Wired Magazine App Reviews

I’m thinking a magazine about technology would have the best app out there. Why can’t I adjust font size. Why is it 8 font???? Is it because landscape mode is not possible? Would like to read on iphone 7. Please fix. Thanks!

I am already a subscriber and I have filled in all the blanks on support I can’t even submit a support ticket and the app itself will not allow me access because I cannot sign in and do not have a username or password even though I am a subscriber. Please help.

Wired: It’s Wired! Tired: It’s Wired. Expired: App still not optimized for iPhone X. But then, I’m only paying $5 for a year so... (in other words wait for the frequent discounts).

This is a great example of how people used to design apps back in 2008. If you feel nostalgic - download it, you won’t regret!

Latest iPad. No excuse for this

Repeated attempts to sign in with my fully-paid print subscription account number have failed. Need digital access to read comfortably. Will not renew subscription!!

Needs ability to zoom and landscape c’mon!

Opened magazine issue and was presented with a full screen ad I couldn’t get rid of.

Considering their last update was 2 months ago I find it strange they didn’t also update the app to be compatible with the iPhone X. It looks horrible with the screen ratio of an iPhone 8 (and down). All this unused screen real estate.

Guys, the iPhone X is getting close to being a year old and you aren’t taking advantage of the whole screen? Trash.

As good as the content of WIRED is, I feel that the older design around the 2013 era was better, but perhaps that’s just nostalgia. Otherwise, WIRED offers insight on current technology and a variety of sciences. I’d look on their site before jumping in blind, just to make sure it’s something you like.

I’ve spent the past hour trying to log in to my digital subscription and keep failing. My username and password aren’t recognized. I tried sending a message to the help desk and each time I receive a message that “there was a problem with the page blah, blah, blah.” For a magazine that’s suppose to be on the cutting edge of the digital world, I sure haven’t seen any evidence of it yet.

It would constantly close without opening immediately after trying to launch the app. I deleted the app and re-downloaded it which solved the problem.

For last 2+ months, crashes on splash screen when launching on large screen 2nd gen iPad Pro. Worked perfectly prior to that.

Impossible to sign on to. Customer support page doesn’t work so there’s no access to any help.

App wouldn’t even let me create account. 404 error keeps on popping. Garbage.

Can’t open the app, not once.

iPad version just immediately quits, just like other conde naste magazine aapps.

I’ve spent 20 minutes resetting my known, good password, and even then, the app will not accept my login. Deleting this app.

All iPad cases allow propping up to stand hands free in landscape orientation only. Please add a landscape mode to this app!

Good luck trying to sign in if are trying to access your existing subscription (not purchased through the app). I spent 10 minutes and wasn’t able to. First I had to activate using my confirmation number and zip code. Then the app said to log in. That didn’t work at all (using the same email and password that I had successfully set up on Wired’s website). Someone should be boxed for this inane and broken activation process.

I’m a big fan of Wired magazine, but how is it possible that a publication that keeps me informed about the digital world is not able to hire developers who can write code that detects that my iPad is oriented in landscape mode?

After repeated attempts to register and sign into the fully paid subscription I already have all I get is an offer to pay more for a digital subscription after the app recognized my current subscription. This is about as weak as it gets.

Reviewing version 4.7.2 Wired is using a portrait mode design where you move between articles by swiping left and right and read a single article by scrolling vertically. This is the first I’ve seen this design and I LOVE IT! There are many digital magazines and apps therefore, on the App Store. This is the first one I’ve enjoyed using. There are a ton of bad reviews for this app. I’m new to it. Maybe Wired introduced this style more recently than the negative reviews. Many of the reviews complain about not having a landscape mode. You can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need (paraphrasing the RS). The current version is a good app with a great design.

I have a subscription to Wired and received an email to get the digital copy of the magazine with this app - but once I downloaded it and started the onboarding process, I realized this app is poorly designed and I would prefer not to attempt to read a magazine on it. The onboarding steps have you enter in your subscriber ID and Zip Code - fine, although that could have been populated straight from the email explaining me how to set up the app. After that, I had to enter an email and password, and I got an error that I already have an account (I don’t). So, my only choice was to reset my password. Once I chose that step, I got a password reset email which I used to change my password, and upon re-entering the app discovered there is no back button from the password reset page. At that point, I hadn’t even set up my account and I had reached a point where I have to force quit the application to continue signing up. After that force restart, I had to type in my account number AGAIN from the email, and I just deleted the app. If onboarding is that poor, I can see why this app is rated so poorly. It’s a shame because I really enjoy Wired itself, and a magazine app should be a simple thing to design with a small investment. The fact it’s this bad shows they don’t really care about digital.

just as with the print edition, the text is too small. It should be resizable in the app.

All the issues downloaded on my iPad don’t show up on the iPhone version of the app. Come on man. You want people to pay for a product that they can’t access. A magazine about tech that can’t produce an app that is technically sound. Welcome to irony.

Irony: Wired content this month talks all about needs of older folk, including accessible tech. But the iPad wired app prevents zooming in, so on my iPad mini the text is barely readable by my 45 year old eyes. Stop the madness and allow readers to pinch and zoom!

Now version 7 is new! But it crashes on an iPad so it’s useless. Hope you fix it soon.

On the new iPhone edition the images are so compressed it looks like trash.

I thought the reviews couldn’t possibly be accurate, and then I opened the app. No landscape mode? I use an iPad pro with a keyboard and EXCLUSIVELY use it in landscape. The fact that the app doesn’t adjust is insane, especially considering this is a tech magazine. I keep opening the app thinking that I must be doing something wrong, but nope. If I wanted to hold my heavy iPad in my hands to read a digital magazine, I might as well just be reading the print version.

I’m not giving this app one star because it does work. The problem is that it seem to think it’s print media. On an electronic device, you need to adapt to the device. Others mention no landscape, but that doesn’t bother me. No, what bothers me is there is no way to zoom, no way to copy and paste, no way to do anything other than view images: sometimes showing pictures, usually just full page images of text. And for some reason, the first page's text is significantly bigger than the other pages. This means, for me, the text on the first page is somewhat bigger than it needs to be, while the text on the following pages is significantly smaller than I find comfortable. The best handling is kindle, where you can increase font size; PDF is worse but you can at least zoom in. Well, with this app you can neither increase font size, nor zoom in. Sadly ironic for a magazine that is all about technology!

It like being at the optometrist when they try to get you to decipher that last tiny line of print. I really don’t get it. Condé Nast: ever hear about usability?

This is a default feature in e-readers, but missing from this app. Sad!

That’s the most crappie interface I’ve ever seen for an iPhone X app Guys please work on your app

The.ipad version of this app is acceptable. the iPhone version is awful. It doesn't support the iPhone XS and I can only download magazines from 6 months ago. I can't download older magazines. I thought that having wired on my new iPhone XS would be great but it's the same experience as having wired on an iPhone 7!

Conde Nast should be embarrased with itself! As a major worldwide publisher, it should offer top-of-the-line digital companion apps to its print magazines. I have been a longtime subscriber of a number of their magazines, and yet, I can't even access ANY of them on my iPhone 7 Plus (or any iPhone I've owned prior)?! As a paying customer who is entitled to receive a digital subsciption, it's really awful that I can't access it just because I don't currently own an iPad (I haven't been able to replace my broken one for a long time). And for those who do have an iPad, they may not want to carry it everywhere just to access their magazines. I also agree with others who have said the apps have many bugs and problems. In fact, the apps haven't changed all that much since I owned an iPad 1 -- do you hear that?! A FIRST EDITION iPAD!! You guys probably need to start from scratch and develop entirely new apps for each of your magazines, or perhaps even develop a single app where we can access all of our Conde Nast subscriptions. I'd especially love to read all of my magazines on the go, but Wired and Allure need to be taken care of first. Please don't disappoint your longtime customers. There are ton of magazine choices these days -- and as much as I love my Conde Nast magazines, I'd hate to have to find similar replacements elsewhere just because you guys don't care about paying customers who should be getting digital access and can't.

Great magazine if only I could read it on my iPhone 6 Plus. I would give it a five star rating once I'm able to read it on my iPhone 6 Plus.

I too plan on canceling my subscription when it's time for renewal because of the lack of landscape mode. Ridiculous! Try reading the digital version on an iPad Pro.

On my phone I do not care about landscape but on my iPad every app or game that forces me to use portrait is an app or game I will seldom use. Struggling to see an upside for the publisher on this restriction of use.

How is it that I can purchase books so easily from the iBooks app, apps so easily from the App Store, yet I can't seem to buy a magazine through your magazine app?

I can't believe you guys decided to do a crap economy letting the landscape mode go. It's a shame.

Horrible service. Horrible app. Its disgusting how a supposed tech company could put this out. (Not the mag. Just this app).

Like another reviewer said, it appears that landscape mode has been removed from the app. The only time I have to read any form of magazine is during lunch, and the only way I can view the digital version on my iPad Mini is in landscape mode, propped up by the official Apple cover. Now that Conde has decided in its infinite stupidity to remove that format of the magazine starting with the June 2015 issue, I will no longer be a subscriber and will actively dissuade my many tech savvy friends from subscribing as well.

I agree with the other review that it is odd for a magazine to omit landscape mode as it shows two pages side by side like a print magazine which you would think is a feature a print publication would want to mirror in the digital version.

I think it's awesome that you allow digital access (although even publications in non-tech sectors do too), but the absence of support for the iPhone is kind of ridiculous. What makes that even worse is that the iPad-only app only works in portrait mode. Right off the bat, that's two strikes.

When I download a magazine I expect it to stay on my iPad till I delete it not have keep re-downloading it every time I want to read a magazine.

For being a technology magazine, you think the app version would be a decent representation of technology itself. Sadly, this app fall short in many ways. First of all, it's very sluggish… trying to use the "restore purchases option" just stalled, without pulling down any of my back issues. I had to restore individual ones, one at a time. Even that was glacially, maddeningly slow. Beyond that... once I do manage to get into an issue and read it, the navigation and menus are really flaky... and why the hell can't I view this in landscape format?! This is ridiculous.

Love Wired magazine. Subscriber for almost 10 years. I'm 49. Landscape mode increases size of fonts. Most pages don't zoom. You've simply made it more difficult for me to read your magazine. Why?

It's ridiculous that this app requires portrait mode.

I read everything with an iPad Pro because of vision constraints. There is no accessibility accommodation in Wired, and zoom makes navigation of an already messy layout untenable. I use cover keyboard, so can't use the device as it always sits in landscape unless I find something else to prop it up. It's a shame because content is some of the best available.

Have been trying to get access to the digital subscription since last week. No luck. Says to call customer services. This is way too hard - Wired digital team needs to up their game.

The recent change to port rate only is completely unacceptable. The moron who thought this up should be fired. I will be dropping my subscription.

Perfect example of how NOT to write an app. No landscape mode, slow and buggy.

Must be the dumbest app decision I’ve ever seen - not what I would have expected from Wired... This has single-handedly destroyed what used to be a good app for reading Wired Magazine. Please bring it back.

Don't waste your time

I, too, was almost scared off by all the negative reviews. Just try the app. If it doesn't work for you, delete it. But it does everything I need in an attractive and user-friendly way.

Only 1 out of 7 pages are readable. The rest are out of focus. Conde Nast seems to go out its way to screw up. Out of focus! On an ipad.

Since I subscribe to Wired on line, wouldn't they think it a no-brainer that I DO NOT WANT a paper copy as well? What do I have to do to stop them from sending it? The print is too small (which is why I prefer to read it online) and it always gets tossed in the recycling. Total waste of paper, postage, etc.

I too have a difficult time reading the print version because of the small font size. Other digital magazines only support portrait (Time, People) but their digital experience is excellent, particularly Time. I made the mistake of clicking on an iPhone ad in the latest publication and cannot return to the magazine. I am going to try reinstalling the Wired app but would hope that a magazine centered around innovation would have an amazing digital experience. Sadly, it does not.

Wow! Come on Wired, what’s with the low tech reader app? If you want to read in landscape mode, forget it. No pinch and zoom or font increase options. This app needs to get wired and get out of the cyber dust.

I do all my reading on my iPad Pro in landscape and this app won’t support it. This doesn’t represent Wired in the best light. This is the only magazine I subscribe to and am very disappointed. Removing the app.

Many of us love wired magazine because it stays fresh and interesting. This app does the magazine no justice. The app presents the magazine much like a scanned document. No real interface. No up to date comments from the publication or readers. About low tech as you can make it. Unless you are traveling and have no access to your tablet or laptop, skip this app.

This app desperately needs to be updated. It looks absolutely awful on an iPhone XS Max. The interface is atrocious. It’s bad enough that if I weren’t able to access the content through other platforms I’d be cancelling my new subscription.

Good: - Signing in and accessing the magazine was effortless - Full-page spreads look really good on an iPad display No good: - No zoom (it even displays a little icon with a crossed-out magnifying glass when you try, so you know they know you want to zoom) - No rotation (you can literally open the app with the iPad in landscape mode, and it will fire up in portrait). This is just what I found after the first ~10 minutes of use. Overall, a missed opportunity to take advantage of a digital platform in even the most basic of ways.

The iPhone Xs ships in two days and this app doesn't support the iPhone X screen yet. This was a gimme by Apple. It was a year long freebie. Now every phone will look like this and the app will look like garbage on every one of them. I added iPhone X support to three games I maintain the week it dropped.

It is hard to understand why, to enlarge the text of an article, I need to open the article in a browser.... every other reading app I have lets me adjust text size.

That’s the most crappie interface I’ve ever seen for an iPhone X app

Very simple. Entered my email and password. Issues have downloaded to my iPad without a problem.

It’s been a year since the X has launched. Please update the app to support the iPhone X. Thanks!

Fonts too small for an old guy like me. I see no way to make fonts larger. Also app is very basic, not many features at all. I pay for Wired, but the free library app is better.

How is this still not compatible with the new iPhone X screen format?

Come on! Get some UX testing done. Impossible to read the content in the tiny font. Just good to watch pictures though. Look to better your content delivery.

Love the layout but the text is way too small. Unusable on an iPhone. Works well on an iPad.

Wired's reader base is likely to have new devices, and this app doesn't have support for it yet.

Logging in and seeing subscribed content is a bare minimum requirement and the app fails. After “logging in” as a subscriber (multiple times) the app still expects me to buy the e-zine. So far that’s the extent of the review as I cannot see how content is displayed.