Customer Reviews (500)

Simz7g • 2025-03-27T12:12:31-07:00

Video freezes when I try to start in the middle on iOS

Elofai • 2025-03-25T07:13:52-07:00

…the professional alternative to YouTube. Now their customer service is rude—probably overworked. It trickles down from the top.

Somethingwickedthiswaycomes • 2025-03-23T23:06:21-07:00

This app has problems casting to my roku/apple tv though other apps do it fine.

Summary of Key Insights

The Vimeo app receives mixed reviews, with a considerable number of users experiencing technical issues, particularly with search functionality, video playback, uploading, and account management (especially regarding subscriptions and cancellations). While many users praise the app's ease of use, high video quality, and value as a platform for creators, the reported bugs and customer service issues significantly detract from the overall experience. The removal of Apple TV support is a major point of contention for some users. Sentiment is polarized, with a large number of 5-star reviews counterbalanced by a significant number of 1-star reviews. The overall rating suffers from the negative experiences related to technical malfunctions and billing problems.

  • Strengths: Ease of use for some, high video quality, useful for creators, ad-free experience.
  • Weaknesses: Frequent technical issues (search, playback, uploading), poor customer service, subscription/cancellation problems, removal of Apple TV support, app crashes, UI/UX issues.
  • Overall Sentiment: Mixed, with a strong positive contingent balanced by highly negative experiences.
  • Quantitative Metrics:
    • Overall Rating: Based on the provided score distribution, the average rating is pulled down by the number of 1 and 2-star reviews.
    • Score Distribution: 5-star: 65.4%, 4-star: 7.8%, 3-star: 5.6%, 2-star: 4.2%, 1-star: 17%

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 500 reviews
  • Time Frame: Not explicitly specified, but assumed to be recent based on the version number and review content.
  • Analysis Methods:
    • Sentiment Analysis: Manual assessment of the sentiment expressed in each review.
    • Keyword Extraction: Identification of frequently occurring keywords and phrases related to user issues, feature requests, and positive aspects.
    • Topic Modeling: Grouping reviews based on common themes to identify key pain points and areas for improvement.

Key User Pain Points

  • Search Functionality Issues: Many users report that the search function is broken, returning no results or "Failed to load" errors. This prevents users from finding content.
  • Playback Problems: Frequent freezing, crashing, and playback errors are reported, making the app unreliable for watching videos. Some users reported problems casting to Roku/Apple TV.
  • Uploading Issues: Users encounter problems with video uploads freezing or failing, sometimes even after paying for a premium subscription. The app can also be extremely slow.
  • Subscription and Cancellation Problems: Difficulty cancelling subscriptions and unauthorized charges are recurring themes, indicating potential issues with the billing system and cancellation process. Users report being charged even after cancelling free trials and difficulty getting refunds.
  • Poor Customer Service: Many users express frustration with the lack of responsiveness and unhelpful support from Vimeo's customer service team.
  • Loss of Apple TV Support: The removal of the Apple TV app is a significant disappointment for users who rely on it for viewing content on their TVs.
  • App Crashes: The app crashes frequently, disrupting the user experience.
  • UI/UX Issues: Some users find the app's interface clunky, unintuitive, and difficult to navigate. Navigation to specific content or channels can be cumbersome. The filters/sorting function is poorly thought out.
  • Video Editing Issues: Some users are experiencing issues editing videos.
  • Videos Deleted: Some users had videos deleted without warning.
  • Spatial Video Issues: Some users are having issues uploading spatial videos.
  • Login Issues: Some users are having issues logging in.
  • Default Subtitles: Some users do not like that the default setting is to play videos with subtitles.
  • Quality Issues: Some users feel that the media player on the app looks horrendous compared to the websites player.

Frequently Requested Features

  • Improved Search Functionality: A functional and reliable search feature is essential for users to find content.
  • Apple TV App Support: Restore or maintain support for the Apple TV app.
  • 180 Stereo Support for Vision Pro: Users need 180 stereo support for Vision Pro in order to upload their immersive content.
  • Better Playback Controls: Users want better playback controls.
  • More Content: Users want more VR content with higher resolution.
  • Watched History: Users want watched history on mobile.
  • Blacklist Option: Users want a blacklist option to block spam accounts.
  • Verification System: Users want a verification system for those who want to upload videos.
  • More Shows with Full Episodes: Users want more shows with full episodes.
  • Ability to Use Apple Gift Cards: Users want the ability to use Apple gift cards to purchase movies.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • High Video Quality: Users consistently praise the high video quality of videos on Vimeo.
  • Ad-Free Playback: The ad-free viewing experience is a major selling point.
  • Ease of Use (for some): Some users find the app easy to use for uploading, sharing, and watching videos.
  • Good for Creators: Many creators appreciate Vimeo as a platform for showcasing their work.
  • Offline Viewing: The ability to download videos for offline viewing is a valued feature.
  • Spatial Video Support: The app has full spatial video support and immersive 360 video support.
  • Easy to Upload and Share Privately: Users like how easy it is to upload and share things privately.
  • AI-Powered Video Tools: Users like the AI-powered video tools.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

High Priority:

  • Fix Search Functionality: Address the broken search function immediately to allow users to find content.
  • Resolve Playback Issues: Investigate and fix the frequent playback errors, freezing, and crashing issues.
  • Improve Subscription/Cancellation Process: Streamline the subscription cancellation process and address unauthorized charges.
  • Improve Customer Service: Provide better training for customer service representatives and improve response times.
  • Address Uploading Issues: Address the issues with uploading videos.
  • Fix App Crashes: Fix the app crashes.

Medium Priority:

  • Restore Apple TV App Support (if feasible): Reconsider the decision to remove Apple TV support, or provide a viable alternative.
  • Improve UI/UX: Redesign the app's interface to make it more intuitive and user-friendly.
  • Fix Video Editing Issues: Fix the video editing issues.
  • Address Spatial Video Issues: Address the issues with uploading spatial videos.
  • Address Login Issues: Address the issues with logging in.

Low Priority:

  • Offer More Content: Add more VR content with higher resolution.
  • Watched History: Add watched history on mobile.
  • Blacklist Option: Add a blacklist option to block spam accounts.
  • Verification System: Add a verification system for those who want to upload videos.
  • More Shows with Full Episodes: Add more shows with full episodes.
  • Ability to Use Apple Gift Cards: Add the ability to use Apple gift cards to purchase movies.
  • Remove Default Subtitles: Give users the option to remove default subtitles.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • Simplified Video Hosting Platform: A video hosting platform that prioritizes ease of use and reliable functionality, specifically targeting users who are frustrated with Vimeo's technical issues and complex interface.
  • Customer Service Enhancement Tool: A tool that helps companies provide more responsive and effective customer service, addressing the common complaint of poor customer support.
  • Subscription Management Service: A service that helps users manage and cancel subscriptions across multiple platforms, preventing unauthorized charges and simplifying the cancellation process.

Trends and Observations

  • Recurring Technical Issues: The same technical issues (search, playback, uploading) are mentioned repeatedly across many reviews, suggesting that these are persistent problems that need to be addressed urgently.
  • Customer Service Dissatisfaction: Negative feedback about customer service is a consistent theme, indicating a need for improvement in this area.
  • Impact of Apple TV Removal: The decision to remove Apple TV support has alienated some users, highlighting the importance of considering the impact of such decisions on existing users.
  • Desire for More Content: Users are constantly asking for more content.

Conclusion

The Vimeo app has the potential to be a leading video platform, but it is currently being held back by technical issues, poor customer service, and controversial decisions like the removal of Apple TV support. Addressing the prioritized action recommendations, particularly fixing the search functionality, resolving playback issues, and improving the subscription/cancellation process, is crucial for improving the user experience and retaining users. By focusing on reliability, ease of use, and customer satisfaction, Vimeo can solidify its position as a top choice for video creators and viewers alike.

Original App Link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vimeo/id425194759?uo=2