# First Things — user reviews > 38 indexed App Store user reviews of First Things by THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION & PUBLIC LIFE INC, rated 4.63/5 from 362 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-things/id450439723/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-things/id450439723.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 309 · 4★ 15 · 3★ 7 · 2★ 10 · 1★ 19 ## What do users think of First Things? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 👍 Excellent content and writing - 👍 Superb publication - 👍 Thought-provoking articles - 👍 Coherently intellectual analysis - 👍 Premiere journal of religion and public life - 👍 Great magazine **Cons** - 🐛 Requires separate subscription for app - 🐛 Login methods not working - 🐛 App not updating editions - 🐛 App is like a PDF reader, no interaction - 🐛 App difficult to navigate - 🐛 Preview pane interferes with reading - 🐛 Cuts off bottom of page, black bar on top - 🐛 Cannot minimize horizontal scrolling - 🐛 Cannot log in with subscription - 🐛 Unfriendly app interface - 🐛 Terrible update, nonfunctional - 🐛 Latest version useless, lost saved items - 🐛 Unusable after recent update - 🐛 Unreadable on iPhone, text size issues - 🐛 Not optimized for small screens - 🐛 Poorly designed app, hides content - 🐛 Customer service unhelpful - 🐛 App crashes on startup - 🐛 Zoom gets stuck, app freezes - 🐛 New sash remains after reading **Commonly reported bugs** - Login methods not working - App not updating editions - Preview pane interferes with reading - Cuts off bottom of page, black bar on top - Cannot minimize horizontal scrolling - Cannot log in with subscription - App is nonfunctional after update - Lost all saved items after update - App is unusable after update - Unreadable on iPhone, text size issues - Not optimized for small screens - App hides content - App crashes on startup - Zoom gets stuck, app freezes - App freezes when using zoom - New sash remains after reading - Swiping pages in landscape mode causes freezing - App crashes when opening in Newsstand - App freezes when using zoom **Most requested features** - Allow login with digital subscription username/password - Fix login methods - Make table of contents hyperlinked - Include a Contents menu to see articles before buying - Fix preview pane issue - Allow saving and bookmarking articles - Improve app navigation - Allow interaction with text - Fix app to utilize full screen of newer iPhones - Make text readable size on iPhone - Optimize for small screens - Improve app interface - Fix zoom issues - Fix app freezing - Fix 'new' sash issue - Allow access to digital subscription on iPad - Make app professional with links in table of contents/menu - Allow offline reading of purchased editions - Fix app to display library of issues ## Newest reviews (10 of 38) ### 2/5 — Non readable *2026-07-19, version 23.0* Print edition microscopic on the phone. Unreadable. Great publication but useless app. ### 3/5 — Great content, inflexible app. *2023-11-11, version 21.0* Always thought provoking articles. However the “app” is little more than a pdf reader. In fact, it is less. You cannot save, bookmark, or interact with the text in any way. Also,this review seems to be in white colored font, so I can’t actually see what I am typing. ### 3/5 — App is not great to navigate *2022-08-05, version 21.0* I feel it would make a lot of sense if the table of contents was at least hyperlinked so I don’t have to just randomly scroll around at the bottom looking for the article I want to read. I prefer reading this kind of content on my phone, but the app is not great to navigate. ### 4/5 — Needs a menu option *2022-04-24, version 21.0* Please include a Contents so people can see the articles before buying the magazine ### 2/5 — Love the publication, difficulty with the app interface *2021-09-16, version 21.0* First Things produces some of the best writing available today. Absolutely love their articles, essays, and thoughts. But the app on the iPhone cuts off the bottom quarter of the page with the horizontal scrolling page feature, and shows a black bar on top that could conceivably be used as space to fit the pages of the magazine. Additionally, there’s no way to minimize the horizontal scrolling pages feature, which makes it difficult to read the articles. ### 1/5 — Terrible update does not work *2019-03-04, version 12.6* This recent update is nonfunctional. ### 1/5 — Unreadable on iPhone *2018-10-26, version 8.3* Needs work to utilize full screen of newer iPhones, and to make text an appropriate and readable size. ### 1/5 — Not at all ready for small screen *2018-02-26, version 8.3* Pages emulate magazine layout and are not optimized for small screen. 2-tap inflates text beyond screen. Impossible to finagle into readability. Same with iPad. Print also incompatible with Retina display and mildly blurry. I instantly regretted this buy. Asked for and received a refund, which took multiple calls and disconnections. Those tasked with supporting this app knew little about it. Great publication, on paper. ### 5/5 — Thoughtfully written and beautifully presented *2015-04-16, version 5.9* Still the premiere journal of religion and public life, First Things is a pleasure to read even when standing in vehement disagreement to various perspectives elucidated within (and contrary to some perceptions, there are various perspectives represented within the Great Tradition, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox). The format makes both browsing and reading a real delight on the iPad, with back issues available for easy perusal and current editions appearing in a timely way. ### 4/5 — Great content, finally on iPhone *2014-12-20, version 5.6* I would love to be able to access First Things on my primary device, my iPhone, but I am not able to. I was told that the iPhone's display was "too small to appreciate the content." I consume content on my iPhone all day long. And, iPhones have bigger displays now. Can we please get First Things on iPhone? Edit: You can now get First Things on iPhone! ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Not the same as a digital subscription *2026-06-18, version 23.0* I thought that getting a subscription through the app would be the same as getting a digital subscription through the website, but the two subscription types are separate. This is not clearly stated anywhere. I mainly wanted the digital subscription for the archive access, but the app archive access is very poor - no index or way to search. ### 1/5 — Lame *2026-06-14, version 23.0* This is not included in the cost of FT annual subscription. Don’t waste your time downloading it unless you want to pay for it twice. ### 1/5 — Requires a separate subscription *2025-12-03, version 23.0* Requires a separate subscription. I have a print and web subscription but I need a separate one for the app??? ### 1/5 — Please fix login methods! *2025-08-19, version 22.0* I love First Things as a publication, but this app stinks. It doesn’t even give me the option to sign in to my digital subscription with my username and password! Please fix this as I’d love to use the app to access this content! ### 1/5 — Not updating editions *2023-11-24, version 21.0* The app is only accessing up to October 2023 editions even though Inhabe a current subscription ### 1/5 — Fix the app *2021-12-15, version 21.0* When will you fix the app so the preview pane doesn’t interfere with the reading pane? It’s impossible to read a full article. ### 1/5 — Paid, can’t log in *2020-12-05, version 20.0* Bought the app, can’t access it. 😞😞😞 ### 1/5 — Can’t log in *2019-04-19, version 12.6* I am a subscriber and have entered every possible bit of information and still cannot access this application. Terribly frustrating. ### 1/5 — Terrible app!!! *2019-03-15, version 12.6* The app is the unfriendliest ever. Can’t undeline, or copy, the look is terrible. Just an aweful app ### 1/5 — First Things Journal Customer Service is abysmal *2019-03-10* I have subscribed to this journal for years. I appreciate the content and quality of journalism but the Maz platform is awful - simply awful. I recently renewed my subscription and could access the 2019 issues for a bit but haven’t been able to access the new issue for a few weeks. FT simply will not answer my emails. I can only access issues from Dec 2018 and the back issues. I have no idea what to do. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — First Things is First Rate *2023-01-13, version 21.0* This is by far the best “journal” of philosophy, politics and contemporary life published today. Most of our lives is filled with a lot of reading. Whatever you do, when you start to prioritize what needs to be read, put First Things at the top of that list!! ### 5/5 — Excellent writing! *2022-08-08, version 21.0* And topics I enjoy. Superb publication. ### 5/5 — Must have reading for informed Catholics *2022-05-03, version 21.0* Excellent writing, theology and insight! A must-have for thinking Catholics. ### 5/5 — Superb *2022-01-11, version 21.0* Radical, provocative and eminently well written. ### 5/5 — Coherently intellectual *2019-05-27, version 12.6* This nondenominational magazine forces one to think and importantly rethink the important moral in humanist issues of our history, our current time, and our future. ### 5/5 — Latest Version is Useless *2019-02-27, version 12.6* I faithfully updated the First Things app to the latest version a week ago and now I lost all saved items. It does not save editions that have been purchased for offline reading. It only shows items though December 2018. When I sent a request for help, I was told that the publisher did not release Jan, Feb or March 2019 for Maz ( the app creator) to put online. On another IPad Pro that thankfully have not updated to this version of the app, I still have access to all downloads and especially the 3 2019 issues. Do not update to this version! ### 5/5 — Broken & Defective *2019-02-27, version 12.6* The most recent update made this app unusable, and I am unable to find a way to fix it. I am going to cancel my subscription and see about getting a refund. ### 5/5 — App is OK - content is magnificent *2018-05-07, version 8.3* The app is OK but the content is to die for! That’s it. ### 5/5 — Poor app *2015-10-18, version 6.0* Poorly designed app. Hides content and attempts to take you to the website, which requires a different subscription. The app should display your library of issues. But that's blurred out and in the background. FT customer service is unhelpful and will refer any request for help to iTunes. They even claimed I didn't have a subscription. Right. I bet there's a big black market for FT subscriptions. ### 5/5 — The best Christian periodical in print *2015-08-18* First Things represents the finest Christian cultural analysis available, period. Read it, and let it help you as you seek to take every thought captive to Christ. --- *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 2026-07-30.*