Expand User Reviews

Customer Experience

Positive experience48.7% of reviews
Neutral12.5% of reviews
Negative experience38.8% of reviews

~ Based on 152 written reviews from the US App Store.

What users say

Is Expand Safe?

Expand: Beyond Meditation appears mostly safe based on user ratings. AppsHunter Safety Score for Expand is 79/100.

This assessment is based on 284 user ratings, with an App Store average of 4/5.

Safety Analysis

72.2% of ratings point to a safe experience
6.3% of ratings suggest some concerns
21.5% of ratings point to a risky experience

~ Based on 284 App Store ratings for Expand.

Is Expand Legit?

Expand: Beyond Meditation appears to be a legitimate app. AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Expand is 88/100.

Based on 88 of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.

Top reviews

Constant glitches and crashes. False meditation feedback.

This app looks good at first glance aesthetically, but I am constantly frustrated by how often it crashes. I literally cannot search for events. If I try, it crashes and kicks me out of the app. I cannot play the same meditation back to back. If I try, the app freezes. It’s very frustrating. Yes, I am using the most recent update, and I am a premium user!

I also really hate the fact that all of the meditations have fake “reviews”. You can’t see any feedback, just the star rating, and they are all rated exactly the same: 4.5 stars. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

To Monroe: You all charge a ridiculous amount for everything you offer. How about making sure this works right, and let people submit HONEST FEEDBACK.
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Will explore this App curiously

After a rough start, where the app would not let me register, the Monroe support was nice enough to hear my struggle and to help me out. I finally could create an account (after an update) by using my apple account, manual registration still did not work due to password requirements - this issue seems presently to be under review. A big Thank you to the very attentive support and quick and caring feedback. Now I can try the App - review shall follow.
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Response from developer

Thank you for writing, and we are sorry that setting up an account did not work. There was a problem affecting sign-in and account creation, and it has now been resolved. If you would please fully close the app, check for an update in the App Store, and then try again, it should go through. Thank you also for flagging the password requirements, which we have passed on for review. If it still will not let you create an account, please write to support@monroeinstitute.org and our team will set it up with you directly.

Switching to Gaia. Expensive app to not be working so frequently. Customer service is non existent.

I love the app when it works. I’ve contacted customer service several times and only gotten one response. I’ve turned off my phone and restarted more time that I care to Jay to get the app to clear it cashe. No one gets back to you when you reach out. $70 is a lot for an app you can’t use when you want to. I try to mediate first thing in the morning and I’m greeted with errors. Very annoying and frustrating. One and done for me because it’s a waste of money.
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Response from developer

Thank you for taking the time to write this, and we are sorry the app has been unreliable for you. If you write to support@monroeinstitute.org and mention the name "Honest Review" so we can match it to this, our team will pick it up and prioritize it. We will get you back up and running with your daily meditations, and we appreciate your patience.

Fixed

Excited to try the new program!
Edit the new update is supper buggy doesn’t play timer mode doesn’t play differnt meditations i pay for the premium I expect this to be fixed

Great meditations but the talking can be too much

Some of the free meditations are excellent and get me into a deeply relaxed state. One tip: cut the talking by a third! After a directive, stop talking! When the narrator said, “Prepare to receive whatever comes up,” I was ready. She then went on to talk for about 5 more minutes, and I couldn’t receive! We don’t need everything to be explained or rationalized during a meditation. It took me out and I felt myself getting upset as I was thinking, “Shut up already and let my body do its job!”

The app prompts me to turn on notifications every single time I open it. This is aggravating! I don’t want notifications. There needs to be a “don’t remind me again” button.

The new update makes it harder to get to your favorites (now at the very bottom when it used to be a heart at the top) and timer (which used to be an icon and was an easy tap). These updates force you to scroll through their courses which are extra to pay for, so it feels more like an ad. I don’t appreciate this.
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Response from developer

Thank you for taking the time to write all of this out, it is genuinely useful. The good news on the timer is that it was not removed, it has moved to the Explore tab under Timer Soundscapes. Your point about the timer and favorites being harder to reach is a fair one and we have passed it on, along with your note on the amount of narration in some of the sessions. The notification prompt appearing every time you open the app has now been fixed. Thank you for staying with the app and for telling us what would make it better.

Asking for a favour

Thanks for the amazing app, I use this daily for meditation and it helps me a lot on my spiritual journey. I have only one question: in the Meditation with timer, sometimes the music stops because of the weak internet connection, it frustrates me. Is there any chance to get it play offline? I would pay for that if possible.
Many thanks
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Response from developer

Thank you, and we are glad the app has a place in your practice. Playing without a connection is one of the most requested things we hear, and we have passed your note on to our development team for review. Thank you for taking the time to ask.

Manipulative design

This app used to be much better.

Now it forces a pop up EVERYTIME you open it nudging you to turn on notifications. It does this to wear you down psychologically, slightly annoying you each time you open it until you comply to make the pop up stop.

This is called a dark pattern design in the app world. There’s another dark pattern that now forces you to see an ad to buy their 500 dollar course Everytime you open it.

The former design was simple and easy to navigate and meditation signals could be downloaded for offline use. No one asked for these changes and now it’s made me trust this company less, as it claims to be about consciousness expansion- more like bottom line expansion and manipulative app design to coerce people into spending more money on something you can find elsewhere. Disappointed in the intent with this once trusted company.
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App bug

I really like the new version of this app since I can access all my courses. But there is a bug, every time my phone screen locks the app also stops, this is definitely new since I’ve been using the app for years. Yes and I have done all the checks like battery mode and deleting and reinstalling, pretty much all the big fixes suggested by Claude.
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Buggy!

I love this app and have used it for years but a lot of their meditations for me cut off mid way through and it’s just been like this for some time now. I reached out to the Expand team to fix their tracks but never heard anything back from them. I’m wondering if anyone is even running and keeping this app up to date anymore. It’s a shame because I really liked their app and never make 2 star reviews but I just hope it’s brought to whoever’s attention to fix the issues!
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Bring it back, please.

I am enjoying the app and everything about it, the navigation, the design, and cost of the yearly subscription. But, I was so disappointed to discover that after the latest update the timer function was removed. I really liked this feature because I could mediate without any guidance or limit. I hope enough users can convince the developers to change their decision.
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Response from developer

Thank you for your feedback, and for the kind words about the app. The good news is that the timer was not removed, but it was moved. You will find it under the Explore tab, in Timer Soundscapes. We have passed your comments on to our development team for review. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

It works

Experienced some crazy stuff with this app genuinely does work and would recommend

Response from developer

Thank you, and welcome to the journey. We are so glad Expand is resonating for you, and here is to many more explorations ahead. 🙏

Timer

Came here because the MUSE soundscapes were so good, so to me the timer with signals+background is easily the best feature of the app.

It would be nice to be able to use this feature offline. I don’t really see why we shouldn’t be able to.

Also, it took me weeks to discover this feature, as the tab sometimes takes you to the notifications page erroneously.
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Enchanting, Entrancing

I have been meditating for a while but the addition of the binaural music is just what my system needed/wanted! The guided meditations are superb. Can’t wait to take some Monroe Institute courses! Thank you, Monroe people, for this essential work!

Recommended

Sometimes it tends to log out and I need to retry to subscribe, then it logs in, otherwise except few minor glitches here and there it is a really good app. I wish they could include full Hemi Sync tapes so I avoid paying two subs.

Gratitude

The sound wave technology has been a great way to view that which is actually there,and its ability to help expand contemplation, while also helping understand what can be achieved.

Tracks have skipping

Idk what happened- an update or whatever but the timed tracks now have skip/repeat pauses. Please fix it! It’s very distracting.

Feature request

I use this app regularly, & I love it! I would love to see more unguided meditations. I would also like to request integration into smartwatch Health apps! I’d like to be able to include my meditations with this app in my meditation tracker & also have capability with the Welltory app. Unfortunately, they can’t use the Expand app as a source because the Expand app does not have Health app capabilities.
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The most powerful meditation tool I’ve ever experienced!!!

The most powerful meditation tool I’ve ever experienced!!!

Money maker

There are some good meditation here, no gateway project tapes $20 a month for guided meditations that you can get for free elsewhere. They got greedy!

Great but automatic pausing issue

I love the app and the meditations. Unfortunately, the app keeps pausing after 17-18 minutes. It forces you to get out of your meditation to hit the play button. Not funny. I have not found a way to fix this via iPhone settings. I don't have this issue with similar apps. Could you please fix it or share a fix ? Thanks.
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