# Air Quality Reader — user reviews > 62 indexed App Store user reviews of Air Quality Reader by Bret Taylor, rated 3.90/5 from 146 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/air-quality-reader/id1535362123/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/air-quality-reader/id1535362123.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 95 · 4★ 6 · 3★ 7 · 2★ 5 · 1★ 33 ## What do users think of Air Quality Reader? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 👍 Simple and effective app - 🗺️ Map widget available - 💨 Real-time air quality data - 💙 Great public service app - ✨ Ad-free experience **Cons** - ❌ Data not updating - stale Data displayed - ⚠️ Dangerously misleading data - 📉 Sensors disappeared - ❓ Data accuracy issues - 📱 iOS specific limitations - 🪲 Bugs introduced by iOS updates **Commonly reported bugs** - App stopped updating air quality data - Data feed stopped working - Sensors not updating for months - Indoor sensors not showing - My unit is missing from map - Sensor data is incorrect - Data not current - No widget available - App not connecting to network - Inaccurate readings compared to other sources - App unable to read zero AQI - Widget not showing data - App shows stale data with no indication of age **Most requested features** - Increase font size for visually impaired - Add ability to toggle indoor sensors - Add ability to filter indoor vs outdoor sensors - Add pollen data - Notification options for air quality drops - Add temperature display - Option to sign in to personal Purple Air monitor - Add PM 0.3 option - Ability to filter by EPA conversion - Add dark mode ## Newest reviews (16 of 62) ### 1/5 — Dead app *2025-09-28, version 1.2* Hasn’t been updated in years. Uses stale data now so it’s completely useless. Should be pulled from the App Store. ### 1/5 — Doesn’t work *2025-09-06, version 1.2* No longer functioning ### 1/5 — No current information *2025-08-09, version 1.2* My information from your app has not been updated in months ### 1/5 — Product appears dead *2025-08-02, version 1.2* Worked well, but ios updates have introduced bugs where it won't update the aqi for months on end, showing old data. Developer has abandoned the project on github. ### 2/5 — Sensors disappeared *2025-07-19, version 1.2* A couple years ago I could see the numbers on outdoor sensors in my area. Now I only see indoor sensor numbers. Why? ### 1/5 — Data not updated, app unsupported *2025-06-12, version 1.2* This was a great app. Unfortunately, it is no longer functional. Within the last few years the data feed stopped working, though, and stale data is permanently displayed. This is actually dangerously misleading since there is little indication of the age of the data. The developer has not updated it for years and has not responded to any issues on the repository either. Fundamentally unusable as a result. ### 1/5 — Not working anymore *2025-06-09, version 1.2* Love this app and has used it for years but now it is showing incorrect data. It’s showing perfect air quality, even though we are under the strong effects of the smoke from the Manitoba fires. ### 3/5 — Was good, now not accurate *2025-06-03, version 1.2* Not sure if it’s just inaccurate or if the data isn’t updating, but even on very smoky days it’s saying that the air quality is really good. That’s just not true. Something is wrong with it and I suspect it’s been this way for at least a month. ### 2/5 — False data! Guard your health *2025-05-22, version 1.2* I’ve noticed that the air quality sensors have not changed in 2+ months. They’re all reading green in my area regardless of EPA or Purple selected. Yet when checking other apps or Apple weather I’m getting health warnings with drastically different readings at the same time. I’m very upset I’ve been using this app the whole time post-fires, this is a huge health hazard to be misleading people. ### 2/5 — very helpful widget & app *2024-07-30* Please add ability for us to increase the font in scores and popuo data. For visually impaired the numbers are too small. Thanks. My purpleair sensor disappeared ??? ### 4/5 — Not updating *2023-12-06, version 1.2* Good app when it is working, has not updated for over a month ### 1/5 — Doesn’t work any more *2023-11-03, version 1.2* This thing has been showing me the same data for weeks. I tried clicking on “App Support” but I don’t have a GitHub account. ### 1/5 — Data Not Updating *2023-10-26, version 1.2* This worked fine for quite a while. Unfortunately it is no longer updating with current information. It is now over a week out of date. ### 1/5 — My unit is missing from map *2023-10-24, version 1.2* I liked the app until I bought a Purple Air unit. The unit is registered with PA and on their map, but it’s not showing on the map in this app. ### 1/5 — Sensor data is incorrect! *2023-10-20, version 1.2* The new particulate sensor data shown in the app is not correct. In my area, the app shows readings that are much lower than the actual correct sensor readings (as shown on the Purple Air website). Do not use this app to make decisions regarding air quality or personal health and safety! ### 3/5 — Great app, needs to support EPA conversion for PA data *2023-08-21, version 1.2* Useful and intuitive app. However, the EPA conversion for the Purple Air data is not supported. This is a big gap for making the data useful. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Fake Data *2026-08-20, version 1.2* Displays fake data not the correct readings of sensors shown on websites like Purple Air. This app should be pulled from the App Store. It’s giving false information about public health and causing real harm. ### 1/5 — Not accurate *2026-08-11, version 1.2* doesn’t seem to be reporting air quality accurately ### 1/5 — iPhone app not work. iPad great *2026-08-07, version 1.2* The iPhone version of this is inaccurate and useless as data wrong iPad is great. Web pages s useful as well ### 1/5 — Data 11 months old *2026-08-07, version 1.2* disappeared ??? ### 1/5 — No longer functioning? *2026-08-06, version 1.2* I launched this app for the first time in months and all of the data is 11 months old. Looks like it's no longer fetching current data. ### 1/5 — Not updating data *2026-07-12, version 1.2* All the data for the sensors in my area hasn’t been update in 10 months. The app seems dead. ### 1/5 — Great app… until it broke *2026-02-06, version 1.2* Sometime in the past 3 years this app completely stopped updating its air quality data. This makes this app basically entirely useless. ### 1/5 — Stopped working *2026-02-05, version 1.2* This app was awesome but unfortunately it stopped working as of October 2025, the data is no longer updated from PurpleAir. ### 1/5 — Data is not current *2025-11-28, version 1.2* The data shown by the app is not current. It shows all green while Purple Air’s own map shows red and orange. ### 1/5 — this info isnt updating *2025-10-19, version 1.2* it shows the sensors, but they all say updated two months ago. not useful unfortunately ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Widget! *2024-08-21, version 1.2* This app has a map widget! Now I don’t have to consciously check; there’s just a map starting at me whenever I check my phone. This will prevent at least one asthma attack for me as smoke season begins, and probably more. ### 5/5 — It’s working again! *2024-02-01, version 1.2* Data refresh is working again. This has been my absolute favorite (and ad-free) air quality app for several years. ### 5/5 — Great Public Service App *2023-10-06, version 1.2* It’s a simple, no strings attached, app that shows your location and nearby Purple Air sensors. Your choice of EPA AQI or Purple’s. It even has widgets for at a glance data. Really simple app and great implementation using Apple Maps and sensor data isn’t obscured by your location dot. Thank you for coding this!!! 💙 ### 5/5 — great job *2023-08-30, version 1.2* been looking for something like this for awhile. would be nice if you could toggle on inclusion of indoor purple air monitors also ### 5/5 — I would pay for extra features *2023-05-21, version 1.2* Best app to get updated air quality in real time! I’m surprised this isn’t in the top 10! Other apps in the top 10 like Air Matters or IQAir are a joke. The data is totally wrong and delayed 2-6 hours lol! This app is the way to go to see what’s going on outside at the current time. Good job 👏🏼 ### 5/5 — This is the one! *2022-09-16, version 1.2* This app actually has live data all the time, yay! ### 5/5 — Great Job *2021-08-22, version 1.1* Exactly what I wanted for both the app and the widget! ### 5/5 — Simple and exactly what I wanted *2021-01-01, version 1.1* Great app for viewing purple air data on a map nicely. ### 5/5 — Great app *2020-12-31* This is a very useful app Bret. Not many Fortune 500 executives can claim to be an iPhone developer.... kudos to you! ### 5/5 — Excellent *2020-10-20, version 1.1* Been looking for something like this for awhile. Super useful. Thanks Bret! --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-12.*