# Oxford Advanced Learner's Dict — user reviews > 185 indexed App Store user reviews of Oxford Advanced Learner's Dict by Oxford University Press, rated 2.40/5 from 96 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oxford-advanced-learners-dict/id1469549281/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oxford-advanced-learners-dict/id1469549281.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 22 · 4★ 11 · 3★ 5 · 2★ 6 · 1★ 52 ## What do users think of Oxford Advanced Learner's Dict? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 📚 Comprehensive and academic-worthy dictionary content - ✨ Full text search functionality - 🎯 User-friendly interface with practical language usage - 🏆 Highly regarded Oxford brand and reputation - 📖 Rich features including CEFR tags and word origins - 🔤 Extensive vocabulary and definitions **Cons** - 💰 Forced transition from one-time purchase to subscription model - 🚫 Inability to restore or access previously purchased versions (OALD 8, 9) - 📱 Loss of access after device upgrades or app updates - 🔐 Login and account synchronization issues - ⚠️ Delisting of older app versions from App Store - 💔 Betrayal of long-term loyal customers - 🌐 Incompatibility across devices (iOS/Mac) - 📊 Higher pricing than competitors - 🎨 Outdated user interface design - ⚡ Poor app stability and frequent crashes **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes intermittently and frequently - Loss of search history after few days - iCloud sync not functioning properly - Restore purchases button disabled or non-functional - Login with Oxford ID fails with connection errors - In-app purchase failures - App unresponsive when used as side app on iPad - Music/podcast interruption when opening app - Text selection and copying issues - Search suggestions include partial words - Favorites auto-sort alphabetically without options - App stops responding to input intermittently - Subscription disappears after iOS updates - Cannot download dictionary data on new devices - Font size too small in some dictionary versions - American English speaker symbols not hidden when disabled **Most requested features** - One-time purchase option alongside subscription - Mac OS version of the app - Family sharing support - Flashcard feature for vocabulary learning - Thesaurus integration - Adjustable font sizes for definitions - Dark mode option - Customizable background colors - Back button for word link navigation - Clickable words in definitions on Mac version - Default section expansion settings - Better iCloud synchronization across devices - Cross-platform device linking with single purchase - Updated academic vocabulary topics ## Newest reviews (16 of 185) ### 2/5 — Limited Word Coverage for a Paid Dictionary *2026-02-17* I recently subscribed to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary with the expectation that, as an “advanced” dictionary, it would offer a comprehensive and extensive vocabulary base. However, I was disappointed to find that many common, everyday words are not included. For a resource marketed at advanced learners, this limitation feels surprising and restrictive. Considering the annual subscription fee of Rs.999, the value for money does not seem justified. In comparison, Dictionary.com offers a free app that includes a wide range of words, a built-in thesaurus, and free pronunciation features. It provides greater accessibility and functionality without requiring a paid subscription. Overall, while Oxford’s dictionary carries a reputable name, I find that the features and word coverage do not sufficiently justify the cost when free alternatives offer more comprehensive services. **Developer response:** Hi, thanks for sharing your feedback. We’ve made a note of your feedback. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 4/5 — url scheme *2025-12-12, version 2.1* url scheme ### 4/5 — Wish for improvements. *2025-12-06* 1. It would be great to have an option to hide “word origin” in “My view Settings”. 2. It would be great to be able to use it as a system default dictionary/translator when I press translate in the selection pop-up menu in Safari (DeepL app works this way). Or/and to be able to share the selected word from any app through sharing button and then selecting Oxford dictionary app. 3. It would be great to show the results of the search after I type the word in the search and press enter, so that I do t need to pick to word out of the list. 4. It would be great to have selected the searched word after I return from the details to the search, so they I could just type a new word without additionally tapping to delete the previous search. **Developer response:** Hi, thanks for sharing your feedback. We’ve made a note of your feedback. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 2/5 — Not comparable to version 9 *2025-11-03* After I changed my ipad, version 9 could not be transferred to my new iPad, so had to subscribe version 10, though don’t like it as much as version 9. I subscribed for one year, to give a try. Now it looks like has expired. So I need to do new subscription. I feel very uncomfortable that the publisher has pushed us to accept an inferior product. **Developer response:** Hi, thanks for sharing your feedback. We’ve made a note of your feedback. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 3/5 — 調べた単語の履歴が頻繁に消える！ *2025-10-26* 調べた単語の履歴が頻繁に消えるので、とにかく使いにくい。 （当方、最新のiOS、最新バージョンのアプリ、iPhone14。） 何度もサポートに問い合わせてるが、「そのバグは報告してるが、まだ対応出来てない」とのこと。基本機能に関するバグなのに、かれこれもう2〜3年ほど修正されずに放置されている。 大手のアプリなのに、このやる気のなさが信じられない…。 （2025/10/26 追記） もう1年半もアップデートがない…。バグを直す気はまるでないらしい。これで有料アプリなのが信じられない。 一方で、最近もまた単語の履歴が消えてしまった。 （2024/03/30 追記） 物凄く久しぶりにアップデートがあったが、調べた単語の履歴が消えるバグは完全に放置されている。こんなにやる気のない大手のアプリは見たことがない。 **Developer response:** Hi, we're sorry that you have issues with the app. Could you please email us again at eltdict.help@oup.com with a recording or screenshot of your issue, including ‘Apple Issue already reported’ in the subject line and we can look into this for you and help resolve your issue. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 2/5 — App *2025-08-24, version 2.1* I purchased the Oxford Learner's Dict.: Arabic app for $22. Since the app is not available on the app store, we hope you can make it available because it is very useful and indispensable. We want it to be available on iOS and Android. ### 3/5 — 注册问题 *2025-07-10* 怎么注册不了啊？电脑网页版也注册不了 **Developer response:** Hi, we're sorry that you have issues with the app. Please note you will need to purchase the app in order to have full access to the content. Please email us at eltdict.help@oup.com with more information regarding your issue and screenshot or video, including ‘Appl Issue’ in the subject line and we can look into this for you and help resolve your issue. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 2/5 — Disappointed *2025-05-21* I’m noticing that I don’t have the possibility to use my previous version of OALD, and I paid for it. So I’ll definitely not pay to get the 10th version because those methods are dishonest. It was supposed to be an unlimited access. **Developer response:** Hi, thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately older editions for OALD are no longer supported. Please email us at eltdict.help@oup.com with the proof of purchase of the app, including ‘Apple Review’ in the subject line and we can look into this for you and help resolve your issue. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 1/5 — Vocabulary *2025-04-29, version 2.1* Lack specialist and Academic vocabulary. i can search these vocabulary easily in Online Cambridge dictionary ### 1/5 — 2 Options *2025-04-27, version 2.1* Just To Be Clear … You have 2 Options 1. Go Buy The Physical Book And Actually Own It Or 2. Pay For A Subscription & Never Own It ? Common Sense Tells Me Go With #1. ### 1/5 — OALD8 *2025-04-03, version 2.1* I could not find old version OALD8 in AppStore to download anymore. I bought and happy to use that version. I do not want to repurchase it again. If I have to buy it again, I should be able to get refund. ### 2/5 — Very Disappointing Experience *2025-03-25* I purchased OALD 9 for a high price, expecting long-term access. Instead, Oxford abruptly stopped updating it and launched OALD 10 as a completely separate application. Why create a new app when the old one could have been updated? Their decision left users like me stranded, with no proper way to restore OALD 9. As a “solution,” they offered me a couple of years of OALD 10 access — hardly fair compensation for what I paid. To make matters worse, the new app is unstable and riddled with bugs. Very unpleasant experience overall. This is not how you treat paying customers. **Developer response:** Hi, thanks for sharing your feedback. OALD10 was launched in 2020. You can still use OALD9 in the same device you were using. If you cannot restoure your OALD9 Please email us at eltdict.help@oup.com with more information regarding your issue and proof of purchase, including ‘Apple Issue’ in the subject line and we can look into this for you and help resolve your issue. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 1/5 — History get lost a few days later *2025-02-19, version 2.1* History will disappear a few days later. Frustrated as it said it will sync with iCloud but never did. ### 1/5 — Cheating *2025-01-31* Claims to be Life time free. I purchased the 9th edition. They removed the app. Wrong claims of charging money in the name of life time free. **Developer response:** Hi,Please email us at eltdict.help@oup.com with more information regarding your issue, including ‘Apple Issue’ in the subject line and we can look into this for you and help resolve your issue. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 1/5 — Achat introuvable *2025-01-17* J’ai acheté cette app et maintenant que je viens de changer de téléphone il m’est impossible d’installer le dictionnaire. Le bouton « restore pur Chase » ne fonctionne pas. Ils veulent me le refaire payer. **Developer response:** Hi, we're sorry that you haven't been able to access the app. Please email us at eltdict.help@oup.com with more information regarding your issue, with screenshots or video and the proof of purchase, including ‘Apple Issue’ in the subject line and we can look into this for you and help resolve your issue. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 1/5 — Restore problem *2025-01-05* I can’t restore previously purchased OALD 8th edition. Is there a solution? **Developer response:** Hi, we're sorry that you haven't been able to download the app. Unfortunately, the OALD8 is no longer available Please email us at eltdict.help@oup.com with the proof of purchase and device and operating system you are using, including ‘Apple Issue’ in the subject line and we can look into this for you and help resolve your issue. Best wishes, the OALD team ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Awkward and frustrating *2026-05-24* I don’t like the interface, the display, and of top of all the irksome ecosystem that is always remembering you that you had just a parcel of a dictionary, so the collocation and thesaurus entry are blocked. I hate it. **Developer response:** Hi, thanks for sharing your feedback. We’ve made a note of your feedback. From the internal catalogue you can get access to the Collocation and Thesaurus dictionaries. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 1/5 — Scam *2026-05-13* I had purchased the app years ago and now I can’t use it as along as I pay again for subscription. **Developer response:** Hi, we're sorry that you haven't been able to download the app. Please email us at eltdict.help@oup.com with more information regarding your issue, including ‘Google Issue’ in the subject line and we can look into this for you and help resolve your issue. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 1/5 — Bad application *2026-04-10* Whenever I start this app, it crashes. I almost always click this app twice. 🥹 **Developer response:** Hi, we're sorry that you have issues with the app. Please email us at eltdict.help@oup.com with more information and a video recording the issue, including ‘Apple Issue’ in the subject line and we can look into this for you and help resolve your issue. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 1/5 — Don’t trust this Oxford dictionary *2026-03-23, version 2.1* I bought this app wail I had no money. I paid for the updates. Then they forced me to pay yearly subscription. If you don’t let me to use the app i bought, please give my money back. ### 1/5 — Awful customer experience *2025-12-05* I have been a long-time user of your dictionary and have used OALD on my iPhone for years. However, you suddenly blocked access to the dictionary I purchased. I contacted customer support, and although they provided several suggestions, none of them resolved the issue. After an app update, I was finally able to access the dictionary again, but only temporarily, as the same problem returned as soon as the next update was released. I am genuinely shocked that your company would treat paying customers this way and leave the situation unresolved. As many other users have pointed out, the customer service has been utterly abysmal. ### 1/5 — Where’s the old app I purchased? *2025-12-05* I bought the app many years ago. Now it doesnt work, because I changed My phone, and it doesnt restore what I had purchased before!!! ### 1/5 — Dictionary on subscription *2025-12-05* Dictionary on subscription is baseless, max, it should be one time purchase. ### 1/5 — Don’t trust Oxford. *2025-10-07, version 2.1* I bought this app. I paid for the updates. Then they forced me to pay yearly subscription. I trusted Oxford, but not anymore. ### 1/5 — A Complete Betrayal of Paid, Long-Term Users *2025-08-14* I purchased the full, perpetual ("buy-out") license for the highly-acclaimed OALD 9th Edition years ago. At the time, the promise was lifetime access, and for years, it has been an indispensable tool for my studies and work. However, after migrating to a new iPad, I've experienced one of the most disgraceful business practices imaginable. The old 9th Edition app, once restored, can no longer connect to your servers to download its core dictionary data, rendering it a completely useless, empty shell. It's clear what has happened: by releasing a supposedly "new" 10th Edition app and delisting the old one, you have cleverly sidestepped the "update" process. The real goal is obvious: to nullify all previous perpetual licenses and force your entire loyal user base onto a new, greedy subscription model. This is a blatant betrayal of your earliest and most loyal customers. Your actions are functionally no different from theft. The money and trust we invested have been met not with product continuity and respect, but with heartless abandonment and a demand for more payment. Your templated "contact us privately" responses to other negative reviews cannot hide the essence of this bad-faith practice. A warning to all new customers: Oxford University Press has demonstrated zero credibility as a software publisher. The subscription you pay for today could easily be nullified by another clever business trick in the future. Be extremely wary of a developer that abandons its promises for short-term profit. Pay with extreme caution! **Developer response:** Hi, we're sorry that you have issues with the app. Please email us at eltdict.help@oup.com with more information regarding your issue and proof of purchase of OALD9, including ‘Appl Issue’ in the subject line and we can look into this for you and help resolve your issue. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 1/5 — おすすすめ *2025-06-25* 日本人にも優しくして欲しいです ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Andrey *2025-10-18* Simply the best dictionary and most handy one for anyone who really wants to make strides going forward in learning English to a high level!!! Thank you so much Oxford!!!👌💪👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 **Developer response:** Hi, thank you for your 5-star review. We are glad you are enjoying the app. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 5/5 — Formidable *2025-08-26* Dommage que l’on ne puisse pas avoir de version à vie, mais le package des trois dictionnaires (OALD, collocations, et thesaurus) à 59,99e pour 4 ans reste compétitif, et me sert déjà énormément en tant que professeur d’anglais, pour avoir une langue aussi juste que possible et pour offrir des exemples concrets à mes classes. J’espère que les applis resteront à jour et compatibles pendant 4 ans 🤞☺️ **Developer response:** Hi, thank you for your 5-star review. We are glad you are enjoying the app. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 5/5 — I lost my app *2025-06-29* Hi, how can I access my Oald 9th edition whoch I bought some years ago, I upgraded my phone and i cant find it on the store. I emailed support and received no response. **Developer response:** Hi, thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately OALD9 is no longer supported. Please email us at eltdict.help@oup.com with the proof of purchase of the app, including ‘Apple Review’ in the subject line and we can look into this for you and help resolve your issue. Best wishes, the OALD team ### 5/5 — I lost my app *2025-06-22* Hi, how can I access my Oald 9th edition whoch I bought some years ago, I upgraded my phone and i cant find it on the store. **Developer response:** Hi, thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately OALD9 is no longer supported. Please email us at eltdict.help@oup.com with the proof of purchase of the app, including ‘Apple Review’ in the subject line and we can look into this for you and help resolve your issue. Best wishes, the OALD team ### 5/5 — Great dictionary *2023-11-17* I bought that app for four years for 34.99€. It looks expensive but nowadays if you compare with other Apps, it’s worth it. It’s only 10€ per year. It’s a complete and well done dictionary that I use everyday. ### 5/5 — OALD8 *2023-09-11* I’d been using oald8 for many years but now that i’ve changed my phone i can’t re-download or restore it anymore. What am i supposed to do? I had paid for it then but now...? **Developer response:** Hi, we're sorry that you have issues with the app. Please email us at eltdict.help@oup.com with more information regarding your issue, including ‘Apple Issue’ in the subject line and we can look into this for you and help resolve your issue. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 5/5 — Good for learners but.. *2023-02-25* It would be a lot better if it offered an option of a lifetime purchase. **Developer response:** Hi, thank you for your 5-star review and your feedback. We've made a note of it. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 5/5 — I’ve bought 9th edition but it’s not available anymore *2023-01-20* I’ve bought 9th edition which is the 1 time purchase. But now we couldn’t find how to download 9th edition. **Developer response:** Hello, we're sorry to know you're having trouble with our app. Please write to eltdict.help@oup.com with 'OALD Apple review' in the subject and share a screenshot or video showing the issue along with the iOS and device's model you are using. Our Dictionaries tech team can then look more into this to fix the problem. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 5/5 — オフラインで使えるのがとてもありがたい *2022-12-13* 英英辞書(紙)を買って、届くまでの間はフリーで使ってみましたが、 機能制限が大きくて正直微妙な印象でした。 でも、登録して使ってみるとなかなか使えそうでホッとしています。 特にオフラインで使えるのがありがたく助かります。 音声データはダウンロードしないとオフラインでは聞けませんが、 ダウンロードすると、音声が出る反応が速くてサクサク聞けてとてもうれしい。 ただ、アプリを使えるようにするための Sign-In が手こずりました。 GoogleアカウントでSign-InできるようWebで登録したのですが、 アプリからはパスワードを認識してくれなくてSign-Inできず、 oxford用にパスワードを変更登録してようやくSign-Inできるようになりました。 最初、catalogue から Sign-Inというのもわかりづらくて、 もう少しわかりやすく使えるようになるといいと思います。 あと、設定の"Hide British English speaker symbols"をONにしているけど Hideされないことが何度かあります。他のケースもあるかもしれませんが、 Full Text SearchのExamples検索から開いた時はこの設定が効かないようです。 改善していただけるとうれしいです。 iPad で使っていますが、今の所それ以外は問題なく使えているようです。 Webの辞書で十分かと思ってましたが、このアプリでもっと勉強が捗りそうです。 **Developer response:** Hello, thank you for your review and feedback. We've made a note of it. Best wishes, the OALD team. ### 5/5 — suggestion *2022-12-06* this is a great app, I have both the 9th and the 10th, I need this for my macbook, why don't these apps have a mac version? It would be great if you could develope it to mac version --- *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.*