# Sight & Sound — user reviews > 79 indexed App Store user reviews of Sight & Sound by The British Film Institute, rated 1.70/5 from 15 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sight-and-sound/id548664090/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sight-and-sound/id548664090.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 1 · 4★ 1 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 2 · 1★ 10 ## What do users think of Sight & Sound? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 👍 Great magazine content - ✨ Access to back-catalogue - 💻 Downloadable for offline use **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent login issues - 🐛 App crashes/freezes - 🐛 Content not loading/downloading - ❌ Non-existent customer support - 🐌 Slow performance - 🚫 No search functionality - 🔄 Subscription/restore purchase issues - 🪲 Outdated design/usability - 💸 Subscription problems (auto-renewal, non-access) **Commonly reported bugs** - App refuses to open - Unable to log in/invalid login details - Content not downloading/loading - App crashes frequently - Restore purchase not working - Issues disappear after update - App not working with latest iOS versions - Login details rejected - Subscription auto-renews without consent - App freezes on loading screen - Downloaded issues disappearing - Contact/support links not working **Most requested features** - Update app for better usability - Add search functionality - Allow hiding menu bars - Improve subscription management - PDF download option ## Newest reviews (16 of 79) ### 2/5 — When it works... *2024-12-27* the content is great..But every now and again the app refuses to get beyond the loading screen and I have to delete it from my ipad and reinstall it. What a nuisance. ### 1/5 — One star because you can’t give zero stars *2023-04-18* If you pay for your subscription via the App Store good luck. Since the last update I have not been able to access any of the magazines. There is no link to a help line and the BFI simply don’t seem to care. ### 1/5 — Not able to access with an active subscription *2023-04-16* I am not able to access with an active subscription after the app’s latest update. The contact email tab leads to nowhere. Please either fix the problem (and extend my subscription) or give a refund. ### 1/5 — Subscription non-functional *2023-04-14* Since the latest update subscription via Apple Store will not restore. Sight and Sound will not help, and refer me to Apple Store. Apple Store then refer me to Sight and Sound. Avoid subscribing through the Apple Store! ### 1/5 — One of the worst apps I’ve come across *2023-04-11* Took out a £3.99 monthly subscription but issues I had downloaded keep disappearing and no way to get them back. The “Contact” email for help and queries isn’t even an email address and therefore completely useless. Can’t believe the BFI would allow their flagship title to be treated this way. Really shocking. ### 1/5 — Can’t restore my subscription *2023-04-05* I can’t read any content now, the “Restore Subscription” button does nothing, and the answer i got from the “Contact” link basically amounted to a shrug. Fix the app, or give me a refund. ### 1/5 — Giving it up *2023-04-04* Has stopped working for me and no-one at the magazine or at Apple was remotely helpful in rectifying the problem ….or, more likely, couldn’t be bothered. ### 1/5 — Great magazine, bad app *2023-04-02* Really enjoy the contact, however the app is poorly designed and customer support is non-existent. ### 1/5 — No search! *2023-03-31* I love S&S but the app is absolute crap. This could be an amazing resource but without search capability it is useless. Zero stars. ### 2/5 — Could be great. Doesn’t save progress in issue *2022-12-24* I enjoy this magazine and think the app is promising. However the app does not save my location when I leave for an extended period of time. It also takes multiple force quits to actually get the app to load after it has been sitting for a while. ### 1/5 — does bot work since ios 14 *2020-12-20* the app does not work since ios 14. please fix it. ### 1/5 — The app is simply horrible *2020-05-25* There is absolutely no excuse for an app of such low quality to exist in 2020. Magazines don't download, password recovery feature does not work. Broken, unusable mess. ### 1/5 — When Magazine Apps Go Bad... *2019-08-30* I love Sight & Sound magazine, but the app is even more disastrous and riddled with bugs. It crashes unless you keep clearing the cache, and as of yesterday it’s stopped working completely. Fix it or I cancel my subscription. ### 1/5 — Doesn’t seem to Open *2019-08-29* The app seems to have a issue in which it refuses to open of the IOS 12 system(Even though it worked fine just a few days ago).Please fix the issue. ### 2/5 — Could be awesome, but no search function *2019-08-28* The S&S archives are such a great resource, but the online version always had a ghastly search function. The app’s search function is non-existent. What’s the point of decades worth of articles that can’t be searched? ### 1/5 — Not for IOS 12 *2019-08-12, version 3.0* Needs an update to IOS 12, the app won’t even open ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — DOESN’T WORK!!!! *2026-03-14* Tried to download magazine but keeps asking me to log out. Everything is fine on the web but not on the app. Waste of time. Also tried to contact customer services, surprise, surprise this also doesn’t work. ### 1/5 — Used to use this app to read S&S *2026-02-11* …since v3.0 came out, it does not download/allow me to see new issues. It just tells me my email address. I am paying a subscription fee to have an app tell me my email address. ### 1/5 — Update please! *2025-07-29* A refresh to make this app more usable is long overdue. Such a shame, does not match the quality of the content. ### 1/5 — App is totally worthless. Avoid!! *2024-10-11* This app completely fails to access/load digital content. Technical support is essentially nonexistent. ### 1/5 — Totally frustrating *2024-03-19* Was ok for awhile the started to request login details each time I opened the App. Problem is I never had any login setup in the first place. Tried the restore purchase route but advised me details don’t exist. I have given up on this App for now until hopefully BFI steps up and fixes this very vexing issue. ### 1/5 — Immediate problems *2024-02-21* Paid for access to digital content and the archive and shortly after purchase was forcibly logged out and then unable to log back in again because of invalid login details. The details were correct as I had access to the website and I had paid for a subscription. The customer service team was incredibly unhelpful and didn’t attempt to solve the issue. Would not advise paying for a subscription. ### 1/5 — Don’t *2023-05-24* The magazine is great but the app is a nightmare. I have not been able to access my subscription since the magazine had a redesign which they will do occasionally. I have spent the last few months going back and forth with PageSuite, the App’s customer service department. Always a different person, always a new login and password to try, always the same result: it doesn’t work. Take my advice and DON’T purchase this magazine through the app. ### 1/5 — Can’t restore subscription since latest update *2023-05-11* Absolutely ridiculous- you cannot load any content using your Apple Store subscription since they made the most recent changes to the app and there is NO response from customer service. They literally are stealing money from people right now. ### 1/5 — Does not work. *2023-05-09* An absolutely shocking state of affairs. Can’t subscribe via iOS. Takes the money but will not allow access to the content. The “Contact Us” email address does not work. All I wanted was to read about some quality films, but apparently that was asking too much. ### 1/5 — Requires non-existent login *2023-04-28* The app is now useless if you subscribed through the App Store- it doesn’t validate against it and now requires a login that isn’t available. Sight and Sound is a great magazine but the developer of the app version is criminally negligent. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — If you like film... *2020-05-14* ... then get Sight and Sound. There are a lot of low star reviews here, but I’ve just downloaded it (there’s a Facebook offer at the moment to get 12 digital issues for £25, saving £10) and can’t fault it; it was easy to login, you get access to the back-catalogue (with some amazing interviews and articles) and issues download quickly and are easy to navigate. There’s even an active contents page, so you can jump to a section in a second. Highly recommended. ### 5/5 — Excellent app but Read the T&C's *2013-02-04, version 2.9.2* The app is great and a great way to read S&S but read the T&C'S. If you take out a digital subscription and then cancel it you will not be able to redownload issues. I also don't think this is great as you loose downloaded issues occasionally when the iPad is updated. I do however think its rather unfair to say its unfit for purpose. It's a good subscription app and you can always take out a print subscription which includes a free digital one ### 5/5 — Vivek T *2012-08-08, version 2.9.1* Superb start to digitising the S&S archive. The magazine looks great on the iPad. Shame archive doesn't go Back further than 2010. The search function is great for academic research on particular topics. ### 4/5 — Convoluted, barebones bot working *2024-11-02* It took me a few weeks and multiple attempts to figure out how to log in but now it's working and I can read all issues all right. It's nothing more than a wrapper and I'd pay more to be able to download the magazine in pdf instead and read them elsewhere, but hey, at least I can read them. ### 4/5 — An updated review *2018-07-28* When I first downloaded this app, I was disappointed by the difficulties in logging in with my account. After giving it some time, I gave it another shot and found it to be fully functional. That out of the way, this is very convenient way of reading S&S on the go, as well as accessing a massive archive of old issues. The fact that you can download them for offline use is impressive stuff! ### 4/5 — A whole new app *2018-07-23* It doesn’t look like the developers are on here much, so here’s pointing out that the app is now fully working on iOS 11, and indeed has been redesigned with easier scrolling, a web feed tab and more. It could still be better-looking - I’ve taken off a star for the clunky icon - but if you need mobile access to the last two years of S&S writing, this works. ### 4/5 — Fantastic magazine, app still needs work *2013-12-22* The reader app for Sight & Sound is not too bad. I have but one request: please, please, in a future update can you allow the user to hide the toolbars on the top and bottom of the screen. They are distracting, and an eyesore. The New Yorker reader app automatically hides the top and bottom toolbars with a single touch of the page. It's a great feature, and makes it a much better reading experience. I'd like it if the Sight & Sound app did the same. As for the magazine itself; excellent. ### 3/5 — One of the best film magazine - clunky app *2021-08-21* Overall app is working fine, but a bit limited menu options as well as some icons not fitted well on the iPhone screen or iPad. Would like to see more account settings, like subscription plan etc. ### 3/5 — Please get rid of the menu bar at the top *2016-01-22* The menu bar is really annoying when trying to read an article. Very distracting. It would be nice if you could touch the screen to make it go away. ### 3/5 — I can't open this magazine app in my Ipad(generation2) *2014-02-09* I can't open this magazine app in my Ipad(generation2).. Does it needs some change in setting? Still I can open it in my Iphone 5s.. --- *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 2026-09-03.*