Customer Reviews (100)

Andy Stegner • 2025-03-27T00:53:51.558Z

for once an appnthat just does exactly what it is supposed to do. good UI and custom settings as well

Ken Smith • 2025-03-26T23:49:56.624Z

The Atlantic has great content. Always something worth reading.

David Alpert • 2025-03-26T21:07:08.863Z

So far it seems to be working well. I'm still exploring it.

Summary of Key Insights

The Atlantic app generally receives positive feedback regarding the quality of its journalism and content. Users appreciate the in-depth reporting, diverse topics, and the availability of audio versions of articles. However, the app suffers from significant technical issues, particularly related to notifications, login problems (especially with Google SSO), and bugs that disrupt the reading experience. The high number of 1-star reviews highlights the severity of these problems. While content is a major strength, app stability and functionality are major weaknesses. The overall sentiment is mixed due to the contrast between the quality of the content and the app's performance. The score distribution indicates a strong positive bias (56% 5-star reviews), but the significant number of 1 and 2-star reviews (29%) suggests a substantial portion of users are very dissatisfied with the app's performance.

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 100 reviews
  • Time Frame: Not specified, but assumed to be recent based on the app version (2.5.4) and the content of the reviews.
  • Analysis Methods: Sentiment analysis (qualitative assessment of positive, negative, and neutral opinions), keyword extraction (identifying frequently mentioned issues and features), and frequency analysis (quantifying the prevalence of specific complaints and requests).

Key User Pain Points

  • Notification Issues: The most frequently reported problem is that tapping on a notification does not open the corresponding article. Instead, it opens the app to the last read article, the home screen, or a completely different article. This makes it difficult to access content promoted through notifications.
  • Login Problems: Many users, especially those who subscribed via Google SSO, experience issues logging into the app. Some are repeatedly redirected to the pay screen despite being subscribers.
  • App Stability and Bugs: Users report crashes, flickering screens, and the app losing their place in articles (especially audio). The app is described as "buggy" and "glitchy".
  • Ads for Paid Subscribers: Some paid subscribers complain about the presence of ads, which is unexpected and negatively impacts their experience.
  • Automatic Downloading of Saved Articles: A recent update forces automatic downloading of saved articles, which some users find undesirable and intrusive.
  • Audio Playback Issues: Some users experience issues with audio playback stopping after the initial commercial or when the screen is turned off.

Frequently Requested Features

  • Gifting Articles from App: Users want the ability to gift articles directly from the app, as this feature is currently only available on the website.
  • Google SSO Support: Users who subscribe via Google SSO on the website want to be able to log in to the app using the same method.
  • Dark Mode for Crosswords: Users who play the crossword puzzles at night request a dark mode to reduce eye strain.
  • Improved Offline Reading Experience: Users want a more reliable offline reading experience.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • High-Quality Journalism: Users consistently praise the quality of The Atlantic's journalism, describing it as "in-depth," "informative," "unbiased," and "thought-provoking."
  • Diverse Topics: Users appreciate the wide range of topics covered by The Atlantic.
  • Audio Versions of Articles: The availability of narrated articles is a popular feature.
  • Comprehensive and Interesting Stories: Users find the stories comprehensive and interesting.
  • Good UI (for some): Some users find the UI to be well-designed and easy to use, although this is not a universal sentiment.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

High Priority:

  • Fix Notification Issues: This is the most frequently reported problem and significantly impacts user engagement. Ensure that tapping on a notification reliably opens the corresponding article.
  • Address Login Problems (Especially Google SSO): Resolve login issues, particularly for users who subscribed via Google SSO. Implement Google SSO support within the app.
  • Improve App Stability and Fix Bugs: Address crashes, flickering screens, and other bugs that disrupt the reading experience. Conduct thorough testing before releasing new versions.

Medium Priority:

  • Remove Ads for Paid Subscribers: Eliminate ads for paid subscribers to provide a better user experience.
  • Provide Option to Disable Automatic Downloading: Give users the option to disable the automatic downloading of saved articles.
  • Improve Audio Playback Reliability: Fix issues with audio playback stopping unexpectedly. Ensure audio continues to play when the screen is turned off.
  • Implement Article Gifting from App: Add the ability to gift articles directly from the app.

Low Priority:

  • Add Dark Mode for Crosswords: Implement a dark mode for the crossword puzzles.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • News Aggregation with Enhanced Notification Management: A news aggregation app that intelligently manages notifications, ensuring they always lead to the correct article and providing customizable notification settings.
  • Subscription Management Platform with SSO Integration: A platform that simplifies subscription management across various services, with seamless SSO integration (including Google SSO) and centralized login management.

Trends and Observations

  • Content vs. Technical Issues Dichotomy: There is a clear divide between users who love the content and those who are frustrated by the app's technical issues.
  • Android-Specific Problems: Some issues, such as notification problems, seem to be more prevalent on Android devices.
  • Negative Impact of Updates: Some updates, like the automatic downloading feature, have been negatively received. This highlights the importance of carefully considering user feedback before implementing changes.

Conclusion

The Atlantic app has a strong foundation in its high-quality journalism, but its potential is undermined by significant technical issues. Addressing the prioritized action recommendations, particularly fixing notification and login problems, will significantly improve the user experience and increase user satisfaction. The focus should be on stabilizing the app and providing a seamless and reliable reading experience. Failure to address these issues will likely lead to continued user churn and negative reviews, despite the quality of the content.

Original App Link

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.theatlantic.newsstand