# eTrees of Southern Africa — user reviews > 40 indexed App Store user reviews of eTrees of Southern Africa by mydigitalearth.com, rated 2.50/5 from 2 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/etrees-of-southern-africa/id342876705/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/etrees-of-southern-africa/id342876705.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 0 · 4★ 1 · 3★ 0 · 2★ 0 · 1★ 1 ## Newest reviews (14 of 40) ### 2/5 — Poor *2023-10-21, version 1.8.1* Cannot search any trees if you only have the species name. Also, once you've found the tree, the app doesn't tell you to which family it belongs. Not very useful. ### 3/5 — IOS update on Etrees SA *2023-08-14, version 1.8.1* Since the last IOS update I cannot access my list or use the menu functionality on Iphone. Seem the app does not function properly with this software update ### 2/5 — Search nightmare with minimal details *2023-03-09, version 1.8.1* Searching for the acacia family proved almost impossible, as it did not recognise this. I had to use other names like “paperbark”. Having found the tree i was looking for, there was no details on the sizes or conditions it preferred. ### 3/5 — No foto’s or description of bark and branches *2020-08-10, version 1.8.1* Very impractical to inly identify trees on leaves only. Needs description and foto’s of trunk, branches and bark. Nit in flower or fruit throughout the year ### 3/5 — Old scientific names *2019-09-04, version 1.8.1* When can we expect an update with the new scientific names for old ‘Acacia’? ### 3/5 — My List function *2017-11-05, version 1.8.1* Very disappointed that when you make a list of the trees you have seen, the ‘My List’ function does not sort the list alphabetically, making it impossible to find a tree you have added to the list. This function works perfectly in eBirds - please develop this in eBooks too ### 2/5 — Mr *2012-12-30, version 1.5* I agree with the two reviews before mine - a VERY disappointing purchase! Hopefully the authors will be notified and do something to correct this unsatisfactory situation. ### 1/5 — Also disappointed! *2012-12-18, version 1.5* The page set-up seems all wrong. Cannot see all the text, almost as if it was actually designed for exclusive use on a PDA? Is there any way to fix this, or did i just waste my money? ### 1/5 — ETrees SA *2012-11-01* This app upgrade doesn't fit the screen on iPad. Pls fix. ### 1/5 — Waste of money *2012-10-16* Very poor graphics, poor searchability, no thumbnails for index. The program seems to assume that you already know the name tree you are looking at! Aren't field guides supposed to help you identify the unknown ??? Maybe future versions will improve but, for £13 this is not good value for money. ### 1/5 — Not worth it *2012-09-11, version 1.0* Not worth it! User unfriendly. Waste of money. Afrikaans? ### 3/5 — Great idea *2012-07-14* Good app but can do with some more functionality. Make Afrikaans names searchable and up the resolution ### 1/5 — eTrees SA *2012-06-10, version 1.0* By Treelover Jan: Very bad, misleading& frustrating App.Not for the average & large majority users in present form & index.Need a serious update in respect of: full tree pictures & an Afrikaans Common Names index.I have wasted my money & also lots of time in trying to find reference to some simple common SA trees.Should be in same user format as Sasol eBirds. ### 1/5 — Poor *2012-01-29* Bad photos, log res graphics (for iPad), only a limited number of trees, not much descriptive data, expensive. Buy a paper book instead. His app was a waste of money. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Options tab won’t open *2024-02-23* Effectively a tree list on my iPhone. The options tab won’t open. Very disappointed ### 1/5 — Not functioning *2023-09-25, version 1.8.1* Can not open the app completely, when you touch the main menu function the app closes. Very frustrating. Paid a high price and app not working properly. ### 1/5 — Cant open *2023-04-30, version 1.8.1* Since last update the ap wont open i unistalled and re installed still wont open ### 1/5 — Not user friendly for amateur *2021-10-27, version 1.8.1* Very difficult to use. You can only identify by leaves. When identifying you can't just go back you have to go to main menu to change the selected attributes. The terminology used in the identification process is not for amateurs. I have not been able to identify some trees that seem to be very common in my area in Johannesburg. ### 1/5 — Does not work anymore... :-( *2021-01-24* App won’t start anymore ### 1/5 — Do not buy! *2021-01-01, version 1.8.1* This app has stopped working on iOS 14.2. My requests for support from the app developer has been ignored. ### 1/5 — iOS 9 Support *2015-12-01* No support for iOS 9. Crashes on startup. Impossible to use at all. Avoid buying entirely. The developer is dishonest in still allowing purchases of this app. ### 1/5 — App crashed and died *2015-08-12* App crashed after day doesn't open, money wasted ### 1/5 — Very disappointed *2013-07-15, version 1.5* Can only search for trees via the common name. A search for an "acacia" for instance will only give you the "Mountain acacia" - no others. A search using the word "protea" will give you nothing. I can't find "Silver trees" otherwise known as "Leucadendron Argenteum" at all. If you can't find the tree when you know both it's common name and scientific name, then how on earth are you going to find the tree when you don't know the name? Extremely disappointed. I wish I read the other reviews before purchasing. ### 1/5 — Very poor on iPad *2013-07-09, version 1.5* Don't buy this to use on ipad. I want my money back. The frame for the application is not made for the ipad. And even within the frame, the index and some of the text is off to the right and can't even be scrolled to. I was done! ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Great app but *2022-09-12, version 1.8.1* Great app really useful, would like higher quality pictures for some tree species and would like new scientific names, more species added to the database. ### 5/5 — Excellent resource *2016-04-28* Easy to use interface and a large database. Could not be happier with this learning tool. ### 5/5 — Not sure why the other folks who bought this app are unhappy! *2013-03-06, version 1.5* I am a professional Field Guide/ Ranger and I have been using this app out in the field for 2 years... I think its great. Easy to use and great info. The smart search function is really good limiting your options for easier ID. Really nice images and its amazing amount of species that are part of the library. ### 5/5 — Fantastic *2010-03-09, version 0* This app is wonderfully intuitive and easy to use! A fantastic pocket-help to indentifying trees... far easier in fact than the traditional, and laborious, "keying out" using a book! Please produce more like this - dragonflies, butterflies and frogs! ### 5/5 — Peter *2009-12-15, version 0* Great App- the Smart search works really well and is very easy to understand and use. Tree ID is usually difficult but this makes it easy ### 5/5 — eTrees *2009-12-08, version 0* An app I'd been waiting for - good functionality, found all my trees by name but would like to see tree shapes for all trees, not just leaves, flowers and fruits in most cases. Have given this top marks in anticipation of full pictures to come. ### 4/5 — Impressive, but wish their was a scientific family, genus and species index *2017-06-18* Impressive, but wish their was a scientific family, genus and species indexes. Difficult to find species using common names that vary from country to country. Contents is great. ### 4/5 — Mr *2014-01-27* Happy with app but down loaded on iphone and it won't sync on my ipad?? Is this correct? Does one have to purchase the app per device? ### 4/5 — eTrees of Southern Africa *2013-03-01, version 1.5* Was disappointed at first especially since the pages were not aligned properly, with part of the left-hand side of the page cut off. This problem corrected itself very soon without my having to make any adjustment to the app. I would have liked the scientific names included in the index alongside the common names which vary so widely from author to author and country to country. This would quicken one's search quite considerably! Am disappointed with the lack of a zoom in/out function for the photographs,which incidentally, I found to be generally of very good quality. This would be of immense help for those essential close-up scrutiny of leaves and flowers to establish differences between species. The omission of a full picture of most trees is not a train- smash considering the modular growth form of trees and the basic premise underlying the authors' approach to the identification of trees. I liked the inclusion of the facility to compare trees. I think this has been a very worthwhile purchase at a very reasonable price. ### 4/5 — e-Trees *2012-01-10, version 1.0* Excellent! Very handy to have on your portable device. Plus give us search access to the Afrikaans tree names that are already there in the database. Surely just a few lines of extra code in the search algorithm should do it. When can we expect to see that update on the App? Thanks. Wim --- *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 2026-09-04.*