Customer Reviews (500)

Coltopian • 2025-03-26T15:22:40-07:00

Unable to download any longer (all failures). Unable to remove picture from the picture frame (told to use the web app). Getting errors up loading pictures. Go back to last year’s versions, at least they were functional.

bjandkassie • 2025-03-25T19:55:31-07:00

I finally was able to get everything to show up. And only once. 😂 Now if it could just show the whole calendar on the website and a way to see events on the Apple Watch, it might be perfect! 💜

Tydhak • 2025-03-24T16:35:18-07:00

We are a family of five and this calender helps us all be in-the-know for all of our events. I appreciate that in the two years I have had it, the system is updated to include more and more useful things like rewards for charts and writing back to the Gmail calendar. I’m waiting with hopefulness for Apple Watch complications so I can ditch my Gmail and apple calendar completely.

Skylight App Review Analysis

1. Summary of Key Insights

The Skylight App is generally well-received, especially for its ease of use and ability to connect families through photo sharing. The calendar and organization features are also appreciated, but there are significant pain points around app stability, subscription limitations, and feature requests. The overall sentiment is positive, but numerous reviews highlight areas for improvement to enhance user satisfaction and justify the product's cost. The app scores well, with a strong skew towards 5-star reviews, but the negative reviews reveal recurring issues that need addressing.

Key Strengths:

  • Ease of use, particularly for photo sharing and calendar syncing.
  • Value as a gift, especially for connecting geographically dispersed families.
  • Organization features (calendar, chores, lists) are appreciated for family management.

Key Weaknesses:

  • App stability issues (crashing, freezing, upload failures).
  • Subscription model limitations and perceived value. Many users feel basic features should not require a subscription.
  • Lack of key features like widgets, dark mode, and advanced calendar/list functionalities.
  • Poor UX for photo uploading and list management.

Sentiment and Quantitative Metrics:

  • Overall Rating: Leans positive based on review content, although an exact average rating is not calculable from the provided data.
  • Score Distribution:
    • 1 Star: 13% (65/500)
    • 2 Stars: 4.8% (24/500)
    • 3 Stars: 8.2% (41/500)
    • 4 Stars: 12% (60/500)
    • 5 Stars: 62% (310/500)
  • The score distribution is heavily skewed towards 5-star reviews, suggesting a generally positive user base, but the 1, 2, and 3-star reviews highlight critical issues that impact a significant minority of users.

2. Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 500 reviews
  • Time Frame: Not explicitly stated, but reviews appear to be recent, spanning from the past few months to a couple of years, based on content.
  • Analysis Methods:
    • Sentiment Analysis: Categorizing reviews as positive, negative, or neutral based on language used.
    • Keyword Extraction: Identifying frequently mentioned keywords and phrases related to features, issues, and requests.
    • Thematic Analysis: Grouping reviews based on recurring themes and topics.

3. Key User Pain Points

  • App Instability: Frequent crashes, freezing, and upload failures are a major source of frustration. Many users report the app becoming unusable. This directly impacts the core functionality and user experience.
  • Subscription Limitations: Users feel that basic features like video uploads, captions, and photo albums should be included without a subscription. The perceived value of the subscription is low, leading to dissatisfaction. Aggressive upselling and ads within the app are also criticized.
  • Photo Upload Issues: Slow upload speeds, frequent failures, and limitations on the number of photos that can be uploaded at once are common complaints. The photo uploading UX is also lacking.
  • List Management Issues: Difficulty reordering list items, lack of categorization options, and syncing problems make the list feature less useful than it could be. The recent UI update to lists was particularly criticized.
  • Calendar Syncing Problems: Some users experience issues syncing with other calendars (Google, Apple, Outlook) or report that color-coding is not properly transferred.
  • Lack of Notifications: Many users desire more customizable notifications for events and chores.
  • Glitchy Features: Reports of meal planning features not working, chores not updating correctly, and other features behaving erratically.
  • Poor iPad Support: App does not support landscape mode on iPads.
  • Customer Support Issues: Some users reported issues with subscription recognition and difficulty resolving problems with customer support.
  • Account Issues: Some users report issues with account activation and password management.

4. Frequently Requested Features

  • Widgets: An iPhone/Apple Watch widget for quick access to the calendar, chores, and lists is highly desired.
  • Dark Mode: Many users request a dark mode option for better usability in low-light conditions.
  • Improved List Management: Features like reordering list items, categorization, and exporting lists are frequently requested.
  • Advanced Calendar Functionality: More customization options for notifications, recurring events, and viewing options (e.g., day view, scrolling between months) are desired.
  • Offline Access: The ability to access lists and calendars without an internet connection is requested.
  • Apple Reminders Integration: Integration with Apple Reminders to sync tasks and reminders.
  • Landscape Mode for iPad: Full support for landscape mode on iPads.
  • Ability to Pause Events: A feature to temporarily pause recurring events (e.g., school activities during breaks).
  • Search Functionality: A search feature to quickly find specific events in the calendar.

5. Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • Ease of Use: Many users praise the app's intuitive interface and ease of setup, especially for non-technical users.
  • Family Connection: The app is highly valued for its ability to connect families, especially those living far apart, through photo sharing.
  • Organization Features: The calendar, chore chart, and list features are appreciated for helping families stay organized.
  • Gift Value: The Skylight Frame and Calendar are considered excellent gifts, particularly for grandparents.
  • Customer Service: Some users reported positive experiences with customer service, particularly in resolving technical issues.
  • Seamless Photo Sharing: Users appreciate the ability to easily share photos from their phones to the frame.

6. Prioritized Action Recommendations

High Priority:

  • Address App Stability Issues: Investigate and fix the frequent crashes, freezes, and upload failures. This is the most critical issue affecting user experience.
  • Re-evaluate Subscription Model: Consider offering more features in the base package and reducing the subscription cost. Be transparent about which features require a subscription.
  • Improve Photo Upload Process: Optimize upload speeds, remove limitations on the number of photos that can be uploaded at once, and enhance the photo selection UX.
  • Improve List Functionality: Implement features for reordering list items, categorization, and syncing. Consider reverting the UI changes to lists.

Medium Priority:

  • Develop Widgets: Create iPhone/Apple Watch widgets for quick access to the calendar, chores, and lists.
  • Implement Dark Mode: Add a dark mode option for better usability in low-light conditions.
  • Enhance Calendar Functionality: Add more customization options for notifications, recurring events, and viewing options.
  • Improve iPad Support: Add support for landscape mode on iPads.
  • Address Syncing Issues: Fix problems with calendar syncing and ensure color-coding is properly transferred.

Low Priority:

  • Implement Offline Access: Allow access to lists and calendars without an internet connection.
  • Integrate with Apple Reminders: Integrate with Apple Reminders to sync tasks and reminders.
  • Add Ability to Pause Events: Implement a feature to temporarily pause recurring events.
  • Implement Search Functionality: Add a search feature to quickly find specific events in the calendar.

7. Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • Smart Home Integration: Integrate Skylight with other smart home devices (e.g., Google Home, Amazon Echo) to allow voice control and reminders.
  • Advanced Meal Planning: Develop a more robust meal planning feature with recipe import, nutritional information, and integration with grocery delivery services.
  • Family Budgeting Tool: Add a budgeting tool to track family expenses and manage finances.
  • AI-Powered Photo Curation: Use AI to automatically curate and organize photos on the frame, highlighting the best moments and removing duplicates.
  • Customizable Display Themes: Allow users to customize the look and feel of the calendar and photo display with different themes and layouts.
  • Enhanced Chore Management: Create a more gamified chore management system with rewards, progress tracking, and parental controls.

8. Trends and Observations

  • Recent Updates Impact: Several reviews mention that recent updates have negatively impacted the app's usability, particularly the list feature. This suggests that recent changes need to be re-evaluated and potentially rolled back.
  • Subscription Fatigue: A growing number of users are expressing frustration with the subscription model and the increasing push to pay for features that were previously included.
  • Desire for Simplicity: While some users request advanced features, many value the app's simplicity and ease of use. Any new features should be implemented in a way that doesn't compromise the app's user-friendliness.
  • Family Focus: The app is primarily used by families to stay connected and organized. New features and improvements should focus on enhancing this family-oriented experience.

9. Conclusion

The Skylight App is a valuable tool for families, offering a simple and effective way to share photos, manage calendars, and stay organized. However, app stability issues, subscription limitations, and a lack of key features are detracting from the user experience. By addressing these pain points and prioritizing user-requested features, Skylight can significantly improve user satisfaction and strengthen its position in the market. It is recommended that Skylight focus on improving app performance and re-evaluating its subscription model to better align with user expectations.

10. Original App Link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/skylight-app/id1438779037?uo=2