# iBobber — user reviews > 72 indexed App Store user reviews of iBobber by ReelSonar, Inc., rated 4.00/5 from 254 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ibobber/id794673333/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ibobber/id794673333.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 152 · 4★ 38 · 3★ 11 · 2★ 13 · 1★ 40 ## What do users think of iBobber? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 👍 Easy to use - 🎣 Good for dock fishing - 💡 Innovative product - 💰 Great value for price - 🗺️ Mapping feature works well - 📶 Good connection (sometimes) - ✨ User-friendly features - ✅ Works as advertised - 🚀 Fast setup - 💡 Portable and convenient - 👍 Accurate depth readings - 💡 Fun to use - ✅ Great for bank fishing - 💡 Useful for finding holes - 💡 Good for ice fishing flasher **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent disconnections - 🐛 App crashes often - 🐛 Inconsistent connectivity - 🐛 False readings/inaccurate data - 🐛 Annoying pop-ups (purchase date) - 🐛 Poor performance in certain conditions - 🐛 Battery drains phone quickly - 🐛 Not compatible with older devices - 🐛 Missing features from manual - 🐛 Unusable without cell reception - 🐛 Software issues make it unusable - 🐛 Does not show grass well - 🐛 Confuses sticks for fish - 🐛 Firmware update issues - 🐛 Display issues on iPhone X - 🐛 Bluetooth link loss - 🐛 Cannot update firmware from iOS - 🐛 Trip logs disappear after update - 🐛 Long screen update delays - 🐛 Weak sonar signal issues - 🐛 Depth reader starts too high - 🐛 Fish alarm won't stay on - 🐛 Requires profile creation - 🐛 Low range/connectivity issues - 🐛 Does not give audible ping **Commonly reported bugs** - Screen auto-locks during waterbed mapping - App crashes upon connecting - iBobber disconnects frequently - False readings (fish in swimming pool, incorrect depth) - Purchase date pop-up appears repeatedly - Cannot register for an account (server problem) - Device stops supporting phone after purchase - App closes when connecting - iBobber not connected after app reopens - Device only connects indoors, weak signal outdoors - Depth readings are inaccurate - Shows ghost fish - Shows ledges that don't exist - iBobber won't connect to phone - Connection lasts only for a second - App crashes all the time - Does not give audible 'ping' when fish is located - Screen doesn't update often - Marks fish at multiple depths simultaneously - Tries to sell Netfish on app start - Apple Watch app requires phone - Connection issues - Latest app update resolved previous issues - App doesn't fill iPhone X screen - Bluetooth connection uses lots of phone battery - Cannot update firmware from iOS - App won't let user update to new version - Display issues on iPhone X - Fish setting (beeps) does not come back on after disconnect - Bobber light difficult to turn back on after reconnect - Firmware won't update - iBobber won't connect - Trip logs disappeared after new update - Long screen update delays - Requests to update firmware repeatedly - Firmware update hangs - Won't connect to iPhone - Device won't charge or work after first use - iPhone 4s not Bluetooth LE ready **Most requested features** - Keep screen from auto-locking during mapping - Toggle sensitivity and range for flasher mode - Add more fish types to log (walleye, crappie, trout) - Allow editing of trip log entries (date, time, weight, etc.) - Add a 'don't ask again' option for purchase date prompt - Improve Bluetooth connection stability - Add audible 'ping' for fish detection - Allow offline profile creation/skip profile step - Add a trouble section/PDF manual - Alert when device is fully charged - Add three categories for fish sizes (small, medium, large) - Different color for different fish sizes - Depth reader starting at 1 ft - Different color for s/m/l fish - Raw sonar mode availability ## Newest reviews (16 of 72) ### 2/5 — Kinda works, app always crashes after connecting *2026-08-22, version 4.1* . ### 4/5 — Nice *2026-04-03, version 4.1* Fantastic bobber ### 4/5 — It does what it should, a few suggestions *2026-02-01, version 4.1* I’ll probably write more reviews in the future because this does seem like a simple dashboard with simple controls. One thing I find kind of bothersome that I think should be implemented in the next update is keeping the screen from auto locking when you are waterbed mapping. I mean seriously, the phone already does this when you’re watching a video or movie. It’s kind of annoying to have to go into their phone settings and keep it from going to sleep every 10 seconds. I click auto mapping, and I’m trying to see the screen while I’m using my hands to handle the reel, but I have to stop every 10 seconds and click the screen to keep it from falling asleep. Please fix this in the next update! Thx! Another thing I think would be very useful is to be able to toggle sensitivity and range especially for flasher mode. I got the whole circle, but if I’m fishing and only 10 feet of water it doesn’t do me good that I can’t see a blip at four or six feet I think this app has a lot of potential but I don’t think whoever pushes the updates has used this app once since it’s released. ### 2/5 — Make iBobber Great Again *2025-10-13, version 4.1* You get what you pay for! ### 2/5 — Frustrating *2025-03-02, version 3.88* Hey App Designer, whatever triggers the pop up asking me when I bought my ibobber is making your app unusable. When I reply “don’t ask again“ please, don’t ask again! Also, if I do enter a date of purchase, then DON’T ASK AGAIN. It seems every time the screen changes from sonar to settings to whatever it triggers that pop-up screen. ### 4/5 — It does what it should, one suggestion *2024-05-07, version 3.82* I’ll probably write more reviews in the future because this does seem like a simple dashboard with simple controls. One thing I find kind of bothersome that I think should be implemented in the next update is keeping the screen from auto locking when you are waterbed mapping. I mean seriously, the phone already does this when you’re watching a video or movie. It’s kind of annoying to have to go into their phone settings and keep it from going to sleep every 10 seconds. I click auto mapping, and I’m trying to see the screen while I’m using my hands to handle the reel, but I have to stop every 10 seconds and click the screen to keep it from falling asleep. Please fix this in the next update! Thx! ### 4/5 — Dock Fishing *2024-04-24, version 3.82* Haven’t used for anything but fishing off our dock. Fun to use and see fish but obviously doesn’t guarantee a fish bite. ### 2/5 — Only ok *2020-11-10, version 3.1* Gives depth and fish locations, but it does not give an audible “ping” when a fish is located like it’s supposed to. That makes it difficult to use when you are in a kayak and trying to focus on speed and direction and cannot stare at your phone all the time. ### 1/5 — May need update *2020-07-08, version 3.1* My iBobber worked okay the first time I used it, but the second time out it marked a fish at 3ft and at the bottom of the lake simultaneously. I thought okay there are fish but no luck. Went out again same markers and I thought okay that’s weird and again no luck. Went out a few more times and notice again. Just tried it yesterday and the same thing. I’ll revise my review once this is corrected. ### 1/5 — Annoying *2019-09-13, version 2.83* Tries to sell you Netfish everytime you start the app and insists you enter your purchase date when you are trying to use the equipment. VERY annoying! ### 3/5 — Buggy. Needs work *2019-06-09, version 2.3* When it works in it great but to often it fails and it can be frustrating wasting time trying to get it to work. The Apple Watch app is a joke as you need the phone to work as well needs work to help with connection issues to remove the frustration. More specific error messages would help ### 1/5 — Don’t use for ice fishing *2019-01-14, version 2.68* I put the ibobber in my hole hoping it would work, but it is so off it’s not even funny. I was at 5 feet and I could see the bottom and it said 12 feet. It also said there was fish going under me and I look down and there’s nothing, so I drop my vexlar in and bam no fish! this is horrible for ice fishing, but maybe it’s good for open water but I’ll never know because it’s getting returned! ### 2/5 — App missing features cited in manual *2019-01-02, version 2.67* Manual shows photos of the Settings screen that do NOT match the iPhone app’s Settings screen. There is no “Personal” area - so no way to mark my fav fish. There is no “Bluetooth Sync” area - no way to follow instruction manual to sync. ### 1/5 — This product is complete trash *2018-12-24, version 2.66* I put it in a glass of water and it said there were fish like what the heck ### 1/5 — keep crashing *2018-12-04, version 2.66* cant use the bobber apps keep crashing ### 3/5 — Great product but no customization *2018-09-05, version 2.63* I would like to update information about my catches in my trip log but I cannot change date, time, weight, length and location. These should all be editable and not locked. Some types of fish are missing like sager, goldeye and a couple types of northern trout. There should be a line to write the type of fish caught if it isn’t present in the list. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Constantly disconnects/refuses to connect *2024-08-13, version 3.88* No matter if it’s 2 feet in front of me or 20 feet away, this thing RARELY works. I’ve stopped using it, you waste TONS of time trying to get this thing to work properly. I’d rather be fishing instead of messing on my phone troubleshooting. When it DOES decide to work (for 2 minutes until it randomly disconnects from my phone) it seems to give false readings. I’ve had it show fish in a swimming pool. Overall, this piece of junk + junk app is a complete waste of time and money. ### 1/5 — Compatibility just reduced *2023-06-23, version 3.64* I bought the iBobber in Dec and used in until it stopped supporting my phone. Now nothing, will not work. Waste of money with planned obsolescence, do not recommend until they provide backward support. Got it working for a short time riddled with bugs. The othe day it would work for a short time but would get widow asking for purchase date no matter what you did it always came back. Still a waste of time ### 1/5 — App crashes *2023-06-09, version 3.64* I have a new iPhone & iPad. When I click connect for my iBobber the app closes as soon as it says connected. I open the app back up & iBobber is not connected. I try to repeat & same result. It does it on both the iPhone & iPad! ### 1/5 — Could not register *2023-02-15, version 3.6* Well I really wanted to like this product but since purchasing as a Christmas gift, we can’t even register for an account to use the darn thing! We get a “Could Not Register. Server problem. Try again in a few minutes.” Well it’s been MANY attempts through the MANY minutes since Christmas. We have tried deleting the app to re download it. Tried on an android and apple phone, and still get the same message. I guess I just bought an expensive paper weight! ### 1/5 — Bummer… *2022-09-27, version 3.5* I really wanted to like this but it periodically asks you to enter the purchase date every 40 seconds. After clicking “do not ask again” it begins to ask every 20 seconds. After about the 20th time entering my purchase date, i promptly disconnected from the ibobber and began to enjoy my fishing trip. The hardware seems decent, but the software makes this virtually unusable. ### 1/5 — Not good *2022-04-15, version 3.3* This device will only connect inside your house once you step out of your house then it will just buffer over and over and over for a long time. And I’ve tried and tried and tried to make it work with this product is just a useless bobber ### 1/5 — Completely fake *2021-10-21, version 3.3* I have a pond at my house so I used it to setup there are no fish I know the depth and what the bottom looks like it it’s crystal clear and no rocks or plants or deep holes. So when I set it up it’s about 4-6 ft off when it reads depth I was also suprised to find out I have multiple ghost fish in my pond!! it says there are multiple fish under 15 in and 1 over 15 in it and I can clearly see no fish! It says I have 2 big ledges that go up 4ft but it’s a flat bottom it just makes up stuff and people that have no idea whats in the water at a lake or river with low visibility probably believe what they are seeing. That’s not cool! It’s completely wrong! Don’t buy it save some $ get a better setup! ### 1/5 — Don’t buy *2021-03-27, version 3.2* I bought this ibobber and finally got to use it now that it warmed up. My ibobber won’t connect to my phone thought it was my phone so my fishing buddies tried their phones (android) but it wouldn’t connect or if it did only for a second than disconnected. I did get it to connect 1 time but not even 25ft it said it couldn’t read. Don’t waste your money. ### 1/5 — The app crashes all the time *2020-12-12, version 3.2* The bobber itself is fine but app crashes and will not stop asking for date of purchase this needs to be fixed ### 1/5 — Trash *2020-07-11, version 3.1* This is my second ibobber, I returned the first one, and they both disconnect often and the screen doesn’t update often. The bobber is literally 1’ from me beside the kayak and it doesn’t update and disconnects. Stay far away ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Great for Dock Fishing *2024-06-10, version 3.82* It works great and is a lot of fun. Haven’t encountered any of the issues other reviewers have had. Only issue is with my older iPad screen brightness but the app can be run in dark mode which is excellent. ### 5/5 — It Works! *2023-12-02, version 3.7* We love iBobber. Always in my tackle box when bank fishing. A little fish finder on the go. Also, please continue to update the app. I was glad to see an update this week. Good product! ### 5/5 — Good *2021-07-01, version 3.2* Good ### 5/5 — Latest update mandatory *2019-01-18, version 2.70* I previously gave a pretty bad review of the app. I amended it to an ok review of the app when real sonar contacted me and replaced my iBobber and things worked again. The latest app appears to have resolved all the issues I had with the first iBobber and now have two of them! Way to go real sonar! Awesome product. Awesome app. Awesome company to deal with when things go awry. A+++ would recommend. Good job guys! ### 5/5 — Great fish finder *2018-07-09, version 2.6* I really enjoy the simplicity of this fish finder and it’s “user friendly” features... ### 5/5 — Great for the price *2018-07-09, version 2.6* This is a handy portable and convenient unit that works surprisingly well. Tried alongside a dedicated unit and had similar results with a more user friendly output. Highly recommend ### 5/5 — Easy to use *2018-06-11, version 2.5* I fish from a fishing well which is basically a house out in the middle of the lake so my iBobber is never more than 25 feet from my iPhone. The connection has always been good and I have been very pleased with its performance. Battery life appears to be greater than the ten hours advertised on the box. However the iPhone blue tooth connection uses up lots of phone battery so I suggest having a way to charge your phone on extended trips. The iBobber ease of use is an important feature which allows me to fish without a lot of setup. I have a Garmin Striker 4 which really isn’t designed to be portable and requires a lot of setup whenever I go fishing. Fishing from a stationary location I have not had the need to test the mapping feature. Overall I recommend the iBobber ### 5/5 — Got me my first flathead catfish *2018-04-05, version 2.3* Found a nice hole with a fish at the bottom. Casted right in there and got him! Apple watch also nice feature. Suggested improvements: If I loose connection and reconnect it's a bit tricky to turn the bobber light back on. Otherwise keep it up!! ### 5/5 — Value finally meets reliability *2017-01-13, version 1.97* By far the best portable fish finder on the market. At under $100 it has 95% of the features the higher priced models have without costing 2.5x more like they do. Easy to use for all tech levels. My gramma can use it with my 6 year old. Must buy gadget for 2017! ### 5/5 — Works as advertised! *2016-07-06, version 1.82* Great battery, love the sonar view. Mapped my pond and made a big difference in where I fish. --- *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 2026-08-26.*