Why does it take so long to get in?
Positives: lots of audiobooks, easy to navigate and use
Negatives: it takes minutes to get into the app - minutes are a surprisingly long time when you are waiting for something to happen. Sometimes it freezes while opening and you have to start the entire process over! It says it downloads the books, but you cannot use it if you don’t have access to the internet. As someone who likes to listen while driving and flying, that was a disappointing realization when the books I downloaded couldn’t be accessed on a long flight.
I also would like to know how much I have listened to and how much is left without having to do a bunch of math by adding all the remaining chapters up.
I appreciate the access to books, but I feel like the library’s money could be better spent on an app that works better. If they could fix the login issue (which isn’t new based on other reviews), I would have probably given it a much more favorable review.
Negatives: it takes minutes to get into the app - minutes are a surprisingly long time when you are waiting for something to happen. Sometimes it freezes while opening and you have to start the entire process over! It says it downloads the books, but you cannot use it if you don’t have access to the internet. As someone who likes to listen while driving and flying, that was a disappointing realization when the books I downloaded couldn’t be accessed on a long flight.
I also would like to know how much I have listened to and how much is left without having to do a bunch of math by adding all the remaining chapters up.
I appreciate the access to books, but I feel like the library’s money could be better spent on an app that works better. If they could fix the login issue (which isn’t new based on other reviews), I would have probably given it a much more favorable review.
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Beware - this app causes bald spots due to pulling out hair
This app is so frustrating! It stops playing for no apparent reason, and I can’t get it to play again without first closing the app and reopening it. Unfortunately, half the time it starts the book all over again, and I have no idea where I was, so I have to spend time slowly advancing the book to the point where I think I was. If I pause the book with my earbuds, it’s a toss up whether it will start to play again using my earbuds. If it doesn’t start playing again, I have to pull out my phone, open the app, hit the rewind button and then play. That usually works but not always. If not, I do the whole “close the app and reopen” while praying that it doesn’t start the book over again. Another problem with this app is that sometimes I’ll get a book to download, but each time I start to listen to it, it downloads again, over and over. Also, this app is incredibly slow to open. It will open to the profile page so I will tap on my profile, but nothing happens. I have seriously waited close to a minute to be taken to the books under my profile. Bring back Axis360. It had issues but nothing like this one.
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Big selection of books but just so so delivery
If you are planning on reading on an airplane, you’d better have Kindle or Libby because even though you have downloaded a book, and it is in your downloads, Boundless will give you the message that you cannot read it because you do not have Internet. If you were listening to an audiobook, while walking, the slightest bump or jostle will immediately send the book to the next chapter. Finally, every single time you open the app you have to tell it who you are, and then you have to put your book. Axis 360 would immediately, open to whatever you were reading at whatever page you were at. Really it was a much better app, and. Baker and Taylor did no favor to its readers by replacing it with Boundless. in the three years since it launch, they have fixed nothing. It has all the same flaws as when it was first launched.
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Response from developer
Thank you for your feedback. We'll be adding the ability to opt out of the Profiles page. We are also working to address the audio frustrations you mention in upcoming releases. Thank you again for your feedback. Continue to check for updates as we want to make sure we continue to improve your experience using Boundless. If we can assist further, please reach out to us at boundlessfeedback@baker-taylor.com. We want to improve your experience and your rating.
So frustrating!
I’m an avid audiobook listener and have used several different apps. This one is by far the most frustrating to use. 1. It freezes for a solid 30 seconds each and every time I open the app to use it. Grrrr! 2. Having to choose a profile every time I open the app is annoying. Who shares their app with someone else and why would they need multiple profiles??!?! I want the app to open to my profile every time WITHOUT the added clicks to get there. 3. Too many clicks required to do basic tasks. For example, if I click ‘continue’ on a book that I have previously been listening to, I then also have to click ‘play’. Why??!? That should easily be ONE click, not two. Another example, if I open my ‘holds’ or ‘wishlist’ folders, I can’t then click into a particular book profile and then hit ‘checkout’, you can only check out the book from the main hold or wishlist page. Stupid design! Besides the app freezing every time it is opened, there are far too many steps required to accomplish simple tasks. I really dislike this app immensely!
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Wonderful and Definitely Under-Rated
This app has a lot of hate reviews, and honestly, I don’t get it. Does it freeze? Yes. Is it slightly aggravating? Yes. Do I still not get why there are profiles? Yes. But does it have tons of books, for a way shorter wait than apps like Libby? YES. I love Libby, but having this app? Suddenly, I have so many books at my fingertips! My favorite part about it is that you can download the books to read offline. So helpful on road trips and in places with bad service/internet. My main issue is the freezes. I am waiting to open my library screen? Freeze! Waiting for my profile to load? Freeze! (I’m feeling kind of like a book obsessed penguin, guys.)
I also do not like the way the margined of the page are so big, but I can deal with it.
But overall, the app is wonderful, easy to use, and just a great addition to your app library
on your phone! (I can’t believe more people don’t use this app!)
I also do not like the way the margined of the page are so big, but I can deal with it.
But overall, the app is wonderful, easy to use, and just a great addition to your app library
on your phone! (I can’t believe more people don’t use this app!)
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Awful user interface
This is so clunky to use, the audiobook controls are ridiculous. The 30 second fast forward and rewind only work while in the app, and only within the chapter. If you want to go back to hear something at the end of the previous chapter, the 30 second control doesn’t work. You have to go to the beginning of the previous chapter and fast forward to the end. If you hit rewind on your lock screen, it goes back a full chapter. So if you miss something you have to open the app to rewind. Even of the book is downloaded, the book has to load every time you open the app and then you can press play. And what’s with the profiles? It’s just one more step in an already clunky app. I only use it when a book has a really long wait on the 2 other apps I use, the wait is usually much shorter on Boundless.
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Response from developer
Thank you for the feedback, and we're sorry to hear of your frustration with Boundless. We totally agree that the audio player has many shortcomings. We're in the middle of developing a new player with a new User Interface. This includes the 30 sec options on the locked screen. We have also developed the option to set a default profile so you don't have to select a profile each time. This is currently being tested and we hope to have a release out that includes this feature soon. If you have additional comments or need assistance, please reach out to us at boundlessfeedback@baker-taylor.com
Unbearably slow, constantly freezing
Update: yesterday this app logged me out. I tried to re-enter my library info, but the app would not bring up the keyboard to type it in. Finally I used a web browser to log back in so I could bypass that page in the app. So frustrating! Just now I tried to open the app and it froze on the first screen NINE TIMES. Nine times of closing the app, reopening, it freezing, and repeating. Boundless. I am begging you. FIX THIS APP. How is it possible to be this bad for years, to rebuild and rebrand, and still be THIS BAD?! And libraries: for the love of reading, use ANYTHING before wasting my tax dollars for a subscription to this worthless app. ***** I cannot stand this app, but it’s what my library uses. It is unbearably slow to load. Half the time when I try to open it, the app freezes and I have to close it and try again. It’s ridiculous that there are three pages that have to (slowly) load just to get to my books. Just put my current checkouts on the first page! Audible and Hoopla are leaps and bounds better than Boundless (pun intended). ****Update: no, removing and reloading the download did nothing. The issues continue no matter what I have checked out: freezing, crashing, taking forever to load.
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Response from developer
Thank you for your feedback! We are sorry to hear that you are experiencing audio issues. Can you try removing the downloaded audio title and downloading again. If you go to "My Shelf" - "Checkouts" - then tap on the three dots beside Listen you will see "Remove (delete download)". Re-download the title and please let us know if this helped by updating your review. You can also reach out to us boundlessfeedback@baker-taylor.com with this feedback.
I thought buggy apps were left in the 2010s
Update: my prayers have been answered and the latest update has fixed a lot of my outstanding issues. Thank you all so much. The app still crashes/times out but significantly less. Thank you for your hard work! I promise; you didn’t find a time wormhole when you downloaded this app. No you don’t have an iPod touch, this isn’t 2016, Obama is not still president, this app is just bad. I can barely log in sometimes, it freezes for upwards of 15 seconds to log into a profile (why do I need a profile? It’s my phone it’s my library), it will throw up random “loading screens” that don’t seem to have anything with what you’re trying to do. Truly the app works better if you fully disconnect it from the internet/cell service once you’ve downloaded your content. Which is pretty frustrating. Because that’s not how it should work. I regularly open the App Store praying there’s a release fixing everything but my hopes have consistently been dashed. I can appreciate that this is hard, and there’s a lot of content, and also that this is free app. This is a service I enormously love and adore and I want the best for it, which is the reason for my passion. I joke sometimes about quitting my job to join this company and help to fix these bugs but I’m sure they wouldn’t want my help after this review. But please please please try to address some of these concerns. I’m literally praying for yall.
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“Search” and “filter results” need improvement
Update from 2 to 3 stars. I read the Help guide for browsing and the instructions/diagrams were not accurate for Mobile devices. After snooping around I found where I could select language and categories. I have downloaded my first audio and hoping all goes well. Fingers crossed.
I downloaded this a.m. Unless I’m overlooking, there is no way to filter search results to a specific language or drill down into a specific genre. Once you search, it seems to be a “one and done” and parameters must be re-entered each time. I wish i knew several languages, but alas I do not. So to comb through books with titles I am unable to read is a waste of time. Hope this app improves. Until then, I will choose to use Libby for the majority of my reading/listening needs.
I downloaded this a.m. Unless I’m overlooking, there is no way to filter search results to a specific language or drill down into a specific genre. Once you search, it seems to be a “one and done” and parameters must be re-entered each time. I wish i knew several languages, but alas I do not. So to comb through books with titles I am unable to read is a waste of time. Hope this app improves. Until then, I will choose to use Libby for the majority of my reading/listening needs.
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I thought buggy apps were left in the 2010s
I promise; you didn’t find a time wormhole when you downloaded this app. No you don’t have an iPod touch, this isn’t 2016, Obama is not still president, this app is just bad. I can barely log in sometimes, it freezes for upwards of 15 seconds to log into a profile (why do I need a profile? It’s my phone it’s my library), it will throw up random “loading screens” that don’t seem to have anything with what you’re trying to do. Truly the app works better if you fully disconnect it from the internet/cell service once you’ve downloaded your content. Which is pretty frustrating. Because that’s not how it should work. I regularly open the App Store praying there’s a release fixing everything but my hopes have consistently been dashed. I can appreciate that this is hard, and there’s a lot of content, and also that this is free app. This is a service I enormously love and adore and I want the best for it, which is the reason for my passion. I joke sometimes about quitting my job to join this company and help to fix these bugs but I’m sure they wouldn’t want my help after this review. But please please please try to address some of these concerns. I’m literally praying for yall.
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