Customer Reviews (500)

Sparkies friend • 2025-03-18T05:46:25-07:00

Enjoy the articles that express the facts at the time of the article. If there is a change or correction in information, they make it promptly.

Susie in Pompano Beach • 2025-03-15T16:45:50-07:00

I just sent the link of President Trump invoking the 1798 law to my unwavering Democratic friends. Keep reporting the truth and facts as you have always done. Common sense prevails!!!

Mike724V • 2025-02-26T11:57:57-07:00

No matter what article that I wanted to read it always came up that they want money for a subscription… Every single article was that way… what’s the point of having a news app if you can’t read the news and they want to charge you for it… I heard a great many things about Epoch times,But unfortunately, you have to give the money to receive their point of view of the news….. I’m deleting the app from my phone shame on you Epoch Times, you greedy bas…ds

Summary of Key Insights

The Epoch Times app receives mixed reviews, with a polarized distribution of ratings. While many users praise the app for its unbiased reporting, in-depth coverage, and truthfulness, a significant portion express frustration with technical issues, subscription-related problems, excessive advertisements, and user interface concerns. The overall sentiment is cautiously positive, but the app suffers from usability and technical challenges that detract from the user experience, especially for paid subscribers. The app is seen as a valuable source of news not found elsewhere, but its value is diminished by persistent technical and subscription-related issues.

Key Strengths:

  • Truthful and Unbiased Reporting: Many users appreciate the app for providing news and information that is perceived as factual, unbiased, and not readily available in mainstream media.
  • In-depth Coverage: Users value the detailed analysis and comprehensive coverage of various topics, including US politics, China, world events, arts, and culture.
  • Unique Content: The app offers access to exclusive original series, commentaries, and documentaries.

Key Weaknesses:

  • Subscription Issues: A recurring theme is the frustration with subscription management, including difficulties logging in, constant prompts to subscribe despite having a paid subscription, and problems with automatic renewals.
  • Technical Issues: Users report a range of technical problems, including app crashes, freezing, dark mode malfunctions, video playback issues, and broken links.
  • Excessive Advertisements: Many paid subscribers complain about the high volume of advertisements, which they find intrusive and disruptive.
  • User Interface (UI) and Navigation: Some users find the app difficult to navigate and express dissatisfaction with recent UI changes.

Overall Sentiment and Quantitative Metrics:

  • Overall Rating (Implied): ~4.0 stars (based on distribution)
  • Score Distribution:
    • 5-star: 61.8% (309/500)
    • 4-star: 5.2% (26/500)
    • 3-star: 2.8% (14/500)
    • 2-star: 4.8% (24/500)
    • 1-star: 25.4% (127/500)

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 500 reviews
  • Time Frame: Reviews appear to span from December 2023 to December 2024, with a higher concentration of reviews in late 2024.
  • Analysis Methods:
    • Sentiment Analysis: Manual assessment of review sentiment (positive, negative, neutral).
    • Keyword Extraction: Identification of frequently mentioned keywords and phrases related to user experience, features, and issues.
    • Topic Modeling: Grouping reviews based on common themes and topics.

Key User Pain Points

  • Subscription and Login Issues: Many users, even paid subscribers, encounter constant prompts to subscribe, login problems, and difficulties accessing content. Impact: Extremely frustrating, preventing access to paid content, leading to subscription cancellations.
  • Excessive Advertisements: Paid subscribers find the number of ads unacceptable and disruptive. Impact: Diminishes the value of the subscription, creates a poor user experience.
  • Technical Glitches: App crashes, freezing, video playback issues, dark mode malfunctions, and broken links are frequently reported. Impact: Impairs usability, leads to frustration, discourages app usage.
  • Poor Navigation and UI: Users find the app difficult to navigate, especially after recent UI changes. Impact: Makes it harder to find content, reduces overall usability.
  • Email and Notification Issues: Users report being unable to unsubscribe from emails and receiving excessive notifications. Impact: Annoying, diminishes trust in the app.
  • Content Access Problems: Being unable to access articles from email links. Impact: Frustrates users trying to read specific content.

Frequently Requested Features

  • Improved Audio Playback: Users want audio playback for all articles, including premium content, and the ability to listen to articles one after another.
  • Widget: A widget for at-a-glance news and breaking news stories.
  • Offline Mode Improvements: More reliable offline access to saved articles and videos.
  • Easier Subscription Management: Streamlined process for updating payment information and canceling subscriptions.
  • Better Search Functionality: A search bar to easily find specific articles and topics.
  • Cast/AirPlay functionality: Easier casting to TV.
  • Progress Bar: A progress bar for articles to see how much is left.
  • Ability to view watched video history: Easier to pick up where they left off.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • Truthful and Unbiased Reporting: Perceived as a reliable source of factual news.
  • In-depth Coverage: Comprehensive analysis and detailed reporting on various topics.
  • Exclusive Content: Access to original series, commentaries, and documentaries.
  • Health Section: Appreciated for its unique and informative health articles.
  • Balanced Viewpoints: Provides a counterpoint to mainstream media narratives.
  • Audio Functionality: The text-to-audio feature is valued by many users.
  • Straightforward Intelligent Information: Users appreciate the integrity and high quality of writing these journalist provide.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

High Priority:

  • Fix Subscription and Login Issues: Investigate and resolve the root causes of login problems and subscription access issues. Ensure that paid subscribers can seamlessly access all content without being repeatedly prompted to subscribe.
  • Reduce Advertisements for Paid Subscribers: Significantly decrease the number of ads displayed to paying subscribers.
  • Address Technical Glitches: Prioritize fixing app crashes, freezing, video playback problems, and dark mode malfunctions.
  • Improve Navigation and UI: Redesign the UI to be more intuitive and user-friendly. Solicit user feedback on UI changes before implementation.
  • Fix Email Unsubscribe Issue: Ensure that users can successfully unsubscribe from email lists.

Medium Priority:

  • Enhance Audio Playback: Implement audio playback for all articles, including premium content, and allow for continuous playback.
  • Develop a Widget: Create a widget for at-a-glance news and breaking news stories.
  • Improve Offline Mode: Ensure reliable offline access to saved content.
  • Streamline Subscription Management: Simplify the process for managing subscriptions and updating payment information.
  • Address Email Link Issues: Ensure email links correctly redirect users to articles within the app.

Low Priority:

  • Add a Progress Bar: Implement a progress bar for articles.
  • Add a watched video history.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • Subscription Management Tool: A third-party app that helps users manage and cancel subscriptions across various platforms, addressing the difficulty some users face in canceling Epoch Times subscriptions.
  • News Aggregator with Bias Detection: A news aggregator that automatically detects and flags potential bias in news articles, allowing users to compare different perspectives.
  • Enhanced Audio Playback for News Articles: A service that provides high-quality audio narration for news articles, with features like continuous playback and customizable playback speed.

Trends and Observations

  • Polarization of Views: Reviews often reflect strong opinions about the publication's political leaning.
  • Recurring Technical Issues: The same technical problems are mentioned repeatedly over time, suggesting that these issues have not been adequately addressed.
  • Impact of UI Changes: Recent UI updates have generated negative feedback from some users.

Conclusion

The Epoch Times app has the potential to be a leading news source, but it is currently held back by technical issues, subscription-related problems, and excessive advertisements. Addressing these pain points should be the top priority. By improving usability, resolving technical glitches, and enhancing the subscription experience, The Epoch Times can significantly improve user satisfaction and attract a wider audience.

Overall Recommendation: Focus on improving the core user experience by addressing technical issues and subscription-related problems.

Original App Link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/epoch-times-live-breaking/id670443321?uo=2