magazine is no longer included in app edition. Every January you tell me to pay for last years issues and put a price on them. Vanishing downloads. Crashing app. A first rate knowledge provider like National Geographic can certainly afford to hire a better app developer to showcase content.

Used to be great but ever since last issue I haven’t been able to get back to the main screen to switch between magazines

Even though I have a print and digital subscription which includes Nat Geo Plus, I can’t access all of the monthly editions as I’m able to online. I also can’t use the back button to get back to the list of monthly editions once I’ve opened one of them. So I tried to close the app entirely, even in the background, but when I reopen it, that edition is still open and the back button is still greyed out.

I’ve been a digital subscriber since I’ve had an iPhone. Now with the new iPhone X display, NG needs to update accordingly to take advantage of the whole screen.

There is no way to get back to your library without deleting the app and starting over ... please fix this ASAP !

3 stars until it supports portrait mode. What good is it reading a magazine page sideways?

I am a subscriber for 15 years and I was supposed to have a free digital online subscription. I created an account but when logging in afterwards, it would say “authentication failed”. Re-entered credentials on “create account” page multiple times successfully but it would say the same thing. What a waste of effort and time!!! Useless app.

I became a paid subscriber ten days ago and cannot access online content through this app without being charged $4.99. Despite repeated requests, I have yet to receive any response or remedy. As it stands National Geographic has taken my money and not kept its end of the deal. I have zero access to digital content despite having paid for it.

Subscription setup took a phone call and 15min conversation to get the Digital Version working. The very next month The Puzzle Games were removed found them on the website but only working through Flash I guess. 3 stars cause the magazine works Puzzle Don’t And I’m a person who likes to see some advertisements in what I read, Nat Geo Digital Versions I have yet to see an advertisement in the digital version.

I read other reviews that said that this wasn’t going to work and I thought somehow that I would be different. Not so. This app does not work... Set up an account online or through the app and you get "authentication failed" every single time... instantly deleted.

It is quite frustrating to have to scroll back to your place when reading articles and the phone goes to sleep or app is sent to the background.

This new app is several months late for an April fools joke. It totally ruins the iPad experience. Please fix this joke of an app by restoring the previous version. Failure to do so will result in my refusal to renew. It’s not even worth 1 star. I cancelled my NG print subscription. I will subscribe again if this update is rolled back, all my previous issues are restored, and I’m provided free digital issues that I will miss in the meantime.

I used be able to switch from the app to the printed magazine because it was a near replica of the magazine. Now it is impossible. And the new format is horrible! No idea what they were thinking.

They’ve totally s****** up the digital edition. I’ll be cancelling my subscription if they don’t undo this supposed “improvement “.

Some articles aren’t even viewable on here anymore

What’s the point if you can’t download and read the articles offline. Will be unsubscribing if this isn’t fixed.

I am still trying to figure out if this is real or a bad nightmare. I kept all my issues on my iPad to read on the plane when I travel. Now ... GONE?! Please, someone tell me where they are, what happened to being able to read the magazine on my iPad. I have been subscribing to Nat Geo for over 20 years and I get this!?

What were you people thinking? I will cancel my subscription unless this is fixed.

Well they FINALLY fixed the problem of articles jumping back to the beginning if you switched away from the app. But at what cost? This version logs me out half the time so I frequently have to re-login when I open the app. And if the app is backgrounders for too long but miraculously doesn’t log me out, it appears not just to lose my place in the article I was reading but to forget which issue I was even reading. So I have to find my place from scratch. Worst of all, there is no more offline viewing! So you must have an internet connection to browse or read issues. No more downloading a few to read on the subway or on a plane. I also contacted them repeatedly about multiple paper issues still coming in the mail and the inability to link my subscription with the app. I finally managed to fix it without any response from their customer service whatsoever. I’m getting closer and closer to just giving up on NG. :-(

Can’t believe they removed the ability to download magazine editions on the digital subscription to read offline. Will be canceling my subscription after many years. Disappointed.

I used to love the NG app. The whole digital magazine interface was great since I was able to download all of my issues and read them on my iPad outside of WiFi. Not only does it no longer read like a magazine they removed magazine content and require an internet connection to browse. The app lost all practical purpose and is now not much better than the NG website. Over the past year they eliminated the videos (which were fantastic) and now there’s absolutely no reason to stick with the app. I’ll be cancelling my subscription unless they fix these issues.

The iPad app worked great until recently. Now, it doesn’t recognize my subscription. Contacts with customer service have been unhelpful and the problem of being unable to view the magazines on iPad continue and customer service acknowledges I have valid digital and hard copy subscriptions.

I have subscribed for a number of years to NatGeo via the AppStore but now I am locked out and there is no recognition of my account. They have taken my money but refuse to even recognize or give an option to identify my account via the App Store. I WANT A REFUND!!

What is up? For past 6 years I could download my magazine issues to read on long flights. No more. Nat Geo app 3.0 requires internet access.

Will add my two cents to the chorus of folks complaining about latest update. Always looked forward to the next month's download, but no more. Poor communication about update. Poor Customer Support. Will cancel subscription as current app is useless to me.

*NO OFFLINE READING *RESTORED PURCHASES ARE INACCESSIBLE *CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND I’m no head of NG digital content, but, why not redo the app like you did but leave a toggle in the settings for ‘classic’ style? Then monitor who uses and loves the redo and who doesn’t. If most people use the new format then make a plan to phase out classic in 6 months by letting peeps know so us old folks can prepare a little bit haha. Ending subscription until it’s fixed:( P.S. - Maybe the OG print guys did this to one up the digital guys and get people to switch back to paper!

I will not renew my subscription unless the app is redesigned to allow offline reading and to look like the paper magazine. Update: despite several email to costumer support the app has not taken to the old version capable of allowing offline reading of the magazine and I have therefore cancelled my upcoming magazine renewal. Very sorry it had to go this way :-((

Natgeo keeps trying to reinvent a new UI for reading their magazine. Why? Sections with amazing pictures, including yourshot, are missing. The whole point of an app that ties to your magazine subscription is to have the ability to read the magazine. It's impossible to read the magazine on the app.

OK, the new app is s*** and all that, but please please restore the ability to download content for offline viewing. NG used to be my go to app to catch up on magazine reading on airplanes, but no more.

Soo, they removed a lot of content that is in the print magazine that WAS in the digital version before this latest update. I just did a comparison of one of the “new” digital issues, may 2016, vs what is in the print version of that same issue. I was appalled at how much was taken out of the digital version. The digital and print versions used to be exact matches of each other, but now they removed all the informational diagrams, maps, inserts and a lot of the photos seem to be missing as well. The short, but interesting little blurb articles are all gone as well. What p***** me off even more is that these changes just don’t apply to the newer issues, they changed all the magazines back to practically 2010. Thank you for robbing me of content I payed for Nat Geo.

Intuitive interface and can return to main library after viewing an issue. Just need to fix typo!

Removing my subscription. The experience is terrible and loss of downloaded content is the deal breaker.

Can’t download full issues to read offline. The app is useless.

The main use case for this app is to read magazines offline when I am commuting or traveling. Without this feature, this app is useless! Please bring this feature back!

Who thought this update was a great idea?? It’s harder to read, find content, and follow the natural flow of the time-tested magazine. Please fix this.

The new app is not compatible with my older iPad's IOS, so I can no longer read the magazine. If NatGeo doesn't address this issue, I'll be forced to cancel my 40+ year subscription. There no sense paying for something I can't access.

The prior app allowed us frequent travellers to download and enjoy the mag off-line. Now I have to have an internet connection, which is usually when I am at home, which is when I can access my paper copy of NG, which is when I DON’T NEED THE APP. Come on guys, looking at all the devastating reviews since you made this change..Your customers are begging you to give us back the superb app that you were once famous for.

Update: Jan 7, 2018: I have canceled my subscription. Bring back the digital magazine and ABOVE ALL let me read it without WiFi! Can’t read on plane anymore? Come on. What the heck? What am I paying for now? Asking for refund like everyone else since December 2018. This went from literally a digital magazine, layer out like the print mag, cover to cover, page by page, to basically being exactly the same as reading the articles for free online and nothing more. You can’t read offline or download anymore?? You can’t see most of the magazine short stories or content other than stories?? No back issues?? What were you guys thinking.

I liked actually feeling like I was reading the magazine in the previous version. Now, in this version, it feels like I’m looking at a website, and I’m sure I must be missing something that was in the magazine. Also I really dislike that I can no longer download issues for offline reading.

Requires a NGeo account now. No longer can download for offline viewing! This was a key reason for me to get this digitally to view while frequently traveling in an airplane for long periods. I’ll not be renewing and will find other offline magazines for my trips.

Sadly this use to be a fantastic app. Now it's horrible with the recent upgrade. It's almost impossible to download issues of the magazine. The crazy part is you have no problems downloading issues from 2 years back but nothing for the last 6 months. I know NG is aware of this but have seen nothing to fix the issue. Update. Today I cancelled my subscription as the app has moved from a magazine layout to more of a website layout. This is not what anyone wanted. Sad day as I say good bye

It used to be one of my favorite apps - I could download and read it on plane without any internet access. No more. Since recent updates - nothing works as it should- I must be connected to read it? Also, subscription management is absolutely horrible. NG, are you reading your customers comments?? Please restore the old version !!! I would be cancelling my 16+ years long subscription if this is not fixed soon.

This update removed any reason to have a digital subscription. The point is to have a magazine experience on a device, not a website view that is only available while connected online. The old version allowed for downloading so it could be read on a plane or other non WIFI spot. Unless reverted to old format, my subscription will be canceled.

I will not renew my subscription unless the app is redesigned to allow offline reading and to look like the paper magazine.

Your new website is simply awful. I am a longtime subscriber and cannot log in. The new website deleted numerous downloaded issues and refuses to restore them. The developer of this new website should find a different, less destructive activity.

I purchased my subscription through the App Store on Apple and all of my issues (over 2 years worth) disappeared and now I have trouble logging on. Absolutely terrible.

Recent app update removes the capability of offline reading; you cannot download the magazine to your iPad and read it without being connected to the internet. Terrible “reimagined” experience. Did NatGeo inform us of this before renewing for 2019? Of course not because most would not have purchased. I also fault Apple for not putting the most recent reviews first in their store so potential buyers can see the latest reviews rather than seven years ago.

Current subscription through May. If the format isn’t fixed I have no plans to renew. So disappointed. **Canceled. Sorry, NG.

Rubbish update.

I'll add to the other reviews - version 3.0 is awful. No offline reading (so no reading on a plane) and not the full magazine content (I compared to my mother's print). Lots of UI issues, too - it keeps prompting me to login whenever I click a URL, so I end up logging in multiple times a reading session. Also, if you tap on a picture to read the caption, the caption vanishes after a couple of seconds, too fast to read. I will be cancelling my iTunes subscription in February if things do not improve. I would go back to the print, but I don't like all the extra paper nor do I like the weight when I travel. I paid for a magazine subscription, not access to some links online.

I have been a enthusiastic user of this app for many years. At some points I kept an iPad just so I could enjoy reading the print edition of National Geographic digitally here on the beautiful screen. Today, I was horrified to see that the print layout is gone. Now it just looks like an RSS aggregator with 12 articles per “magazine” and none of the usual page by page print edition experience. The experience is no longer rich and immersive like it used to be. Very disappointed.

I always enjoyed reading through the magazine from front to back. The new update feels like I am on some webpage. You can no longer read the magazine. I can’t even swipe to the next article without going back to the main page and clicking on a new article. Another issue is there is no way to download for offline use. This is a major issue as I typically read on airplanes. I do not understand why the updated the old app as it was great. If this does not get fixed I will likely cancel my subscription as i feel like I could just go on the website and get a similar experience.

I know change is hard, but there are no words to describe my disappointment in this app. It is just a shadow of its former glorious self. Turning the pages used to be a voyage of discovery. I couldn’t wait to see what was around the next corner. The photo spreads, the editorials, the interviews, the snippets, the in depth articles, the videos, the interactive content, the puzzle. It was sublime. Now I’m afraid it has lost everything that made it wonderful and special. I might as well just be reading an internet news feed, what’s fun about that?

How could NG have not seen this coming? Don’t they realize that the reason their app works is that it’s a more convenient version of their paper magazine? Turning it into a webzine format, with no offline version, was a baaad move. Seriously considering canceling my subscription, hope they hear the outcry and do something about it.

I have had a NG Magazine digital subscription for years. This new version does not give a the digital Magazine in its entirety! It is missing sections of the magazines. Also, you can’t download the Magazine so you can read the issues offline and keep them. This version is not adequate for a person who is paying for a digital subscription.

Ah great I’m getting old I guess, but I’m not digging this update. I loved reading the magazine like a magazine. This update turns NG into a website. No offline reading? And, like many reviewers here, I am unable to restore old purchases! I’m no head of NG digital content, but, why not redo the app like you did but leave a toggle in the settings for ‘classic’ style? Then monitor who uses and loves the redo and who doesn’t. If most people use the new format then make a plan to phase out classic in 6 months by letting peeps know so us old folks can prepare a little bit haha. Ending subscription until it’s fixed:( P.S. - Maybe the OG print guys did this to one up the digital guys and get people to switch back to paper!

I’m tired of having to sign into this app every time I open this app. Just like FoxNow, you have to sign into your tv provider every time you open the app. All the other streaming apps don’t require you to sign in every time you open their apps. Why make this so difficult? It just seems that it would just be easier to download your pirated content from the web than having to deal with this ridiculous and not so easy to use app just to watch a 20 tv show!

This update makes having the mag subscription and app pretty much useless. Used to enjoy getting lost in each issue. 😭

What idiot thought this new design was a good idea. I’m done with them.

Just found out the new version requires an online connection to view content. That’s a huge disappointment, since I really enjoy reading the NG while traveling when internet is not available . Also, the magazine app used to have innovative ways of viewing content, like 3D view, interactive pages. All that went away, and replaced with boring linear text and pictures. Very disappointed with these changes.

I loved the ability to view the magazine online in the same format as the paper version. I also loved the ability to read the magazine without an internet connection. Now that both of these features have been removed, the app is no longer of any value to me. I’m on hold with customer service now. If and when they answer, I plan to cancel my subscription.

This new version destroyed everything I liked about the app. I liked reading the magazine. Now, I don’t know where the magazine is any more. If I wanted a series of links, I’d just go to the website. Please fix so I can read content offline, otherwise there’s no point in continuing to subscribe.

I had to discontinue my subscription while I was back in school for a masters degree and still working full time. One of the things I looked forward to was reinstating my subscription to the National Geographic app. What a disappointment. I feel like I’m visiting a free website, not experiencing the beautiful and comprehensive magazine issue on my iPad. The $20 annual subscription seemed too good to be true before, and I guess it was. Now $20 feels like too much.

I just want to download the magazines on my IPad so I can use them offline. I don’t want to always be connected to the internet to read the articles especially when I am on a plane.

I love your app and articles but there is one problem in “ look up” words in this app. I cannot tap and hold on a word to look up its meaning and if I can , I can’t come out of dictionary page out Because there is no “done” bottom . So I have to close the app and open it again.

It’s no coincidence that almost without exception every review since the 3.0 update has been for one star only. In my opinion this app no longer even rates a single star. As a subscriber to Nat Geo for nearly 40 years this update destroys the entire premise of a MAGAZINE. Nat Geo did a great job with the original app of taking the printed magazine content and enhancing it with new media and up to the minute content. The application allowed me to carry my magazines with me to read on long flights and vacations and really did enhance the Magazine experience for those of us who were avid print subscribers and supporters of the work that Nat Geo do. This app update takes that whole experience backwards. Now when I travel I have to take my print magazines with me again. What were they thinking when they did this redesign? I can guarantee that they didn’t trial run the redesign with real subscribers. Such a disappointment that such a great organization should fail to appreciate the real needs of its customers and supporters. I don’t plan on cancelling my subscription because I still want to support so much of the great work that Nat Geo do. But I sincerely hope that they will re-think this application and get us a magazine application that in the words of their new president..”informs individuals, policy makers, corporations, foundations and other like minded individuals...” wherever they might be, connected or not.

This new app certainly does not provide the experience of reading the magazine on my iPad. The articles I read were so short that I thought I was missing a link to the rest of the article. Also discovered that when I looked up the definition of a word (riparian) I couldn’t close the pop up and return to the article. I couldn’t close the app either so deleted it and downloaded it. Will take some getting used to perhaps, but it’s not what I paid for.

I love how much easier it is to navigate. I really like the content in the app plus my ability to subscribe to the magazine.

I love National Geographic’s content, but this app won’t allow me to restore and access issues that were previously purchased through iTunes

Apple - you changed the digital version of NatGeo from it’s previous form which looked just like the print version, with embedded video! This new format is not acceptable- it doesn’t allow me to flip through the entire magazine like it used to. If you aren’t going to restore that capability, I will cancel my subscription. That was a bad move on your part!

I’m not always wi-if connected, and need the ability to download and read the articles while not. If I try to bring it up after it’s stopped with no wi-fi connection, it won’t even show me items that have appeared before. Additionally, the old magazine format was great and allowed for easier browsing. This new format no longer does. I’ve been a subscriber for 40 years, and am now seriously considering not resubscribing.

Ditto the recent comments of most other subscribers. Did management really think subscribers would accept this horrible update? I’ve subscribed for years, usually with 2 year subscriptions. Fortunately my current subscription ends in a couple months. If I can’t read the magazine offline, I won’t be reading it at all.

Been reading for years on the app but the new UI is so quirky and glitchy that I’m going back to the print version. Why can’t they jut leave well enough alone. The old version was much easier to use and had beautiful images. Its like a web page instead of a magazine now. A poorly designed one.....

Update removed all stored (paid for!) editions from my iPad and now works only via the Internet as a poorly realized browser. Really disappointed, I’ll cancel my subscription.

I rarely write reviews. This latest version is so bad, had no choice. Gone is viewing the full ebook of a magazine. The pictures do not have a way to keep the caption visible and they go away after after about 4 seconds. Then you have to carefully touch the bottom white bar or picture goes away too. This is just a terrible user interface. Bring back the old version. Nothing on an iPad works like this.

To whom it concerns, I used to download issues to my iPad and take them away from wifi to read. The latest update will not even open without wifi connection. If the offline option is not returned to this app I will cancel my subscription immediately.

If you update the app be prepared for the loss of ALL your previously downloaded issues, you will not be able to re-download them. The app is just a NG-branded web browser that does not allow for offline viewing. The latest update has ruined the app and the reading experience. Absolutely awful. I will not be renewing my digital subscription.