I find the new version of this App worse than the last and it doesn’t do some of the things (e.g., automatically download) that it is supposed to - or at least the automatic download is not evident in the settings menu). The new version is a pain to use - I used to be able to read the newspaper and simply swipe left to advance. No more! Now I have to shrink the page fully, to reveal the next button on the bottom right and touch that - this is cumbersome. The new App has also had trouble downloading and frozen once, requiring me to delete and reinstall- this never happens with the old app. Navigation between sections is slightly easier now though, but certainly not worth all the other irritating drawbacks. Too bad…..I route for the Globe!

5 years ago, Rich Mur.

An embarrassment

“Words can't describe just how bad this app is. Downloads get hung up so that one can be waiting days for issues that never show up. The Globe should be embarrassed that it's name is associated with this piece of junk. Don't buy it.” I wrote the above review several years ago and have been assured by the Globe that the app will be improved. Now, two years later, nothing has changed, and it’s still a pig. More often than not, the paper’s already slow down-load never finishes, and I say the hell with it, and never get to read the paper. How the Globe allows this to happen is incomprehensible. Ok, it’s September, 2018, two years after I wrote the above reviews. The new app is out, and I find it much improved. In fact, I’m now reading the Globe again. The only downside is a somewhat inconsistent page turning when I swipe left, but that may be my technique. It took a while but the Globe May have mended its ways.

5 years ago, Meleetyme

Design decisions make this app lag behind other papers

I get that some people like this faux paper layout of this app but really it is cumbersome for most users and lags in comparison to the NYT, WSJ and the WashPo. Having to decide whether to download an edition or not as the first pop up when coming to the app is annoying and wastes time. Clicking into a story causes it to go in a non mobile friendly layout where the pictures do not flow well with the story. It is also difficult to scroll from story to story, rather one has to flip through each page of the paper like it is a physical paper. I am going to go out on a limb and guess that most mobile readers do not need to replicate the flow of a physical paper in order to appreciate the stories. I am going to unsubscribe to the Globe because I primarily read my news on mobile and the experience is just disappointing and frustrating. Please modernize this app and ditch the physical paper replication.

1 year ago, Phoibos

Not a joy to use

It is nice to be able to browse a full replica edition as a digital subscriber. The app is allowing that, but continues to be buggy. On the iPad Pro, it will not show the images of current and older issues, only blanks. After opening, it will frequently show a previous issue as current, requiring a pull-down refresh. In article view, the order of articles isn’t obvious so you have to constantly move back and forth between page view and article view to find what you’re looking for. In the comics, the image quality is frequently really bad so that enlarging the page only leads to a pixelated view that’s not helpful to my decreasing eyesight. Page navigation is difficult as you have to first have to reduce page size to a minimum before you can swipe to the next page. Alternatively, tap on a blank spot to bring up the navigation menu, and move to the next page from there. If you accidentally tap in the wrong space, you’ll end up in article view instead. And to add insult to injury, when you send a help request via the built in support email function, it is undeliverable. Some TLC for this app would be welcome

2 years ago, CentralMA

Latest Update A Fail

The positive is that the format of the Globe’s e-paper remains. It’s the one reason we subscribe. And it took a few years for the Globe to provide a stable, easy to use and read digital version on an iPad. And they RUIN it with the latest update that adds ANNOYING pop up bars that you need to tap somewhere on your tablet to remove EXCEPT that tapping on an iPad brings up any article that you’re not remotely interested in…so you tap on the expanded article to get rid of that which brings back the stupid bars! ALL I WISH TO DO IS READ THE NEWSPAPER…I assume this update is a less expensive digital product for the Globe…well, if they lose customers because of it, may be better if they just bring back the former digital product.

1 month ago, Rhdcibhe

App continues to break down

The app continues to break down in new ways and when notified, the developer doesn’t even acknowledge it, let alone fix it. The most recent breakdowns are the the previews of the newspaper which normally appear on the home screen no longer appear and issues arrive with pages from 3 years ago. The navigation has always been horrible - I have to click in just the right place at the top of the screen to go back to the home page and if I click in the wrong place, I go back to Page 1 with no other option than to page through the entire paper to get back to where I was. This despite the very high subscription price. I am trying to be environmentally conscious and avoid getting and having to dispose of the paper version.

1 year ago, GRS in 508

Another step back

The Globe had finally gotten things right with their previous iteration of the app but the latest release is another step back. On the positive side, it has been available on time and I have had no problems downloading. But I have to close the app and reopen for the new issue to appear. Worst thing is the navigation. I get one chance to jump to a section using the bottom scroll bar - if I try and jump again, the app crashes. Even worse, when I restart the app I am in the same place as when it crashed, and I still can’t jump to another section without crashing, so I have to swipe through page-by-page. Please get this fixed!

1 year ago, Ydoodle43

Difficult to use

The look of the new version is improved but is still painful, although improved, to navigate. I do the crossword puzzle and this has gotten worse from the previous version, which was still crude. I now have to screenshot, crop, then go to photos. The previous version would sometimes let you save the puzzle to photos directly (but not always) but that doesn’t work at all now. Just opens a blank screen now and returns you to page one of the paper when you try to go back. Very frustrating. The Globe web based crossword app is awful. Wall Street Journal has a very good puzzle interface built in - if you are looking for a model.

1 year ago, Calisson

It is cumbersome and it crashes

The Boston Globe needs to get a new web development team. The new app is worse than the previous one; it’s more awkward to use and it crashes repeatedly. It does not download automatically, and then once it downloads it has to do "load" before you can actually read it. And then you have to get rid of all the page previews at the bottom, which, if you click on them, sometimes load that page and sometimes make the entire app crash. Fail.

1 year ago, doogald

New version is so much better

This app was recently updated and is so much better than before. Your place on a page is remembered when you swipe between pages, the app seems less sensitive to accidental taps (which can open the article in a new view), and that article view is easier to exit if you accidentally tap it. Navigation controls are also better than before. I would have rated the old version one to two stars. This is not perfect, but much, much better.

5 years ago, Skip512

Because I can't give it zero stars (update)

Update: New app is vastly improved. Thanks for listening, Mr. Henry. How do you delete previously read old editions? Btw - Alex Cora is a nice upgrade, too! Up at five no e-paper yet again. Writing this at 6:15 still no e-paper. Did the usual delete and reinstall of app - still no luck. Yesterday app crashed froze my iPad and caused me to do yet another delete and re-install to get paper. Oh, if only I could get the hours of my life back that I've spent messing with the worst app I have ever used. Please Mr. Henry, think about your customers and their experience!

5 years ago, kyzyl3

New version superb

The new app that appeared in mid-August 2018 is hugely improved. It's now the best newspaper app that I'm aware of. In the past the Globe had two big advantages: it looked on the screen the way it does on paper, and the whole edition downloaded once, so that it could be read offline. But navigating the pages was often a chore, especially on my slower 3rd generation iPad. Somehow all those problems have been fixed. Now it's a breeze, easier than paper.

5 years ago, 30 year long subscriber

August 2018 Digital globe

I thought the previous e paper addition was bad but I think August 2018 new improved so called e edition is totally horrible. Everything about it is bad especially for people like me who are visually challenged. Before at least one could read paper in large type. Now all you have really bad zoom capacity which is not only in adequate but with the slightest touch crashes. It is in grey type, the menu is unreadable in very smallwith no capacity to increase it. Is The Globelll trying to get rid of subscribers?I have subscribed to The Globe for 30 years and I'm now considering having to cancel my subscription which I have admired and values. Please fix this mess!

3 years ago, NPMGL

Annoying scrolling/swipe issues, touchy screen

Not a new issue but has always been a problem. I’ve had a subscription on and off for years. When I touch an article to open it up the problem begins. As I scroll/swipe through the article it suddenly jumps back to the top of the page, over and over. I’ve asked others if they have this problem and no one has said yes. I read on my iPhone and iPad and this happens on both devices. If there is a solution for this I would like to know. Thanks.

5 years ago, WFH1018

Waste of time

The recent update of the online version of the Globe is pathetic. It had made the downloading and reading the paper more complicated and time consuming than it was before. For the most expensive paper around they should have done a much better job than what they did. I downloaded the San Jose Mercury News in about 4 minutes this morning and the Globe took a couple of hours on the same internet. And even when it has been downloaded you still have to redownload each page to read it. I would and should have given a Zero or a negative rating it is so ridiculous.

1 year ago, Flycatcher71

New App is awful

Gone is the easy menu in the upper right hand corner, which has been replaced by an overly complicated bottom of the page menu bar that is really buggy. You can no longer easily navigate around the paper, you have to bring up the menu bar and select the section or article BUT if you leave the paper format and then try navigating back to the front page the app closes. The upper right menu was simple and effective this overly complicated lower menu tosses you out of the app. It was simple now it is annoying.

5 years ago, J dog 161616

Pls adjust spacing in top navigation

There’s all that room across the top, yet the icons are grouped together, making it far too easy to hit the wrong icon. Do that and this will be a real improvement over the last version. Though I will never understand why you don’t let readers jump from the front page to the inside page to follow a story. Instead who have to go to that one page UI. Following links seems a natural online viewing mode that you could mimic in this app.

4 years ago, Isambard40

Still a mess

Even after the many versions, the implementation is still a mess. Links that are supposed to give you a “pageview” so you can read the whole article instead of having to navigate the page jump frequently don’t work in a particular issue. And, all too frequently, the issue will simply not load and you have to keep trying hour after hour of the day to even get your newspaper.

3 years ago, Professor Kitten

Decent enough but article view is hard to read

The app is basically fine so far but the article view is hard to read on bigger screens. Can you add some margins or, even better, allow to customize text width? It would also be nice if the font size would be remembered so I don’t have to adjust it for every article. Perhaps both of those could be customizable in persistent settings?

1 year ago, Sammy01451

Not an upgrade at all

The new epaper app is a fail. It hangs up when loading and is difficult to navigate. I really prefer the epaper format as I can browse the articles as opposed to the typical electronic paper where you have to look for things. I have been waiting for two days to get a workable paper as the app crashes as soon as it opens. None of the controls or settings operate and the paper never arrives.

4 years ago, Gdlrjr

Too unstable

Great to read paper page by page, but when you open an article the window is completely unstable. Even touching the article can clear it. You can’t switch to another app and come back to read the rest. Why can’t the Globe find a developer who can make this concept work?

1 year ago, billpayinghurts

Horrible Update to Globe Epaper

Funny how the Boston Globe never publishes a news piece about its own problems—namely how poor its latest Epaper App works or actually doesn’t work. Crashes all the time and terrible UI for navigating. I will not go back to paper so I may just cancel my subscription if this App is allowed to exist in its current form for much longer. How little testing was conducted before it was released? It is shameful to expect readers to be the guinea pigs to field test poorly written and untested software.

2 years ago, JMT-1010

Ongoing Frustration

One would think that after the many, many poor customer reviews and the many, many negative feedback directed to the Globe by email and phone calls, that the powers that be would have taken the lead in making improvements to this app. Not having done so after all this time is proof they do not care what their customers have to say. Subscriptions to other newspapers offer their readers the ease one would expect. The Boston Globe simply doesn’t care.

5 years ago, Thunder 123456789

Thank you!

From a long time reader (moved to Boston in the 80's) - took a little while, but the latest app update addressed all the issues that I'd had complaints about - I'm back to enjoying the experience of "curling up with the paper" - thank you very much!

1 year ago, MHF NE

Will not work offline.

I travel a lot and the STUPID App will not let me read an already downloaded e-paper unless I have an internet connection. This is the only e-paper or e-magazine app that has this totally STUPID “feature”. The developers need to wake up and understand that many who travel and subscribe will want to read the paper offline when flying. Totally unacceptable. If you have this problem complain to customer support.

1 year ago, Frustrated in Newton

What a mess!

The new update was harder to use until, a couple of days later, it stopped working at all. It would not load and the screen froze. A note to tech support resulted in a request to “be patient” as they knew about the issue and were “working on it.” With newspapers in such peril it’s a shame they keep shooting themselves in the foot. I agree. What was wrong with the previous version? At least I could read the paper!

1 year ago, LexBill

New April 2022 Version Terrible

The new “improved “ Globe app is cumbersome to navigate. Now need to swipe down to find sections, then when you pick a section, sometimes responds , sometimes doesn’t. Then, try to get rid of the bottom section graphics so you can get a full screen - it’s not easy. Original version ( prior to April 2022) had a simple small me nu selector (several small bars) on upper right. It was easy tofind and use, but stayed out of the way. New version menu is way too graphics intensive. The app wasn’t broken,so big mistake with this “update” Also, new app buggy - crashes multiple times for no reason. Makes me want to go back to a paper newspaper. If you agree with me, let the Boston Globe know!

5 years ago, TheBeatlesToday

Great for Internet-free situations

Glitchy app for sure, but it’s great for my daily commute on the T - every morning, my phone has spotty internet access for about 15 minutes underground. This app enables me to download today’s paper ahead of time so I can read the Globe regardless of having an internet connection.

1 year ago, RestMcG

Is it time to give up?

We travel and so, the digital version has been great for keeping us connected. Until now. The new app won’t load at all today and it would crash out randomly so it seems like very unstable beta version and is unreliable. Not what we want from our digital newspaper subscription. Further, the new navigation is terrible - much preferred the upper right hand navigation to sections.

3 years ago, nomoclickbate

Why refresh downloaded edition?

After downloading an edition I’d like to be able to take my iPad elsewhere to read it off line. Before allowing me to read the paper The app insists on refreshing the already downloaded edition which it cannot do when off line. In this context What is the point of downloading? Why must it refresh a static edition?

1 year ago, Geophizz

Blocks paid users with paywall making the app unusable

This is a poor app that keeps getting worse with each update. I’m a paid subscriber (but not for much longer at this rate) and yet the app bombards me with non-dismissible ads saying “You’ve been selected for a special introductory new subscriber rate” with no way out except to click on Sign Up. If you try to log in it doesn’t recognize you as a subscriber.

1 year ago, Bellidan

What a mess

This latest version is the worst. Can no longer navigate quickly to a particular section because there’s no table of contents, you have to continuously hit the arrow buttons at the bottom of the screen and hope you somehow find what you’re looking for. Incredibly time-consuming and mind numbing. Clearly this was never tested with real people who actually read the paper. Badly done, John Henry!

1 year ago, MM, Boston

NOT an improvement

I am a huge fan of the Globe but this new app is significantly worse than the last version. I am a digital subscriber who loves to turn the pages, even when it’s only virtual. This app does not work well and I feel I’m wasting my money on my digital subscription when I can’t load the paper reliably each day or turn the pages without resizing each time. So sad.

4 years ago, SethCurry365

So close to being good, but virtually unusable

For literally every single app that has articles, including the normal Globe app, when you turn off your phone while reading an article, and then you go back to the article it saves your spot in the article so you don’t have to start over. While this may not seem like a big deal, it makes this app close to unusable and shouldn’t take too much effort to fix.

3 years ago, 11dmack11

Vocal reader

Please reinstall the vocal reader ability that previously was available on earlier versions of the app. Usually when apps evolve they tend to add to and improve and in this case I feel this was misstep leaving out a very useful function. In this day of multitasking and a faster paced society I found the function invaluable to be able to listen to articles as I was able to get other things accomplished.

2 years ago, Yugselas

More bugs than an ant hill

It took years to get a stable app. Now they do an upgrade and it’s a piece of crap again. I’ve written to the editor asking him to send me the hardcopy paper at their expense until they can get their app straightened out. Don’t they realize it so much easier to start getting other sources of news rather than have to fight with them all the time.

6 months ago, Fayster 62

Terrible newspaper app

Lifetime Globe reader and user of the app for many years. It’s unbelievable how it continues to be such a piece of crap! I’ve also used The NY Times, WSJ, WAPO and other newspaper apps….. the globe is by far the worst. I find it stunning that they do nothing to improve it. Yes i question why I continue to deal with it. All others are superior!! Please Globe spend some money to make basic improvements!

6 months ago, Heath hen

Very poor value

Considering how expensive the digital subscription is, this app is very poor: navigation is not intuitive, and often doesn’t work as designed. Downloading the paper NEVER works: what value is this feature if it fails to work when in airplane mode?! Very disappointing. Oh, and when I’ve contacted support to ask for help: zero reply. Sad.

1 year ago, careful-typist

What happened to my epaper?

With no announcement my Globe app was replaced with an app that just doesn’t work. Doesn’t download the paper. Doesn’t allow viewing past issues. Why is this an improvement? I pay a lot to support the Globe. I want to be able to read it!

2 months ago, Coramsfield

Impossible to read

Every time I touch the screeen the thing goes back to the original view,so moving around a page or enlarging text becomes impossible. A fairly small investment could improve this ap dramatically.

3 years ago, WeighingIn

Very poor and outdated

This app is an embarrassment. When you click on an article frequently the IMAGES DON’T COME WITH THE ARTICLE! References to interesting articles within the edition that are highlighted on the first page are “dead”, i.e. when you click on them, it doesn’t take you to the article! This can’t be that complicated or expensive in today’s high tech world.

1 year ago, bad Globe

Recent update

Bad enough we are not receiving our paper edition and are forced to read on iPad. New update is tedious. We simply want to read the paper in the same form it should be delivered. At least give us the option. Who knew it would be so cumbersome to start the morning with all this unnecessary set up.

1 year ago, Niojjj

Does not refresh for today’s paper!

This new version of the app is terrible. The app does not refresh to deliver today’s Globe! The previous version worked fine. It’s a waste of time trying to figure this out so as a reader of the Globe for over 50 years, do I need to go back to paper? Or cancel my subscription?

2 years ago, upset frustrated user

Change for the worse

Please change font back! Get rid of those borders that keep randomly appearing. I read on iPad placed in horizontal position. I read on iPad so I can pinch to enlarge text. These changes aren’t good.

5 years ago, SuperEdit

Worthless.

A complete redesign and now the thing doesn’t work at all. Says I’m in “offline mode”, even though all other apps can see the internet, then eventually gives up and suggests a restart. Which yields the same results. Jeeze. A couple of high school kids with a half-case of Jolt could probably rewrite this disaster overnight, but in the meantime I’m stuck.

1 year ago, KenGM

Horrible Update

Why? So many issues and glitches with this…it’s a complete embarrassment. Just read in Forbes how wealthy John Henry is. Perhaps he can spend some of that money on finding someone who can actually develop a usable app as this thing is an absolute joke. Please revert back until you can fix this. 😩

5 years ago, Nancy vna

Easier and a little better

I like the new format but may be hard to understand for some. I scroll thru the articles then open the one I am reading. An improvement.

1 year ago, BDA-MA

App won’t work

I have been a subscriber for years. I have put up with its idiosyncrasies and problems over the years. But now my app opens and will not load any content. It is not a login issue. It is not an account or internet issue. This is ridiculous. Time for money back!

1 year ago, mgesque

Complete failure

On 2 of my iPhones, the paper has refused to load the last 2 days. I get just a mostly blank screen. Completely useless. Also, where the old app let me skip directly to the end of the paper, there’s no such button anymore. Give me back the old app!

1 year ago, jfcarpenter

Doesn’t work at all

Used to work great. Now after latest upgrade it doesn’t work all. It just hangs after starting and never displays today’s front page. This is very annoying. Obviously this version was not tested very well before it was released.

Description

• The ePaper is a full replica edition including articles and pages as they appeared in print, including the Sunday Comics. • The ePaper is free for Boston Globe digital subscribers and many print subscribers. • Read stories in the Page view or Article view. • Share articles via email and social media. • Recent back issues are available for download from the archive by tapping or swiping "Archive". Subscriptions: • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Privacy Policy: https://www.bostonglobe.com/tools/help/privacy Terms and Conditions: https://www.bostonglobe.com/tools/help/terms-service

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