# Cicada Safari — user reviews > 77 indexed App Store user reviews of Cicada Safari by Mount St. Joseph University, rated 4.50/5 from 18 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cicada-safari/id1446471492/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cicada-safari/id1446471492.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 14 · 4★ 1 · 3★ 2 · 2★ 0 · 1★ 1 ## Newest reviews (12 of 77) ### 3/5 — Wrong location *2025-05-09, version 1.8.3* I hope the developers see this, I submitted a photo and when it was approved it was in the wrong location. I was in the location I took the picture when I submitted it but I was somewhere else when they approved it and that’s where it’s showing up on the map. Hope this can be fixed! ### 3/5 — Please explain why photos are rejected *2024-05-11, version 1.8.1* This app has a lot of potential. However, it would be nice to know why photos are accepted, then days later rejected. No explanation. Resubmitted. As a professional entomologist, I know what a Magicicada looks like as adult or nymph. Please provide better communication with users if you reject a photo. If one is doing something wrong with the photo, there should be feedback so one can improve. ### 4/5 — Fantastic looking app. *2024-05-04, version 1.8.1* Excited to contribute to this scientific endeavor!! Be warned, the app does crash an awful lot though. ### 3/5 — Cicada *2021-07-05, version 1.7.5* I think this app should allow pictures and videos of the annual cicadas as well. Yeah the invasion is cool and everyone wants to see it but what about the annuals too? I think any cicada should be approved. ### 3/5 — For science! *2021-06-10, version 1.7.5* That is easy to use and awesome that we can help collect data for the cicadas. Knocked off two stars because of the following: It looks as though you can take your own video and upload it (which is different than taking video within the app) but so far I have not been able to successfully upload videos. I have run out of data this month submitting photos and video to Cicada Safari (I am in the top 200 on the leaderboard), so to continue to contribute I have been taking photos and video and then once I am home uploading them. The photos upload fine, and it appears as though the videos upload. But when I go to check under the user tab, the videos I uploaded are just blank. They appear as still photos which is frustrating because the videos have sound files that are useful to the researchers. I also got some great videos of adult cicadas feeding on a persimmon tree, but I can’t seem to upload them. Would be great if this was fixed (or let us know if we are doing it incorrectly). ### 3/5 — Ok app with useless map *2021-06-09, version 1.7.5* The app is ok to use. I submitted a number of photos and videos without issue. However, the use of “marker clustering” for the map makes it completely useless. Impossible to tell where the cicadas are being reported. ### 2/5 — Good Idea, But Needs Several Fixes *2021-06-07, version 1.7.5* I like being able to take pictures that help with the university’s research, but whenever my photo is approved or declined, it sends me around three of the same notifications per photo. Also, many of my photos that obviously have cicadas in them were declined. ### 2/5 — Science! *2021-06-07, version 1.7.5* I understand photosvideos take forever to get approved, but mine never popped up on the map, not even within the 48 hour window after approval, which was disappointing. I hope my photos can be used for study, but the execution of this app quickly made me lose interest. So, although my property is deafening right now with Cicada screams, I will not be submitting anything else. ### 2/5 — Started off great *2021-06-06, version 1.7.5* Started off great, then all the sudden stoped showing where the cicadas were being reported. Only very few reports are showing now where as initially there were way more. Would be nice if they got it fixed before the end of the hatch. ### 2/5 — Unusable *2021-06-06, version 1.7.5* The app provides useful information about cicadas, but the workflow of using it is unclear. I cannot figure out how to submit photos, or maybe I did submit photos…I don’t know. ### 2/5 — SLOW, and must be in app to use. *2021-06-05, version 1.7.5* This app is nearly unusable because it is so slow. You also have to take photos and videos on-site and through the app. I took both with my regular phone camera, not knowing about the app. Was hoping I could upload them later when I found out about the app but that is not the case. I hope I can find a different way to report the cicadas I found, since I will not be back in the area again. ### 4/5 — Want to save my videos *2021-06-05, version 1.7.5* Is there anyway I can download onto my iphone or to Photos the videos that I post with this app? They seem to be lost once recorded with the app. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Major privacy issue *2025-06-07, version 1.8.4* The app wants access to that raises major privacy concerns. Be careful. ### 1/5 — Worthless *2024-03-19, version 1.7.7* Worth less than worthless. ### 1/5 — Can’t even add a photo *2021-07-25, version 1.7.5* I was super excited to track brood x this year. Finally cicadas emerged, only the app claims the event is over and there is no way to add a photos to prove otherwise! No way to contact or resolve the issue either. ### 1/5 — Very glitchy *2021-07-14, version 1.7.5* This app never responds. It doesn’t show the cicadas you have put on there. It also is shut down for the year and they just started coming out here in Blanchester Ohio. Good idea very poor execution. ### 1/5 — Junk *2021-07-05, version 1.7.5* I guess their all gone. Thing never worked and now there are no more sightings on map😡 ### 1/5 — Useless? *2021-07-04, version 1.7.5* I’m sorry, I know a lot of work has gone into this app, but it’s just simply unusable… the map only loads with reported sittings on launch, and once you try to pan-zoom-adjust it goes blank. I know it’s not my data connection because all other sites, including maps, work as they should. I want to know where these bugs are! I want to see them. Yet, haven’t seen one this season. I’ll try to find a better tool to direct me. Maybe I’ve missed the point of this app. ### 1/5 — Buggy App! *2021-06-20, version 1.7.5* All of my pictures were rejected thus making this app useless and unappealing. I *may* try again but that’s seventeen years ahead. ### 1/5 — Great idea but lousy implementation *2021-06-13, version 1.7.5* Can’t get a new password because the procedure locks up safari. Why do I need to log in just to view the map? Why does it force portrait orientation? ### 1/5 — Everything vanished *2021-06-11, version 1.7.5* Not only did the original account that I created disappear, all the photos I took vanished and were never approved. I re-signed up and those photos vanished also. ### 1/5 — hangs after clicking a cicada *2021-06-03, version 1.7.5* click the cicada icon on the map. view the picture. cannot return to the app. the back button, top left, does nothing. shutdown the app. uninstalled. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Awesome App! Love Cicadas! *2024-05-03, version 1.8.1* This app is interesting and has fun interactive tools! I can’t wait until my first Cicada citing so I can upload a picture to help track this unusual insect and it’s emergence where I live. Thank you to the creators behind this amazing app!😊 ### 5/5 — Cicada safari review *2024-04-22, version 1.8.1* This app was pretty cool and also beneficial in learning about cicadas. ### 5/5 — Thanks MSJ, fun app! *2024-04-22, version 1.8.1* Will be watching for cicadas. ### 5/5 — Great App! *2024-04-22, version 1.8.1* Phenomenal app, loved the look and functionality of it. Excited to use it more! ### 5/5 — Helpful *2024-04-22, version 1.8.1* This app is awesome to find cicadas! ### 5/5 — Awesome *2024-04-22, version 1.8.1* This is a great app! ### 5/5 — Interesting! *2024-04-15, version 1.8.1* This app is really fun and cool! ### 5/5 — Potential! *2022-03-10, version 1.7.5* I really liked following and using this app during the crazy cicada season this Summer 2021! Now I wish the exact same thing would be used…. A mirrored app…. All about sightings and getting counts of the increasingly (beneficial) invasive species… the JORO SPIDER! Please and thanks! 😁 Checking back in. With all the Joro spider on the East Coast talk that is going on, I’d love to see a version of this app made for tracking sightings of Joro Spiders as time progresses 2022 and beyond. These things will invade much of the US. Having a reporting system would be amazing! ### 5/5 — Microphone access issue *2021-06-05, version 1.7.5* Gave app permissions to access microphone and camera. App is not properly asking for permission to use the microphone. App message says it can’t access my camera and microphone. ### 5/5 — Fun! *2021-06-02, version 1.7.5* This is such a fun an awesome app! Props to the researchers and developers! --- *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 2026-07-05.*