# East Bay Times — user reviews > 87 indexed App Store user reviews of East Bay Times by MediaNews Group, rated 4.10/5 from 436 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/east-bay-times/id429780888/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/east-bay-times/id429780888.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 250 · 4★ 91 · 3★ 28 · 2★ 14 · 1★ 53 ## What do users think of East Bay Times? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 🚀 Functional app - 📰 Good local news coverage - 🔍 Easy to navigate - 📱 Convenient for reading on mobile **Cons** - 🐛 Bugs and stability issues - 🔍 Difficult navigation and UI changes - 💰 Too many ads disrupting reading experience - 🔒 Frequent sign-in required **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes when rotating device - Loses reading progress after switching apps - Keyboard doesn't show up for login - Incorrect/outdated content displayed **Most requested features** - Bring back previous app version - Option to disable ads - Improve page/article navigation - Better handling of screen rotation ## Newest reviews (20 of 87) ### 3/5 — Functional but some annoying bugs *2025-09-23* It mostly meets my needs but has two long standing problems that they either can’t or won’t fix: 1) If you start reading the paper then switch to another app for 30 minutes or more, it forgets what page you’re on and takes you back to the front page. I use an e-reader for books and that app NEVER loses my place. 2) It uses a lot of storage, typically about 25GB. If I clear the cache in settings, that drops to about 24GB. Why so much? I’m guessing it keeps back issues around in case I refer to them but it doesn’t provide any way to delete them. Fix these two issues and you’ll get 5 stars. ### 2/5 — Why does the app turn my music off *2023-09-05, version 4.0.0* App developers please turn this bug/feature off! ### 3/5 — Yesterday’s paper *2022-11-08, version 4.0.0* This morning once again, when I click on the icon I get yesterday’s paper. No matter what I do, including showing all editions, yesterday’s paper is the latest one. When I open the paper on my iPhone X it shows today’s, but on my iPad 12 pro, no luck. It updated the software version last night. Will re boot and try again. Frustrating. Roger 11/8/22. Once again it shows yesterday’s paper on iPad, and I have to reboot the device and log in again to get today’s edition. Last Sunday I couldn’t get a newspaper at all in the morning, but the gremlins must have gone to work and fixed it because I could access it in the afternoon!? You need to provide access to tech support if you are interested in correcting the ongoing glitches. When I called the newspaper and said I didn’t receive my newspaper the person hung up on me when she heard it wasn’t the paper edition. I like the paper once it is downloaded. Roger ### 1/5 — App is terrible change from old version *2022-04-26, version 3.7.0* Finally had to install new reading app. Now there are digital ads that I cannot close. I pay for e version and now have flashing ads on my screen. Old version I could swipe forward and backwards. Now need to use arrows at bottom of screen. Old app filled my screen on my iPad. This app does not. New app does not show current days paper. I need to un install and reload to get the days news. Wish I could get old app back on my iPad ### 1/5 — Terrible version *2022-04-25, version 3.7.0* No more full screen of paper on my ipad. Reading area reduced to 2/3 with tool bars and very irritating rolling ads. I Blocked off bottom part of screen with cardboard so didn’t have to get motion sick from rolling ads. Really disappointed. I used to enjoy reading the paper on my ipad when traveling and unable to read the printed version. ### 1/5 — New upgrade is horrible *2022-04-23, version 3.7.0* I absolutely hate this upgrade, I have to expand the screen to get rid of the google adds! When you provide feedback, it still comes back! Aren’t the adds in the paper enough and now google initiates us with more adds! This is the only paper that I have an e-edition, I might go back to just reading the SF chronicle rather than getting frustrated every morning. Extremely bad update! ### 2/5 — Terrible change to app. Good content *2022-04-22, version 3.7.0* Love the paper. The recent app “upgrade” is anything but! Big toolbars at top and bottom block the page I want to see, unlike the previous version of the app. @#$%! BANNER ADS are covering what I want to read, unlike the previous version. How do I subscribe to a version without @#$%! BANNER ADS? There are already ads in the paper, for crying out loud. Please join me in complaining. Gag. ### 1/5 — Terrible revision *2022-04-21, version 3.7.0* This app no longer works. I will be canceling my subscription and replacing it with the San Francisco Chronicle. ### 1/5 — Crashes constantly when phone is rotated *2022-04-21, version 3.7.0* The latest version is very unstable - crashes constantly when the display is rotated from portrait to landscape. ### 1/5 — Bad Update *2022-04-20, version 3.7.0* The new update is awful. I can no longer view an entire page and when I tap on the article I want to read it takes me off the page. Worse than the Chronicle app and I cancelled that paper. Will not be renewing my Times subscription when it expires next month due to the update. ### 2/5 — New version (April 2022) not ready for use *2022-04-20, version 3.7.0* The new version is unreliable - it has failed to recognize when a new edition is available several times and there is no way to prompt it to try. The only way I can ‘force’ it is to uninstall and then reinstall the app. Terrible user experience. ### 2/5 — Why do I pay for this? *2022-04-20, version 3.7.0* I am very disappointed with the latest update. While I am used to seeing ads in the newspaper, I did not expect and banners to be running at the bottom of the paper on the Eavers and I subscribed to. Why am I paying a monthly fee only to have ads interfere with my ability to read it? ### 1/5 — Terrible “Update” *2022-04-20, version 3.7.0* The ads are obnoxious. Worse, I can’t in to view my “paper” today. When forced to log in I get a message saying I am not entitled to this publication. It looks like it is trying to point to a completely different pub - Something in Denver. Get your act together! You are about to lose me as a customer and probable 1,000’s others ### 1/5 — East bay times new app *2022-04-19, version 3.7.0* Terrible! Much harder to use and more time consuming. Can only go page by page, and not sections. Worse upgrade ever. Should allow users to use old app ### 1/5 — New version is bad *2022-04-17, version 3.7.0* The recent 3.7 version ruins what was a very smooth and efficient app and makes the paper almost unreadable. I assume this was all done to accommodate more banner ads but you are stuck with trying to navigate little tiny boxes with partial headlines rather than seeing readable whole pages. I’m not sure if I can go to the previous version but I’m trying. Too bad ### 1/5 — New app is no good *2022-04-16* I agree 100% with the two 1 star reviews the previous two days. Two toolbars take up too much of my iPad screen. Now I can’t see the whole page of news. You have to zoom and shrink the text in order to read the whole page or advance to the next page. Too time consuming! You have to be very careful what you touch or it jumps to a “read one article only” format. Too many options. What happened to the old (good) app? It’s gone. Here I am paying for a subscription and I’m now forced to see pop up ads that take up more space on the screen, shrinking the page size even more. Rediculous! I may have to cancel my subscription ### 1/5 — Don’t update on mobile *2022-04-16, version 3.7.0* Page to page navigation is quite painful when using an iPad and you like to keep your zoom settings between pages ### 2/5 — Don’t download new version *2022-04-15, version 3.7.0* You can’t see the entire page on screen at one time, and it is infested with ads. Once you download the new version, you can’t go back! ### 1/5 — Unsubscribe :-( *2022-04-15, version 3.7.0* I find the April 2022 update very reader unfriendly and annoying. Whatta bummer cuz I've been a paying customer for many years. ### 2/5 — New app much worse than prev *2022-04-14, version 3.7.0* Page does not fill the screen which results in smaller unreadable print. So I cannot sample but must select the article to enlarge. In today’s version 4/14 there was a picture of Steph Curry but I thought it was Klay - the picture was so small. Also I don’t get the entire tool bar across the top. Even looking at a cartoon, you can enlarge only one at a time. It’d take all day to read the comics if I was inclined. How do I get my previous version back? Totally disappointed!! Now trying to send this and it keeps rejecting my nickname.😳 ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Return Landscape Option *2024-03-30, version 4.0.0* The latest update eliminated the option to read in landscape format. People read on a tablet. You have ruined the experience. If you email the comment to customer service you are told it is because of the ads. Apparently ads are more important than customers. Too bad they don’t hire more talented designers. ### 1/5 — Sign in *2023-06-21, version 4.0.0* When sign in is asked for by the newspaper ( every 2 or 3 weeks), they ask if I want to Sign in with Apple. When I do that Apple confirms my finger print. Then Mercury News claims I’m not authorized to do that. So in order for me to read the newspaper that I pay for, I have to log in with email and passwords, constantly. ### 1/5 — Unusable on iPad *2022-07-16, version 3.7.3* App asks to log in but, keyboard won’t come up making it impossible to log in. Totally unusable at this point. ### 1/5 — New app is terrible *2022-05-29* I used to read the east bay times on my iPad daily and liked the app. The new app is a downgrade from the old. I can no longer zoom in and go to the next page without zooming out first. Probably so I see the ad at the bottom of the page—which I don’t look at ever. And I can’t read it like a newspaper by tapping the page number to continue an article. It brings me to a word document format. Is there a way to go back to the old app? ### 1/5 — Poor design of new app! *2022-05-26, version 3.7.3* My first review with new app, The new app design came out today I do not like format! First the developer decided we need a tool bar at the top, then we needed a tool bar at the bottom to navigate page forward or back, then pop up add box above page box that’s quite large. These three items take up about one third of the screen area on my iPad, now I have to see less paper page area and scroll up and down to read the page articles. Also the popup add seams very large and keeps changing creating a distraction. I’d like the old version of the app back. I may cancel my subscription to the eb times not pleased! My second review! Well I was able to find the old app a day after the new one launched I was happy again,,, BUTT this morning they decided to automatically replace the old app with the new horrible version. NOT HAPPY AGAIN!!! I think it’s time for users that agree this app is horrible format and cancel our subscription maybe that will get their attention to make changes, too much screen taken up by tool bar, page change bar, and google adds that keep changing very distracting. 😡 ### 1/5 — Updated App is Frustrating *2022-05-11, version 3.7.3* Used to enjoy reading the online newspaper. Ever since the update it has been an exercise in frustration. It is clunky to go to the next page and won’t smoothly go to second part of an article when you click on it. Having to sign on way more often than in the past. ### 1/5 — This “improved” app is awful *2022-05-07, version 3.7.1* Funny, one post said “don’t upgrade”...I HAD NO CHOICE! The worst bug it has is that when you tap on an article on the print replica, which used to open up a text version, now disappears in a second! That feature worked just fine in the old version, but sadly, I can’t go back, I’m stuck and frustrated! ### 1/5 — Horrible *2022-05-03, version 3.7.1* At first it was fantastic…..for about a week, and then it stopped loading on my IPad Pro. It would ask me to sign in and then when asked to submit user name and password, keyboard would not pop up to type the info. Even tried to log in through Apple ID and it was a no-go. No response back from tech for over a week. ### 1/5 — What Happened? *2022-04-29, version 3.7.0* I finally figured out how to get rid of the annoying ads at the bottom of the screen by logging in, but now each morning I find myself logged out again. When I try to log back in the keyboard won’t show so I need to copy and paste my credentials into the fields. ### 1/5 — Have to login every day *2022-04-29, version 3.7.0* Since the latest update, I’m asked to sign in on my iPad using ID and password every day. Today not even that worked to get me to the paper. In addition, I got an email telling me I’d made a request to change my password. This is unacceptable. Fix that. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Works great on tablet *2022-02-27, version 3.5.08* I’ve been using this for many months now and find it works great on my tablet ### 5/5 — Thank you *2022-02-15, version 3.5.08* I am enjoying reading the news on my phone. It’s very convenient. ### 5/5 — Bowan1 *2022-02-01, version 3.5.08* Very informative and the best source of local news! ### 5/5 — Great read *2022-02-01, version 3.5.08* Enjoy being able to read an entire article without having to move to another page or more to complete it. ### 5/5 — East Bay Times a great newspaper *2022-01-14, version 3.5.08* I love the e edition of the paper. The paper is easy to read and maneuver through. If I see an article I liked I can email to myself or a friend. I love it. ### 5/5 — Digital East Bay Times *2022-01-11* I thought I would never want to give up the “real” newspaper spread flat across the table at breakfast. The way one can quickly scan the headlines, feature articles, pictures, and ads to choose what is of interest this day. I have read other newspapers on-line and often found it limiting and article focused. What a pleasant surprise this has been! The format allows a quick scan of the pages and easy to zero in in the intended article with quick return to the full page. Also, the phone and font allows me to read it more easily in the shifting sunlight of mornings at the table or later in a comfortable chair. I love the on-line paper. Thank you writers and tech staff! ### 5/5 — Great newspaper *2021-12-27, version 3.5.08* Good local and national news. Plus tv schedule ### 5/5 — East Bay Times online is convenient and easy *2021-12-08, version 3.5.06* I love being able to get up and read the newspaper online at any time and anywhere. I am glad that we still have news reported by unbiased journalists. ### 5/5 — Love the local news *2021-11-21, version 3.5.06* We switched from paper to using the digital subscription recently and we like the ease of use of the app and the local news coverage. ### 5/5 — Quick easy access local news *2021-10-28, version 3.5.03* I find her phone application very useful in my busy life.I get as much as I want and when I wanted with one touch on the icon. I have access to Manny news publications in the Bay Area. --- *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 2026-08-21.*