# Tampa Bay Times — user reviews > 121 indexed App Store user reviews of Tampa Bay Times by Times Publishing Company, rated 4.50/5 from 2,516 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tampa-bay-times/id410084908/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tampa-bay-times/id410084908.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 1,843 · 4★ 361 · 3★ 85 · 2★ 66 · 1★ 161 ## What do users think of Tampa Bay Times? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 🚀 Easy to read digital format - 🔍 Comprehensive local news coverage - 🔖 Familiar newspaper layout - 📱 Convenient mobile access **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs - 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription - 🔄 Constant log-in issues - 📷 Missing or low-quality photos - 🔍 Outdated or incomplete news content **Commonly reported bugs** - App fails to download current edition - Notification settings cannot be disabled - Sharing articles does not work properly - Frequent sign-outs and re-login required **Most requested features** - Ability to save articles for offline reading - Improved navigation and section organization - Facial recognition or biometric login - Customizable text size and layout options ## Newest reviews (19 of 121) ### 2/5 — Constant ad pops up *2026-08-25, version 3.7.7* Every time I click on any story, an ad from aedus.com pops up. Can you fix that? Thanks ### 2/5 — Needs Improvement *2026-04-15, version 3.7.7* Articles frequently don’t open, links don’t work right and constantly require logging in, etc. - I’ve contacted them but they don’t seem interested in making a high quality app ### 2/5 — Glitches *2025-05-14, version 3.7.7* I selected the option to download the paper onto my iPad so I could read off line. But this doesn’t happen. If I put the iPad down, the current edition disappears and I have to start over. Also I can no longer share articles. ### 2/5 — Does not download paper consistently *2025-04-14, version 3.7.7* About every 10 days I have to delete this app and reload it to receive the new edition of the paper ### 2/5 — Forcing me to allow notifications *2025-03-17, version 3.7.7* For some reason I cannot open the app without enabling notifications. Not cool. ### 2/5 — Terrible *2024-10-14, version 3.7.7* App crashes regularly. Often cannot even get through two articles without a crash. Clunky to navigate. App does not contain full photos. For instance, in a photo essay story on Hurricane Milton, the photos were not accessible- you had to go to website version. If the TBT intends to be a 21st century news enterprise, they need an app on par with other news orgs. ### 2/5 — Unreliable, clunky, and dated *2024-10-11, version 3.7.7* I am a daily reader of the Tampa Bay Times and use the app over the website, as the website interface is inundated with ads. The app, however, has always and continues to have numerous annoying user interface issues. The app doesn’t remember text size setting changes, so each time you navigate to a new article you have to change the text again. And articles do no display inline photos - even though articles frequently reference those photos - which makes it very difficult to understand and follow the reporting at times. For such an esteemed newspaper the app they provide for customers is disappointing and embarrassing. ### 2/5 — Great Newspaper, Bad App *2024-09-25, version 3.7.7* It's been really annoying to be logged out regularly, constantly signing back in to read...anything. Now it just won't let me log in. I input my email address & password, click 'continue'...and everything clears and I can do it again. I can log in fine on a web browser, so sometimes I do that...but basically the non-functionality of the app means I get my Tampa Bay area news elsewhere, on a more user friendly app. ### 1/5 — This app is maddening *2024-09-23, version 3.7.7* I have paid for not one, but two different accounts to attempt to read this news online. Neither works, it’s a ripoff. If I reset my password it will allow me to see one article before inviting me to SUBSCRIBE AGAIN! No way that’s happening. Every time I attempt this I think it will drive me a bit crazy, because that is the definition. The outcome is always the same. They may have a great newspaper, but the app is garbage. It doesn’t deserve the one star. ### 1/5 — Random disconnects *2024-09-07, version 3.7.7* This app cannot seem to hold my login for more than a few days. Then it looks like I’m still logged in - allows headline and summary scrolling - only to require typing in credentials again when I click on an article. Makes including this publication in the morning news scroll very frustrating. ### 1/5 — Recent Update Broke App Unless You Want Notifications *2024-06-11, version 3.7.6* I am now prompted to approve notifications and if I do not do so, it seems I cannot use the app. Why??? ### 1/5 — App *2024-06-08, version 3.7.6* Worst app I ever saw. Today I’m locked on a notification screen can do anything to get out of it. So if I want to read todays news I can’t. Problem on iPad and iPhone. 6/8/2024 ### 1/5 — Notification Opt In *2024-06-07, version 3.7.6* When I launched the app the Notification Opt In/out page popped up and will not let me off the page no matter how many times I click “Next”. ### 1/5 — Paper itself top notch, App is terrible *2024-02-11, version 3.7.5* Not sure why this app isn’t better. I read several newspapers, this is by far the worst app experience. Certain section stop updating. For instance right now the Opinions section on my app is stuck a 1/31/24. Prior to that Sports was stuck for about 40 days. Great content delivered in a very subpar app. Too bad. ### 1/5 — App is Terrible *2024-01-09, version 3.7.5* May work fine on brand new phones but the latest update loads and runs slowly on my 2 year old iPhone and simply not at all on my slightly older iPad. ### 3/5 — New app is terrible *2023-10-20, version 3.7.4* The new app is truly awful. Tapping on a notification about a story opens a browser window inside of the app that NEVER stays signed in. 75% of the time the app signs me out also and I have to go though the effort of re-signing in, just to be able to read the content I am paying for. I’m happy to support local journalism, but this app is truly awful and almost makes me want to cancel my subscription because it’s such a pain to try and read any TBT content. ### 1/5 — Don’t bother with app *2023-09-27, version 3.7.4* The Tampa Bay Times newspaper is terrific. This app is pure garbage. It was bad enough that it now requires logging in multiple times a week. Then I went to share an article and all it actually shared was the header image in the article. No text. No URL. Nothing useful at all. I created a shortcut to tampabay.com on my Home Screen instead and will just use my web browser from now on. ### 1/5 — Update Has Bugs *2023-09-26, version 3.7.4* After this latest update, I have to log in to the app EVERY TIME I open it. And to make matters worse, after I’ve logged in, if I click a link within an article, I am asked to log in again!! Please fix this very annoying issue. Please ### 1/5 — Login *2023-09-26, version 3.7.4* This app is terrible now. You have to constantly log in with your email and password. It’s obsolete technology, there’s no facial recognition or Touch ID. I pay for the subscription but will not renew. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Worst App I Regularly Use *2026-04-24, version 3.7.7* How bloody freaking hard it is to create an app that doesn’t require you to log in every time you open it? And don’t say I don’t know how to use technology because I do not have this problem with other apps. Fix your product. ### 1/5 — Sunday E edition not available *2026-01-25, version 3.7.7* I want my e news every day. Sign in & out of account does not work 3 days just this week. No customer service support. Ridiculous! ### 1/5 — Newsletters non-stop *2026-01-17, version 3.7.7* After subscribing I receive on average 2 emails a day. I’ve hit unsubscribe countless times but they never stop! ### 1/5 — Horrible *2025-11-14, version 3.7.7* Aside from the fact you can get more better news from any of the local TV stations apps, there is no way to cancel service within app. Forces you to call, and then deal with a rep who makes it super hard to cancel. This is low rent digital from start to finish. Beware! ### 1/5 — Impossible to use *2025-11-11, version 3.7.7* Stop logging me out of the app every single day ### 1/5 — Terrible subscription process *2025-08-20, version 3.7.7* Do not subscribe. They make it impossible to cancel; instead, they renew the subscription using your card without notification. They do not acknowledge Cancellation requests. The annual subscription of $150 is overpriced for the news they provide. ### 1/5 — Why Even Have An App? *2025-03-27, version 3.7.7* It doesn’t work. It makes me want to cancel my subscription and just rely on other local outlets. It’s a shame. ### 1/5 — worst app *2025-03-17, version 3.7.7* This has been a terrible app for as long as it has been around. Constantly freezes . Have to delete and reload it all the time. Logs me out and have to sign in all the time. How can you have this degree of garbage and not do anything to fix it after years. Why don’t they hire a few high school computer science geeks to code it properly. Must be exclusely relying on DEI misfits . ### 1/5 — Fix the app! I concur with this review!! *2024-12-14, version 3.7.7* Please test each update BEFORE releasing it! It’s not acceptable to have the public test your software. I would venture to say that ar least 30% of your users read the paper on an iPad, yet the touch response on IPad is a disaster. There is no way to change preferences to “double touch to go to article mode” and any brush of the screen sends you to article mode. Other readers have experienced the ridiculous instability of the log in and the “suggested account” is one I haven’t used for years!🤷🏼‍♂️ I don’t know whose idea it was to eliminate live links to the continued article, but it was a silly and very unhelpful change! There is more, but I hope I have made my point that the app requires much more testing by someone in the developer’s office, before release! ### 1/5 — Can’t see photos in stories *2024-09-27, version 3.7.7* When reading articles on the app, I can’t see the photos. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — They finally got the app working smoothly! *2024-03-24, version 3.7.5* The Tampa Bay Times is a great paper, locally owned and independent. There were quite a few wobbles trying to get the current app off the ground, but it has worked perfectly for many months now. Hopefully, they will leave the darn thing alone so we can enjoy the paper. ### 5/5 — Please fix the links In this version 3.7.1! *2022-11-15, version 3.7.1* I was happy with the last version but the links to continue an article on another page don’t work. It’s very frustrating scrolling the pages and the pop up of the whole article don’t take you to wear you left off. Also, what’s with the ads at the bottom of every page? We pay for this app to the newspaper. Otherwise I much prefer the digital paper to the actual paper. ### 5/5 — Handheld news *2022-10-08* I have always enjoyed the feel of holding a newspaper in my hands while reading it. But, I have to admit that it now seems perfectly natural to use my handheld phone to read the Tampa Bay Times every morning. In fact, this past Wednesday was the first time that I read the news online and completely forgot it was a delivery day! I only realized it when I went out in the afternoon to run an errand and saw the newspaper in the driveway. I laughed out loud when I saw it. That’s when I knew that I had already made the transition from a printed paper to the digital approach for handheld news. Thanks and keep up the good work, Tampa Bay Times! ### 5/5 — Supporting local newspapers *2022-06-20, version 3.6.09* Digital distribution of information makes it possible to get the word out during these difficult times when printed publication of the newspaper had to be curtailed due to the faltering economy while under the current rule in our nation’s Capital. I am very willing to live with the less than perfect editorial content,e.g., grammar, spelling, proper case usage, etc. to retain investigative journalism. I will continue to support our free press in hopes of achieving some form of balanced reporting. ### 5/5 — Never thought I’d like online more than actual paper. *2022-05-17* The paper is ready for me to read at 5 o’clock. I can enlarge the print to read more easily. Sitting at my breakfast table I can print articles to share or post them on Facebook instantly. Away from home I can still enjoy the paper. I’m 78 and am still amazed with the technology advancements. Reading the Tampa Bay Times online is the best! With Covid 19 I treasure my Times even more. I pat my I-Pad each morning and ask it to please keep functioning. The Times helps me survive in the Trump world of Polk County. It is appalling that many decent and educated people do not read and do put forth the effort to verify questionable information. ### 5/5 — Easy way to read the paper *2022-04-20* Six years ago I reluctantly switched to the e paper and have never looked back. Who knew it could be so easy to download the paper and read it on my I Pad. I thought I’d miss the physical paper in regards to going outside to pick it up, to removing it from it’s plastic bag, to removing ads I wasn’t interested in to folding and refolding the page with the crossword puzzle with precise precision. My only problem now is no longer having leftover papers to line my cockatiel’s bird cage. Now it’s so easy to read the Tampa Bay Times. I’m not sure I could go back to reading the paper paper. ### 5/5 — Better than expected... *2022-02-17, version 3.5.16* I have loved my experience reading the paper since I was able to read. We would buy the Sunday paper after Sunday school and the whole family would take the time to read all the sections together. A favorite memory is wrapping presents in the comics as we could not afford wrapping paper. Losing the in person paper felt like losing a family member! But, I love the online version. Easy to read. Timely...no missed papers .... Color me surprised but satisfied! ### 5/5 — I’m liking the app better than the real paper *2022-01-30* I have been a life long reader of the St. Petersburg times. I love the print version and thought I would never be like reading the paper on an iPad. Due to the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 the St. Pete Times suspended home delivery, except on Wednesday and Sunday. I have been forced to adapt and at first I hated it. But after a month, I have to say that I prefer newspaper on the iPad. Mainly because it’s easier. You click on an article and it’s right in front of you. Not at the top of the page or at the crease and the inevitable second part is there also. The Sunday Times(if you have home delivery) comes with a printed supplement that has all of the puzzles for the week. This was an A++ reason for my enjoying the e-paper. So to sum it up, I love it and don’t see any reason to return daily delivery. ### 5/5 — Support local news *2022-01-24* I hope we can save our local paper! So necessary! Where else will you get in depth local news and feature stories, sports, reviews etc. Political bias more balanced since purchasing Tampa Tribune but is still lacking in critical analysis of liberal mainstream narratives. More articles from WSJ ( my fav national paper) would provide a more semblance of balance. I have been an intermittent long time subscriber. Online subscription is the future of course. I’ve historically been a paper subscriber but I’ve adapted and now wouldn’t want to go back to paper! So many advantages. I’m a boomer so I hope younger generations realize the value of a quality local news source. ### 5/5 — New subscriber *2021-11-28* I read mostly the sports, as I live outside the US. Excellent coverage, easy to read. Thank you. --- *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 2026-08-29.*