# Meural — user reviews > 178 indexed App Store user reviews of Meural by NETGEAR, rated 4.30/5 from 3,671 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meural/id1065654986/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meural/id1065654986.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 2,724 · 4★ 330 · 3★ 151 · 2★ 102 · 1★ 364 ## What do users think of Meural? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 🖼️ Excellent art and photo display quality - 📚 Wide variety of art and photo content - 🎨 Great for displaying personal photos and artwork - 🕰️ Convenient scheduling and playlist features **Cons** - 🐛 Buggy and unstable app with frequent crashes - 🔍 Difficult to browse and manage photos/albums - 🔒 Privacy concerns with required full photo library access - 🔌 Unreliable connectivity and sync issues - 💰 Expensive product with poor value for money **Commonly reported bugs** - App freezes and crashes when trying to upload photos - Inability to log in or sync with canvas device - Scheduled playlists and sleep/wake times not working reliably - Incompatibility issues with newer iOS versions **Most requested features** - Add ability to sort and search photo albums - Improve photo upload and management functionality - Provide more granular control over brightness and settings - Integrate with smart home platforms like Google Home ## Newest reviews (18 of 178) ### 4/5 — Long live Meural *2026-07-29, version 7.0.0* So disappointed that Netgear bought them and has no decided to stop making them. Not perfect but pretty damn close. Some simple updates to the app would get it 5 stars. Needs to be easier to manage playlists and delete images. I hope Netgear keeps the servers going or else I’ll have a brick on my wall. Or will it work off the memory card at that point until the screen goes dark? ### 2/5 — Glitchy app, no support - now unusable. *2026-06-21, version 7.0.0* The app functions basically well. However, it’s very prone to glitches and is fiddly to work with. e.g. syncing is poor and there’s no ‘push’ function to refresh this ability. I noticed new photos added to linked albums weren’t appearing in Meural (and it doesn’t cycle through the whole album - it seems to select a handful of photos in an album and only cycle through those - some photos never get displayed). I tried unlinking the album and then linking it again, but then the photos did not appear at all. I tried uploading static photos but they don’t seem to appear. Maybe it was an issue with the app so I deleted the app and reinstalled it - now I cannot even log in. I login and it takes me to the home page, then a fraction of a second later it logs out and takes me back to the login screen in an endless loop. Without the app the canvass is useless so I now have a very expensive inanimate screen hanging on the wall. NETGEAR seem to have created a very expensive product and then not given much thought to any ongoing maintenance or updates that would allow customers to actually use it. I think they have moved on and don’t commit any resources to maintaining the software that is required to make this product functional. There are several other improvements that could be made to the app, e.g. more filtering or sorting of photos users add (they seem to appear in both the ‘uploads’ album and playlists randomly - not by date added or date taken and there is no way to change this, which makes finding photos extremely difficult in long playlists or among all your uploads. It would be good if NETGEAR payed a little more attention to the issues with this app as there are many customers online with similar complaints. ### 2/5 — Terrible software *2026-06-07, version 7.0.0* Both the app and the web interface are difficult to use and slow. Devices themselves are actually good so it’s a shame they did not invest in the software. ### 2/5 — Borderline invasion of privacy *2026-04-09, version 7.0.0* This app is a bit frustrating. They are not mindful of the user, very invasive. They force you to create an account. By doing so you sign your life away with the waiver. To top things off they REFUSE to allow “limited access” to photos. They specifically say they need full access to all photos and albums, they will not allow partial access. Edit 4-9-26 For a couple of months now the app just will not let me add new photos. Just gives a general “error” message. Hard close the app, restart the canvas-no change. So far it is looking like whatever pictures are on the canvas, that’s what it is stuck with. ### 2/5 — Constantly Glitching and Crashing *2026-02-02, version 7.0.0* This app is constantly glitching and crashing. Right now it won’t even open. I have had this application for years and am so frustrated by it i’m ready to toss it out and buy a different digital frame. ### 1/5 — Extremely difficult to pair Meural with network. *2026-01-25, version 7.0.0* Highly unintuitive. Still can’t get it to work. ### 1/5 — The glitchiest app I’ve ever seen *2026-01-08, version 7.0.0* This app infuriates me regularly. I am a teacher and use a meural in my classroom to display work of famous artists that go with our units. I really hate meural but it’s what was purchased before I got here. Will be getting a different type of virtual frame asap just because the app is so horrifically glitchy. I literally have to completely delete and re-download it at least once a month just to be able to log in. So far this week I have deleted and re-downloaded it four times trying to log in and update the artwork my frame is displaying… and am still unsuccessful. Stay far away if you can! ### 3/5 — Clunky *2025-12-17, version 7.0.0* Not a bad device, but tends to cut off the tops of pictures. ### 1/5 — Great frame, terrible app *2025-12-17, version 7.0.0* The Canvas II digital picture frame is a stellar product that displays my photos with excellent color and clarity. The app, however, is a disaster. Frequent errors and an unintuitive interface make even the simplest operations, like uploading photos, in to a chore. If you aren't technologically inclined, avoid this product. The Web app isn't much better. Massive quality improvements are desperately needed. ### 1/5 — DISAPPOINTING *2025-12-15, version 7.0.0* The app is VERY DISAPPOINTING. It’s clunky, not intuitive at all, and difficult to upload photos. Once photos are finally uploaded, creating an album is like pulling teeth without anesthesia. Most of the time, the app says “Invalid Token” when you try typing something in. I might return the frame and purchase another brand. ### 1/5 — Always Something Wrong *2025-12-04, version 7.0.0* I love my Meural Canvases. I own four of them. That’s why it’s frustrating to have to leave such a terrible review for the app and the website, as well. No matter how many times I log in and tell the browser or app to remember and trust whichever device I’m on, it never remembers. I have to login and have a security code sent to me every single time. You also cannot switch from canvas to canvas in the app without having to wait for the app to do whatever it’s doing. Customer service is nonexistent. Currently, as of December 4, 2025, when I open the app, I get nothing but a blank white screen. The app hasn’t been updated in almost a year. You can’t sort playlists by title in the browser, but you can in the app. That’s just one of many discrepancies in features between the app and the browser functionality. ### 2/5 — Borderline invasion of privacy *2025-12-01, version 7.0.0* This app is a bit frustrating. They are not mindful of the user, very invasive. They force you to create an account. By doing so you sign your life away with the waiver. To top things off they REFUSE to allow “limited access” to photos. They specifically say they need full access to all photos and albums, they will not allow partial access. ### 2/5 — Hook line sinker *2025-11-30, version 7.0.0* The idea is great and should be in transferring images but it’s not so smooth. Then when you ask a question to the tech…you have to pay a fee ### 1/5 — Garbage app *2025-11-12, version 7.0.0* I have to delete it and redownload it every time I want to edit or upload anything. It’s so ridiculous for a product so expensive. ### 4/5 — Linking the right album extremely difficult when you have many photo albums *2025-11-06, version 7.0.0* Really love the improvements. One thing that I HATE however is that I have a ton of photo albums (and I feel like this product is geared towards people just like me). Finding and linking the album is extremely difficult. There should be a way to search on an album title or string…or at least SORT the albums. It would also be preferred to link more than one album at a time. I literally have to scroll down at least 200 albums to find what I want to link, which is extremely tedious. And since the albums are not sorted, this takes forever to do. Need a scroll bar, need to be able to sort albums and need to be able to search for an album name. ### 2/5 — Major bugs *2025-10-21, version 7.0.0* This app is extremely frustrating. Every time I try to add photos or create a new playlist, it says “invalid token” over and over until I have to delete the app, redownload, sign in again, and basically start from the beginning every single time. Very annoying. ### 2/5 — Amazing Product with a Lacklustre App *2025-10-15, version 7.0.0* I love my Meural Canvas. It reproduces my photos with great color. The art collection available is good and looks realistic. I wish they had some of my favourite modern artists. The app looks visually appealing and functions are laid out intuitively. But it does not function well. The app seems to reset overnight. Each morning I open the app and it says it’s connected to my Canvas but I have to logout and back in to get it to actually do anything. Uploads frequently say they have an error but they sometimes are actually successful. It forgets my sleep/wake and playlist schedules every day. I find myself using the web interface more than the app. And even the web has issues with 404 and 503 errors regularly. ### 2/5 — Come on! Fix basic issues. *2025-10-10, version 7.0.0* The app works fine but connecting to my meural is terrible. Whenever I want to control my frame using my very common iPhone 12 I need to uninstall the app, download and reinstall. It will then work once then I need to repeat the process every time I want to connect to my frame. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Keep getting invalid token intermittently *2026-08-15, version 7.0.0* I keep getting invalid token error from the app which is annoying. Tried reinstalling and reconnecting. But am able to connect and add playlist to the canvas sometimes ### 1/5 — App malfunction *2026-08-11, version 7.0.0* The app is horrible. I have to delete the app and re-downloaded every single time because it doesn’t open my pictures. There hasn’t been a single update to the app, but they’re still making a lot of money just from selling the item, but the app does not do it justice. This app freaking sucks do better update it updated. ### 1/5 — App Fails, Little Support *2026-06-21, version 7.0.0* It’s very clear by all the feedback on Netgears own site, Reddit, etc, that netgear doesn’t support fixing the bugs that operate the updating of photos. Despite the many recommended steps. Once it fails it fails. Would not purchase again. ### 1/5 — Frustrated *2026-06-21, version 7.0.0* I can no longer upload my family photos to Meural. It says “some items failed to upload” ### 1/5 — Poorly supported *2026-05-11, version 7.0.0* App is not great. Inexplicably requires access to all photos instead of just the ones you want to allow ### 1/5 — The most buggy app I need to use *2026-03-31, version 7.0.0* Paid $500 dollars for the frame and now stuck with the app that won’t ever upload photos or work properly. So frustrating ### 1/5 — I think they all died… *2026-03-26, version 7.0.0* Needs to have a native Mac app, or fix the iPad app to work on Mac ### 1/5 — Abandonware *2026-02-27, version 7.0.0* Disappointed that Netgear has more or less abandoned the Meural project. It was a poor fit for a router company to begin with. I have to log out and log back in to this app literally every day in order to change art on my Meural. The hardware is great. The subscription app, not so much. They should just open source the software and cut their losses and let users have whatever art they’ve already downloaded, because the ongoing subscription at this point is just insulting and a cash grab. ### 1/5 — Absolutely Terrible *2026-02-21, version 7.0.0* This is the second Meural Canvas I’ve owned. The first one straight up quit working and Netgear wouldn’t give me any type of technical support without a $100 fee. That was just to TRY to get it to work without any guarantee. I ended up, just tossing it in the trash. I bought another one because I couldn’t find another brand was the same size for a decent price. But this app?!? It’s absolutely horrendous. Every time I want to use it, I have to delete it, re-download it, and re-login to get it to work. It’s the wildest thing ever. I love the digital picture frame, but the app and the connectivity is the worst I’ve ever experienced. 👎🏻👎🏻 ### 1/5 — Love the canvas but the app is awful *2026-02-13, version 7.0.0* I use the cavas to display my photos and love it but the controls/app are awful. Perhaps the worst I’ve seen. I have to regularly uninstall/reinstall the app to get it to work. Have to reconnect wifi , resend all my photos to the frame, reset the scheduler as it seems to forget the schedule. The wave control intermittently works. I’m getting faster at doing all the above but what a pain. Fortunately I have fiddled with it enough to continue to get this frame to work as I do love the frame itself. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Neural *2026-08-06, version 7.0.0* It’s working fine unless you are using SD card ### 5/5 — Love the Meural and everything it does *2025-11-06, version 7.0.0* Had it for 10 years and love how it works and has been very solid for so many years. ### 5/5 — Fails at start *2025-03-31, version 7.0.0* Not functional on my Apple MacBook Pro M1, even after reinstalling. ### 5/5 — Horrible support *2025-03-29, version 7.0.0* I was gifted this product from my cousin who is the orginal owner. Despite having all his information and original receipt. Support is non responsive in helping me unregister the device from his account so I can use. This device is nothing more than a piece of garbage due to lack of customer support ### 5/5 — Love it *2023-10-01, version 5.3.2* Our adult children upload new photos of their families regularily and so we get these surprise photos. We love it. ### 5/5 — Great app *2022-01-16, version 5.2.7.7099* I love this app and it’s easy to use. I display personal photos and artwork. ### 5/5 — Love everything about Meural *2021-11-27, version 5.2.6.6755* As a photographer, I always look forward to uploading my work. Aside from creating a print, displaying photos of anything whether it’s family, landscapes, travel, creating playlists and recalling them for display on the wall is so much better than leaving them trapped in a file somewhere, or displaying them online. ### 5/5 — Excellent *2021-11-02, version 5.2.6.6755* Love the variety ### 5/5 — Van Gogh *2021-09-13, version 5.2.4.6426* It’s a wonderful way to get to really know a picture ### 5/5 — Neat concept *2020-10-19, version 5.0.7.3228* First, the devs of the app are the best and responsive. Mural is a cool concept but there’s always quirks with the app. I’m just glad they keep updating it otherwise my picture frame would become a brick. Currently I’m seeing an issue with cropping photos I’ve uploaded. I compose and save and the crop doesn’t take effect. --- *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 2026-09-06.*