Expand: Beyond Meditation appears to be a legitimate app. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Expand is 88 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.

Expand Reviews: Is It Legit?

Name: Expand: Beyond Meditation
Rating: 4.04305 (302 reviews)

Expand: Beyond Meditation

THE MONROE INSTITUTE

🌟 Lifestyle

💪 Health & Fitness

Customer Experience

Positive experience49.7% of reviews

Neutral12.1% of reviews

Negative experience38.2% of reviews

~ Based on 157 written reviews from the US App Store.

What users say about Expand

Reviews of Expand are mostly positive: the Health & Fitness app is rated 4.0/5 from 302 App Store ratings. What users like most: powerful meditation tool, lovely and helpful. Top complaints: money maker, how do you get a premium subscription?. Summarized from real user reviews.

Positive things

🚀Powerful meditation tool
👍Lovely and helpful
👍Great way to practice
👍Transformative
👍First class app
👍Seriously the best app
👍Phenomenal
👍Brilliant
👍Excellent extension of the Gateway tapes
👍Amazing
👍Beyond mindfulness - my new favorite meditation app
👍The best gift!
👍SO relaxing
👍Very Good Mediation App
👍LOVE LOVE LOVE
👍Very promising so far

Negative things

💰Money maker
🔒How do you get a premium subscription?
🐛Cuts off sometimes?
🔍Where's the guidance?
🐛Annoyed
🐛Login screen of the app doesn't work
🐛Great app but constantly crashes
🐛Unusable with current update
🐛Have they changed the app?
🐛Broken app since update
🐛Fraud
🐛App does work...
🐛Bait and switch. Immediately disappointed
🐛Crashes
🐛Not working
🐛Terrible
🐛Glitches
🐛Doesn't open and load when needed!
🐛Locked out of my subscription
🐛Annoying
🐛Crashes
🐛Sound not working
🐛Terrible guides/narrators!!!

Is Expand Safe?

Expand: Beyond Meditation appears mostly safe based on user ratings. AppsHunter Safety Score for Expand is 80/100.

This assessment is based on 302 user ratings, with an App Store average of 4.0/5.

Safety Analysis

73.4% of ratings point to a safe experience

6.1% of ratings suggest some concerns

20.5% of ratings point to a risky experience

~ Based on 297 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

Most Recent Highest Rated Lowest Rated

Amazing

Great app that I use daily and every evening. Had issues with the timer and worked with the amazing support team which they have now resolved, also great that they have added the timer button back on the bottom ribbon. Great work all

TTopCatUK2000

a month ago

Response from developer

Thank you for coming back to update your review, and for the kind words about our support team. We are so glad the Timer is working for you again, and that you are enjoying having it back on the bottom ribbon. Here is to many more evenings with Expand.

Help

Subscription doesn’t work. I can choose the plan but then nothing happens. No button to confirm. Unable to scroll further down. Can’t find email support on the app. Please help.

CAcatin' around

a month ago

Response from developer

Thank you for letting us know, and we are sorry for the frustration. The subscription screen should let you confirm your plan, and we would like to get you set up. Please write to support@monroeinstitute.org with your device model and the version shown at the bottom of My Profile, and our team will get you taken care of. We have also passed your note about finding support inside the app on to our team.

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.

SShongway

a month ago

Response from developer

Thank you for writing, and for your patience through a rough start. The password problem you hit on manual registration has now been fixed: version 2.2.0, released on 4 September, accepts passwords containing any special character. Thank you for flagging it, because reports like yours are what got it identified. Your kind words about the support team have been passed on to them. If anything else gets in your way, please write to support@monroeinstitute.org and our team will pick it up directly.

Great App, but Frequent Timer Glitch

I really enjoy this app and find it a highly effective aid in meditation—when it works. However, my biggest critique is that the timer function frequently begins counting down without actually playing the sounds (neither the signal nor the background music). I often cannot get it to work at all, leading me to just give up in frustration after 10 minutes trying to troubleshoot. I think it is a glitch, and it really does need to get fixed.

TTdadamo

a month ago

Response from developer

Thank you for this, and for the detail on what the timer is doing. The good news is that this has now been fixed. An update released on 17 September reloads the signal track before the timer starts, so it plays every time. It arrives on its own the next time you fully close and reopen the app, and My Profile will then show v2.2.0-ota.4 or later. If the timer still counts down without sound after that, please write to support@monroeinstitute.org with your device and the version shown, and our team will get you taken care of. Thank you very much for your patience.

Great app

The app and content are great. I would love to get into the gateway content.

Can you folks make a subscription that includes gateway?

WWednesday

2 months ago

Response from developer

Thank you, we are glad the app is working for you. Regarding the Gateway Voyage program, playback is now available through the app with the purchase of the program itself. Annual app subscribers will have access to the Intro and Chapter 1 so that they can get an understanding of the material before deciding to make the full program purchase. We hope this is helpful and thank you again for your review.

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.

IIswjjebsvaa

2 months ago

Response from developer

Thank you for setting this out so clearly, and we are sorry the app has been frustrating to use. Two of the problems you describe were fixed in version 2.2.0, released on 4 September: the crash when an event search returns no results, and not being able to play the same meditation twice in a row. You were on 2.1.1, so updating should resolve both of those. On the ratings, your point is a fair one and we have passed it to our product team. If anything is still not right after you update, please write to support@monroeinstitute.org and we will look at your account directly.

Will explore this App curiously

SShongway

2 months ago

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.

HRHonest review,…

3 months ago

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

BGbattle GOP

3 months ago

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.

ZSZena Star

3 months ago

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

NNekolieber

3 months ago

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.

Tthisdesertman

3 months ago

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.

VVictim2

3 months ago

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!

Nnissa.gun

3 months ago

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.

Dduderinio

3 months ago

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

Ddfitz142

3 months ago

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.

Ttime-itself

5 months ago

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!

Kkimbcycle

5 months ago

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.

Jjaystkz

6 months ago