# New York Public Library (NYPL) — user reviews > 78 indexed App Store user reviews of New York Public Library (NYPL) by The New York Public Library, rated 2.60/5 from 111 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-york-public-library-nypl/id1474533999/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-york-public-library-nypl/id1474533999.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 27 · 4★ 12 · 3★ 12 · 2★ 15 · 1★ 45 ## What do users think of New York Public Library (NYPL)? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 👍 Mobile checkout is great - 👍 Self checkout is awesome - 👍 Easy to reserve books - 👍 Good for checking book availability - 👍 App has potential - 👍 Great graphics (mentioned once) - 👍 Magazine search easy - 👍 Events virtual accessible - 👍 Library hours easy **Cons** - 🐛 Glitchy and buggy app - 🐛 Far from intuitive - 🐛 Poorly organized - 🐛 Difficult to use - 🐛 Losing functionality - 🐛 Not optimized for iPads - 🐛 Slow to load - 🐛 Freezes often - 🐛 Clunky and hard to use - 🐛 Doesn't work on work WiFi - 🐛 Loading spinner too long - 🐛 Crashes constantly - 🐛 Mobile checkout issues - 🐛 Outdated UI/UX - 🐛 Cannot pay fines in app - 🐛 Doesn't integrate with Kindle - 🐛 Doesn't deal with ebooks - 🐛 Requires multiple apps for digital content **Commonly reported bugs** - App shows zero books checked out/on hold - Search results don't show call numbers or availability - App is blank - App won't stay open after update - Screen freezes when opening title page - Takes forever to load book details and location - Catalog searches return no results - App won't accept credentials/barcode/password - App crashes when selecting a book from search results - Holds are not successfully placed - App doesn't link all media types in search **Most requested features** - List function for saved searches - Smoother visual design - See all checked out items for all accounts without multiple steps - Permanent default library setting - Mobile checkout feature to work - Reserve book to go to a branch feature to work - Show all library branches in search results - Add NYPL card to Apple Wallet - Improve UI/UX for holds screen - Allow paying fines and fees through the app - Integrate eBook borrowing (e.g., Kindle) - Consolidate all library information into one app ## Newest reviews (20 of 78) ### 2/5 — Surprisingly bad. Sadly. *2026-08-24, version 2026.08.00* I’m surprised with all the passionate, talented, and dedicated people that work for the NYPL, that this app was the best they could produce. Surely they have someone who teaches a class on end user interface or something similar. If not they have a book on it. Allow us to select multiple format filters for one basic thing. Make it search, not catalog. Or change “catalog” to a browse/discovery option and add a prominent search function. No the current is not well designed or placed. It’s honestly very poor. Allow change of default library branch in app for those who’ve moved. ### 3/5 — could be much better *2026-07-27, version 2026.07.00* quiet unfortunate that this app is so confusing and terribly designed. why can’t you see how many people are on hold for a book until you actually go and put it on hold?? new design is fine but why is the website UI totally different and better than this ### 2/5 — Quite mediocre *2026-07-19, version 2026.07.00* I’ve been a customer of NYPL library services for nearly a year now, and I appreciate the variety of reading material available and have been able to enjoy a couple ebooks. However, I cannot get over how terrible their apps (own, Overdrive, and Libby) and their site are, right from the beginning. The fault isn’t even with the latest versions, they’ve been uniformly awful with any actions I try to execute from the very beginning of my time as a library member. I can’t find the availability of any of the books I’m looking for, cannot borrow, cannot see my checkouts, pretty much nothing. If I could ask for help with a specific task, I would, but their online presence is messed up from A-Z. How can they be so mediocre and serve a great city like NYC? ### 4/5 — Why can’t I save titles for later?? *2026-05-14, version 1.0.18* I love the app for the most part, but I hate that I have to be in a web browser to bookmark titles for later! As I’m scrolling insta or in a conversation with friends I want to be able to quickly add titles to my app but not put a hold on all of them at once. I don’t know why this feature isn’t available on the app but it is on the website. Drives me crazy! ### 4/5 — Good but a suggestion *2026-04-25, version 1.0.18* Im not a very avid library user, I do check out stuff every once in awhile. Sometimes I forget the things I want to check out eventually, once I’m done with something else. It’d be nice for there to be a list function that puts items into a list of like saved searches. To eventually put on hold. That’s it. Besides that, app visual design could be smoother but more or less good app in my opinion. ### 2/5 — meh *2026-04-04, version 1.0.18* The NYPL deserves a world class app. This app is glitchy, far from intuitive and poorly organized. Did you guys farm this out to a high school intern or what? Love the library hate the app. ### 2/5 — This app is very difficult to use , BAD! *2026-03-06, version 1.0.18* . ### 3/5 — Suddenly losing functionality *2026-02-25, version 1.0.18* I was generally happy with the app. It allowed me to manage three card accounts (mine and my kids’), search, place holds, look up status. Some functions require more steps than is ideal (ie would be great to see all checked out items for all accounts without three steps between each), and I kept resetting my default library from my old neighborhood to my new one without it ever permanently updating, but overall it worked fine. Now, when I search the catalog, results don’t show call numbers or availability. I’m flying blind hoping it’s the right edition and available when o place a hold. Seems to not play well with the latest iPhone update, but who knows. I still appreciate having it, but it’s slipping and I have to use it in tandem with the web, which defeats the purpose of an app. ### 3/5 — It Works, But Has a Serious Problem *2025-10-24, version 1.0.17* I’ve been using the app for some years now without issue. The mobile checkout feature is great. However, there’s one problem that made take two stars off my rating. For sometime now, when you look at the list of library branches where a specific book might be, the list in the app is almost always missing the majors of branches. They are listed alphabetically and when that list ends with just a few branches around letter C, you know something is wrong. Go the NYPL.org webpage and there are the rest of the branches the app is missing. Hopefully, someone from the development team reads this and fixes it. ### 1/5 — Renewal issue *2025-09-17, version 1.0.17* Can’t see my checkouts, let alone renewing them ### 2/5 — App Doesn’t Work *2025-07-11* I’m not sure if it’s just me but the app is completely blank. I got the app to put books on hold so it minimizes my time in the library and was a really resourceful tool, unfortunately no longer works so I will go back to using the browser. ### 1/5 — Embarrassingly Terrible *2025-07-02, version 1.0.16* How is this app one of the most useless apps? It’s impossible to navigate, doesn’t work for finding or reserving books, holds never work, it’s ridiculous. The entire system is useless, you’re better off just buying a book online, it’ll come faster than renting one from this mess of a “library” ### 4/5 — Bug *2025-06-24, version 1.0.15* Love this app! However, there is a very annoying bug: when looking at library copies of a book, only the first few are shown instead of all copies. I can’t see if my branch(es) have a copy unless I use the web catalog. Please fix this bug!! ### 1/5 — Needs work *2025-03-02, version 1.0.13* Unable to reserve books via the app… get it together ### 1/5 — Terrible App *2025-01-16, version 1.0.13* After going years without a dedicated app it’s astounding that one of the greatest libraries in the would couldn’t do better. Instead of consolidating all library information in one app, you have to go to Simply E for digital information. It’s not optimized for iPads so it’s just phone size on the screen. Someone in app development should take a look at the Brooklyn Public Library app for features and user interface. (I wrote this when this app was released a few years ago. Nothing has changed, while the app for the BPL has gotten even better. And worse, I’m now having problems with downloading books from SimplyE.) ### 1/5 — Nightmare *2024-11-16, version 1.0.12* The NYPL online rental system can be incredibly frustrating. Accessing books through its website often results in constant redirects to CloudLibrary or SimplyE, which frequently show errors. Even when using those apps directly, success can feel like a matter of luck due to their buggy functionality. It raises the question: is this a strategy to push readers toward purchasing books instead of borrowing them, or is it just a lack of concern for users? It feels like this library system exists without truly serving its purpose. ### 1/5 — This app needs some fine tuning! *2024-10-04, version 1.0.11* Won’t allow me to place holds or find any info regarding my account. ### 1/5 — Won’t Open *2024-03-23, version 1.0.7* Bad Update. Used to work before the update. Now, the App won’t stay open. ### 1/5 — Still NO Apple Wallet Support *2024-03-18, version 1.0.7* Don’t understand why they will not provide us with the option to add our NYPL card to our Apple Wallet. It would be more convenient to have it on our Apple Wallet instead of carrying the paper card or trying to log into app in an area of the city with no cellular connection. ### 2/5 — Great potential, bad execution *2023-12-19, version 1.0.4* The screen freezes most of the time when opening the page for a title, so I’m unable to reserve it. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — False Advertising *2026-08-18, version 2026.08.00* Latest update of app claims that it now allows you to add your NYPL card to Apple Wallet BUT there’s still NO way to add your NYPL card to Apple Wallet Looked everywhere on app but functionality isn’t there ### 1/5 — New update is terrible *2026-08-05, version 2026.07.00* My main purpose for using the app is searching for books I want and placing a hold on them for checkout. With the new app I am no longer able to place holds on books. Why not? And why would you update an app in this way? The new app is virtually useless for me. ### 1/5 — New version is awful *2026-07-31, version 2026.07.00* The latest update is awful. I assume they didn’t test it with any real users because it never would have been approved. Please fix it 😫 ### 1/5 — New update not good *2026-07-23, version 2026.07.00* Worked fine, new update now means as a family you have to switch between accounts instead of being able to see everything in one place. ### 1/5 — Hire a design studio *2026-07-23, version 2026.07.00* Please just hire a reputable design studio to redesign your app. I don’t understand how an “updated” version of the app could be worse and more frustrating than the previous. Truly at a loss for words. ### 1/5 — This new app update sucks *2026-07-22, version 2026.07.00* The latest app update, July of 2026, is a joke. The app was very user friendly before, now not so much. It shows available titles when you search, yet you cannot place holds on them. It used to be you searched a title, clicked it, then clicked the place hold button, and that was it. Now if you find a title that you can place a hold on, a rarity, it gives back an error message. Why would they update the app this way? Plus it looks worse too. ### 1/5 — Just use the website on a browser *2026-07-18, version 2026.07.00* This is actually worse than just viewing the NYPL website in a browser. Why does this app even exist? ### 1/5 — Terrible *2026-06-08, version 1.0.18* Barely usable. The search function just does not work at all ### 1/5 — Very buggy app *2026-05-05, version 1.0.18* I love NYPL. I hate their app. It will often show me zero books checked out or on hold when I have many of both. ### 1/5 — Not a Helpful App *2025-10-28, version 1.0.17* The only features i want on this are mobile checkout and to reserve a book to go to a library branch, and both features do not work on this version of the app. I just use the website instead unfortunately. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Call of your *2023-10-24* I’m not sure I have time ### 5/5 — Can’t wait till my kids *2023-10-06* BBB app has great graphics ### 5/5 — For a few days now *2023-07-30* For a few days now I’ve ### 5/5 — I’m not going anywhere for my *2023-07-27* Let me know when you’re here ### 5/5 — We will have the opportunity for *2023-07-27* Very much like a family but ### 5/5 — I’m going back *2023-06-29* We will get ### 5/5 — Very good news I think *2023-06-27* Did not know you could get ### 5/5 — We are in a little more often but *2023-06-27* We can do tomorrow morning at work and ### 5/5 — We can go to get a little bit *2023-06-27* I have a little going on that ### 5/5 — I’m not going to get a new *2023-06-27* We are going back in a --- *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 2026-09-04.*