# Distant Suns 5 — user reviews > 328 indexed App Store user reviews of Distant Suns 5 by Mike Smithwick, rated 4.30/5 from 97 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/distant-suns-5/id363418936/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/distant-suns-5/id363418936.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 72 · 4★ 5 · 3★ 4 · 2★ 6 · 1★ 10 ## What do users think of Distant Suns 5? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 🌟 Excellent astronomy app - 🔭 Comprehensive features for stargazing - 🌍 Helpful for learning about the night sky - 🔍 Useful for planning observing sessions - 🌌 Stunning visuals and graphics **Cons** - 🐛 Crashes and bugs in recent updates - 🤔 Confusing or unintuitive interface changes - 📱 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions - 🔍 Difficulty finding and selecting objects - 🔍 Missing or inaccurate information **Commonly reported bugs** - Crashes when accessing preferences - Inability to sync with iCloud - Unresponsive or freezing app - Incorrect or outdated information displayed - Compatibility issues with newer iOS devices **Most requested features** - Add more detailed information on celestial objects - Improve compass and tracking functionality - Provide better support for astrophotography - Introduce a dark mode for night viewing - Add more customization options for the user interface ## Newest reviews (19 of 328) ### 2/5 — GPS no longer recognized *2026-06-03, version 5.0.6* On my iPhone17 with iOS26, Distant Suns only captures the GPS location on first run. After that, no matter what permissions you give the app you will have to enter a lat/long manually or select a ‘nearest city’. If this is a dealbreaker for you then choose another app. ### 4/5 — Distant Suns 5 *2024-12-14, version 5.0.5* I purchased this to replace an 12 year old iphone app, kind of sorry in the app’s performance. I’m staring at the 1st quarter moon one hour before sun set but this app can’t seem to find the moon. 60+years amateur astronomer with Iphone 14+ running IOS 18.2 and some basic knowledge of the sky. I give it a polite 2 star rating. Update My iphone received an up date and the app started to work as intended. If the text was more readable for senior eyes I would rate higher. ### 2/5 — Distant Suns 5 *2024-12-10* I purchased this to replace an 12 year old iphone app, kind of sorry in the app’s performance. I’m staring at the 1st quarter moon one hour before sun set but this app can’t seem to find the moon. 60+years amateur astronomer with Iphone 14+ running IOS 18.2 and some basic knowledge of the sky. I give it a polite 2 star rating. ### 2/5 — What happened? *2023-03-14, version 5.0.3* Maybe it’s just me, but I find this version extremely user unfriendly compared to earlier versions. Uninstalled. ### 3/5 — syncing services don't work *2022-06-02, version 5.0.3* Although I am very much signed in to iCloud the application will not recognize that and as a result won't sync properly. Crashes after toggling permissions in settings. This becomes permanent. After uninstalling and reinstalling the application no longer presents anything but a blackscreen after the tutorial is finished. This is perhaps what others are running into as well. iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen. iOS 15.5 This is super disappointing, but I understand your best. We had DS on Mac OS 7.5 in the 90s and it was largely responsible for my unending fascination with the cosmos. How do you look at the solar system or other objects from different angles? That was one of the best and most important features of the early Distant Sun Programs. ### 2/5 — Used to be one of my favorite apps *2021-01-10, version 5.0.2* I first downloaded Distant Suns in 2008 for my iPhone 3G, and it was mind-blowing. I’ve been using it on and off since then. However, the app has become nearly unusable lately. It doesn’t start off in AR/compass mode, and tapping on a constellation or a star simply doesn’t work anymore. I couldn’t even use it on Sirius! Developer, please update and fix this app so it works properly on the latest version of iOS. ### 2/5 — Falling into disrepair? *2020-06-01, version 5.0.2* I’ve used and loved the app for years, but it no longer works on my new iPhone SE. the button to select ([]) an object doesn’t do anything; pressing stars under prefs crashes it; the help links don’t work. I’m sad. ### 2/5 — Gone downhill *2020-05-29, version 5.0.1* The old version was so good I bought the full version. The recent UI changes have made it all but unusable. It’s unresponsive and non-intuitive. Very disappointed. ### 3/5 — New Bug ios13 *2020-05-18, version 5.0.1* Love this ap, but just installed update and immediately found bug. Ios 13.4.1 on iphone 11pro setting stars preference results in immediate crash. Can’t find any support link so posting this as a review. ### 3/5 — What happened? *2020-05-07, version 5.0.1* I first started using DS on the Amiga around 1990. The app was great til V5. As others have said the new UI is a big step back. It looked great before and didn’t need a change. Also the app crashes now when you go to prefs/stars. Can’t adjust any star prefs. Hopefully the app is being updated. ### 2/5 — Crashes on iPhone X - used to be awesome... *2020-05-04, version 5.0.1* I bought Distant Suns 10 or so years ago and it was awesome. Since then it has gone a bit down hill. Now when launching you don’t immediately get the live sky view, from what I can tell, and when you do go the the live view, it crashes when adjusting preferences... such a shame as it was the BEST star app and the compass and gyro features made it unbelievable for showing people what’s in the sky. Such a shame. ### 4/5 — Love, but 1 little prob *2020-05-01, version 5.0.1* Lately, when I click on preferences and Stars, the app crashes. Please fix. I do love this app. ### 3/5 — Packed with content *2020-04-25, version 5.0.1* Great app packed with content, but the compass feature is not working for me. Also, there is a bug that makes the app continually ask for permission to use the gps when you first open it. ### 2/5 — Compass Tracking doesn’t *2020-04-11, version 5.0.1* Have an iPhone XS Max with IOS 13.4.1 with Distant Suns Max. For some reason the compass tracking has stopped operation. The app has been granted GPS access with ‘while using app’ status and worked in the past. I haven’t used it in a few months and when I went to use it a few nights ago it no longer tracked. ### 2/5 — You took a great app and completely screwed it up *2019-12-22, version 5.0.1* Distant Suns has been my goto app for the night sky until now. When I open it it asks to use location services, before I select it, it goes away and then locks up my phone. ### 1/5 — No longer works with iOS 13.1.3 *2019-10-25, version 5.0.1* After upgrading to iOS 13.1.3 the Distant Suns (Max) wakes up frozen with a message that I am not connected to iCloud, which is not true. I am connected and DS switch is ON. Is there an update to DS? ### 1/5 — V5 is a serious downgrade *2019-09-22, version 5.0.0* This app has went to hell, it’s a jumbled mess, the menu graphics are dated looking, and to be billed as a completely redesigned modern interface is a gross fabrication. Even the keyboard that’s used is the OLD, iPhone on an iPad style, this whole app looks as if it is a bad port over from iOS 6, designed for iPhone but will run on iPad, it’s just missing the 2X button in one corner. Interface is confusing Poorly designed Not intuitive Ugly dated looking menues Nothing is labeled on the UI and the tutorial contains little helpful information. Rewritten? I suggest liberal use of “undo” ### 1/5 — Latest version big disappointment *2019-06-20, version 5.0.0* Overview: Distant Suns used to be my “go to” app for finding the planets and constellations. Now it’s a confusing mess. More info: When you opened the app, it “just worked.” Now I can’t even figure out how to turn on labels for celestial objects and each time I open the app it pops up an iCloud sync error message (I do not use iCloud and it should not pop this message up every time the app is opened). Once you are able to get through to the sky view, you are presented a sky without labels and without constellation lines, and beneath a group of icons that have no clear bearing on what the features do (except for the compass and lock). I can see that the developer put a lot of work into the 5.0 update, but they went seriously wrong from a UI/UX design perspective. ### 1/5 — Не работает на iPhone X *2019-06-16, version 5.0.0* Запускается, но не позиционирует картинку ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — iCloud *2023-08-12, version 5.0.3* Constantly telling me I’m not logged in to iCloud. I most certainly am. App used to wok ### 1/5 — Wird wohl nicht mehr gepflegt *2022-10-09, version 5.0.3* War mal super Aber das ist schon lange her ### 1/5 — Broken *2021-08-01, version 5.0.3* Simply fails to open on an iPad mini using iOS 14.6. Tried deleting the app, then redownloading and reinstalling it, but it’s still broken. ### 1/5 — Now it just crashes. *2021-05-17, version 5.0.3* I have owned Distant Suns apps for many, many years. It used to be really awesome. In recent years I have had several problems with Distant Suns Max (Now Distant Suns 5, I guess). I have tried to contact the developer but never gotten a reply. Now it won’t even open on my iPad. It just crashes. I tried deleting the app and re-downloading; no change. I need to find another astronomy app. IPad Pro 10.5 inch, iPadOS 14.5.1 ### 1/5 — (Max) kaputt designed *2020-11-18, version 5.0.2* Leider wurde durch dieses (Max) die vorherige, perfekte Version vollkommen geschottet. Wie nun auch in allen anderen „Super“-SterneApps nun nur noch bunt, zu groß, überladen. Vorher gab es Sterne und bei Bedarf ein paar dezente Linien, Namen, Hinweise. Jetzt ist scheinbar die Haupsache, dass alles bunt, viel zu groß und mit dieser Menüführung einfach nur noch schlecht ist. WIE KANN ICH MEINE ALTE VERSION WIEDER BEKOMMEN???? ### 1/5 — New phone *2020-09-04, version 5.0.2* Heard about this app from a friend and bought it immediately. I can only get it to work on my iPhone four. Will not work with my iPhone 11 🤷🏻‍♀️ ### 1/5 — Crashes without opening *2020-08-12, version 5.0.2* It just won’t open but crashes every time. ### 1/5 — No funciona en iOS 13 *2020-07-24, version 5.0.2* No funciona, se crashea. ### 1/5 — App crashes on startup. *2020-07-13, version 5.0.2* Won’t load. Crashes on startup. ### 1/5 — Won’t load!!!! *2020-03-30, version 5.0.1* Keeps flashing back and forth from the “allow access box” and “only while using app”.!!! Won’t stop flashing long enough to click on anything. I have an iPhone 8 with the latest updates. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Still my Favorite *2023-03-27, version 5.0.3* I’ve been using Distant Suns since the Amiga days. Still my go-to app for star gazing. ### 5/5 — What happened to this app? *2019-06-02, version 5.0.0* I haven’t used it in a while, now I updated it and it’s all messed up. It insists I sign into iCloud (which I am) but doesn’t recognize it. The sky field is too dim to see what’s going on, the finder is too imprecise that it keeps selecting obscure stars in the background rather than the planet in the foreground. It insists that Venus is just about to rise (followed by the Sun) at 8 pm MST. Idk what this app is good for anymore. ### 5/5 — 更新的內容很好。 *2019-04-08, version 5.0.0* 但 app 外觀請用舊的‘因為舊的外觀比較美麗。 ### 5/5 — Total rewrite and all new *2019-02-16, version 5.0.0* Well done devs for the all new version. ### 5/5 — Great sky app! *2018-08-03, version 3.4.16* Updated August, 2018 The last couple weeks Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars have all been in the sky, but Mars has been rising after Venus has been setting (depending on you views of the horizon). I suspected that they may soon converge... Annnnnd thanks to Distant Sun’s “What’Up?” Feature I just scrolled into the future, at 7pm, into September and October and see that mid-September should provide some nights when I/we all can photograph all four planets in the sky. This “What’s Up?” is one awesome feature!!! Thank you, Distant Suns!!!!!! :) Original review: I have had the free version for years. I hesitated on paying because I was not sure that it contained some features. Please know that Distant Suns Max DOES contain 1) position awareness... The screen moves to where you are pointing 2) it can draw the images of the constellations for you (per setting/preference) 3) when you look through the floor/ground it shows you the southern sky 4) it does have a red screen image, to help preserve your night eye sensitivity 5) it will also jump to show you the sky on a date/time you select God bless you, Distant Suns development team! Keep looking up! ### 5/5 — Great to Greater--Awesome *2017-12-15, version 3.4.14* Distant Suns is a feature rich valuable tool for serious amateur astronomers. Have used it since it first became available on PC (perhaps close to 20 years ago?) and am happy to fully recommend it. Distant Suns has a particularly broad range of features which help me efficiently plan observing sessions and these features are often not included in competing packages (eg: What's Up and Calendars for your location)... Thanks for the excellent astronomy program and hope we are both around to enjoy our observing for at least another 20 years 👍🏼✌🏼 ### 5/5 — Best in Class *2017-10-07, version 3.4.14* After testing and using a dozen similar apps, this is by far the best. Accessible for beginners, powerful for experienced users. I have been using for more than five years. Great for quick view of night sky, as well as planning for later viewing with scope or binocs. Don't mess around - get it, and pay the very affordable price - it is worth many times more. ### 5/5 — Righteous!! *2017-08-22, version 3.4.14* I've had this app for years and I love it!! Best app ever!!! ### 5/5 — Great app! *2017-08-03, version 3.4.14* I've been using Distant Suns since its first release on the Amiga some 20 years ago. If you want to travel through the solar system then this app is a must have! Thanks to its original creator Mike! ### 5/5 — Recommend *2017-07-08, version 3.4.14* This is an excellent resource to learn about our solar system, great fun. --- *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 2026-08-18.*