# Tape — user reviews

> 144 indexed App Store user reviews of Tape by Alexander Rutkowskij, rated 4.50/5 from 258 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tape/id537766208/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tape/id537766208.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 163 · 4★ 73 · 3★ 15 · 2★ 1 · 1★ 6

## What do users think of Tape?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🎨 Authentic nostalgic cassette player design
- 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface
- 🎵 Realistic animations with moving reels and playheads
- 💰 Free app with extensive cassette designs included
- 🎮 Interactive controls with swipe gestures
- ✨ Attention to detail and historical accuracy
- 🎧 Works seamlessly with Apple Music
- 📱 Visually appealing and eye-catching
- 🎛️ Openable cassette deck door feature
- ⏱️ Haptic feedback on transport controls
- 🎼 Ability to create playlists directly from app

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
- 🐛 App doesn't close properly with swipe gesture
- 🐛 Tape head animation reversed (plays down, pauses up)
- ❌ Limited to Apple Music only
- ❌ No local file playback support
- ⚠️ Stability issues with certain iOS versions
- 📖 Difficult to find operating instructions
- 🔋 Runs in background even when closed
- 🎯 Confusing swipe controls for some users

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes when using menus
- Freezes on iPhone iOS 14.4.2 and later
- Swipe-to-close doesn't stop playback
- Playhead and capstan roller animation reversed
- App closes unexpectedly for no reason
- Doesn't recognize hand gestures or song selections
- Won't play selected songs
- Incompatibility with newer iOS updates

**Most requested features**

- Save and switch between custom mixed tapes
- Playlist duration limits based on cassette type
- Clicking sounds for play/stop button presses
- Support for local MP3 and M4A files
- Screen sleep toggle while music plays
- Additional cassette designs (especially Memorex and movie-themed)
- Spotify integration
- iPad version with larger interface
- Tape malfunction/degradation simulation
- Record function for music production
- Remove 'tap to load' text overlay
- More realistic button control styling
- Classic 80s Memorex shell design

## Newest reviews (14 of 144)

### 3/5 — где бобинки?

*2025-11-08*

вроде рекламировались бобинки, а купить их не могу, нет в меню

### 4/5 — Fun

*2025-02-27, version 2.4.4*

Pretty Fun

### 4/5 — Decent Player Great graphix

*2021-10-31*

Took an idea from tapeless Deck and retrofitted my 1977 Sharp tape player with an iPhone 6. Use this app for audio and graphic. Audio is great and looks like a tape is playing.  This is a great by for the price. Easy to use.

### 5/5 — Toll

*2021-02-19*

Tolles Disgn

### 5/5 — Great

*2020-10-27*

Looks awesome

### 4/5 — Einfach und gut

*2020-10-27*

Und dabei so herrlich retro. 👍

### 3/5 — Does not play local files

*2020-10-26*

Hello, can you please add the ability to play local music files in the app? Even the ability to “share” files to the app would be nice. I bought this thinking it would work for my mp3 and m4a files but it seems to be only for Apple Music which I don’t use. If you add the ability to play local files then I will gladly increase my rating.

### 5/5 — Great Idea

*2020-08-30*

Brings back memories as a teenager, taping songs from the top 40

### 5/5 — Love this app

*2020-06-18, version 2.1.3*

Besides looking really cool, I really like the swipe controls to play music.

### 5/5 — とってもいい！

*2020-06-14*

アップデートで、show Time スイッチが、追加されてますが、何のスイッチでしょうか？
すみませんでした。オン・オフしてみて、わかりました。ありがとうございました。これからも、永く使わせていただきます。

**Developer response:** レビューありがとうございます

これはカセットカバーの時間表示です

### 5/5 — Excellent!

*2019-04-05, version 2.1.1*

Love this little player... Very nostalgic... Fun to remember the good old days!!

### 5/5 — Retro quality

*2019-03-23*

Great sitting on my desk

### 4/5 — Pause / Play heads & capstan roller animation reversed

*2019-01-20*

I tried every button push combination, but when the tape is playing the heads and roller are in the down position. When I press PAUSE they move up. Any help is appreciated. Thank You

### 5/5 — nice

*2019-01-10, version 2.1.1*

I made some great tapes

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Muito ruim

*2022-06-24*

Usabilidade péssima

### 1/5 — Startet aktuell leider NICHT 😞

*2021-08-01*

Heute gekauft nur leider wohl mit der jetzigen IOS Version nicht kompatibel ‼️

### 1/5 — Swipe to close will not close this app

*2021-04-11*

Downloaded for nostalgia sake but appears to be just an overlay of the Apple Music app. What I find objectionable is when I swipe up to close the app it doesn’t stop playing. I have to open it up and stop the music within the app so they must keep running in the background even when you think it it’s off!! Who knows what else it might be doing. Deleted!!!

### 1/5 — Does not work

*2021-04-10, version 2.1.4*

This does not work with iPhone update 14.4.2 loads then freezes. Please fix cause I love this ap. I also paid for cassette gold thinking that would fix. That doesn’t work either same issues

### 1/5 — Optisch ok.

*2021-03-29*

Läuft nicht auf iPad Pro noch auf das iPhone 11 .....auf die Antwort.....auf beiden ist genug Musik drauf.

**Developer response:** Damit die App läuft, brauchen Sie Musik in der Musik-App

### 1/5 — 全く使えない

*2020-05-21*

無反応
直ぐ落ちる
有料でこの状況は如何なものか

**Developer response:** 評価いただきありがとうございます。アプリで問題が発生したとのこと、申し訳ございません。

アップデートは問題を修正し、ダウンロードの準備ができています

### 1/5 — Бесполезный скринсейвер

*2018-05-31*

Дизайн убогий, кассеты не фотографичные, управление не удобное, приложение ностальгии не вызвало, хотя я до сих пор храню такие кассеты. Отсутствие русского языка, пускай и не сильно нужно в таком простом приложении, однако это так же минус в копилку, особенно для русского разработчика. Задумка забавная, но приложение по факту бесполезно и работает через Apple Music. Посредственный фетиш...

### 1/5 — Still Doesn’t work

*2017-12-12, version 2.1.1*

Gave it another try and still nothing works except for the eject and settings buttons. All it does is open the cover and close it. Doesn’t play songs.

### 1/5 — 残念

*2017-05-10*

使う前に落ちます
全く使えません。素敵なので早く使いたいです。

### 1/5 — Waste of money

*2014-02-26*

.

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — love concept

*2025-04-23*

dont forget to install "Apple Music" when touch reject button everytimes black screen

### 5/5 — A must have app

*2024-12-31*

Did you once have a Walkman cassette player 
This is the eye candy look of watching the tape roll around giving you that feeling of nostalgia 
Best couple of quid I have spent on a app

### 5/5 — Love this

*2023-08-17, version 2.3.1*

My only complaint is that it needs the classic 80s memorex shell. And yes the tape reel changes as the tape plays

### 5/5 — wonderful my friend

*2023-05-24*

dear Alexander, your love for technology from other years really shows. this cassette player is just beautiful to watch in the background while i cook or get ready in the morning. i just have a few suggestions. 

let us save our mixed tapes so we can switch between them like we can switch real cassettes. if that’s possible. vinyl fetish does that by letting the user create custom records and save the records for future plays. but limit each playlist to the length of the cassette a person chooses. so a 90 minute cassette can only hold 90 minutes of music. that would be amazing to have a collection of cassettes limited by time. 

but no matter what you can or can’t do, this app is my music app forever. i love it way more then the default player.

### 5/5 — A lot of fun:)

*2022-03-09*

The best three dollars I've ever spent. Keep up the good work. There's taptic feedback with transport controls, and the reel hubs move proportionally.

### 5/5 — Pretty Awesome!

*2022-02-03*

As a child I carried my cassette recorder EVERYWHERE! I would document sounds, storms, winter wind, birds and of course my family at Christmas… funny how I never used it for school, I could have recorded my teachers lessons, oh well.

### 5/5 — Great app!

*2021-12-23*

I really like this app. I live the fact that it has the cassette deck door that can be opened and closed. 
To the developer…is there a chance you could add the clicking noise when the start and stop button s are pressed? It would give it that one added realistic feel. Otherwise, this is a great app!
Keep up the great work!

### 5/5 — Tape player app

*2021-08-02, version 2.1.5*

Looks nice and functions perfectly

### 5/5 — Tape v.2.15

*2021-05-23*

I like it very much. Works good on iphone 11.

### 5/5 — Great Nostalgic Feel

*2021-05-11, version 2.1.4*

I’m loving this app. Ever since I saw the skin used on the Anniversary Sony Walkman I wanted the same for my iPhone and iPod. I come from the Cassette Era where a Columbia House cassette subscription was our Spotify of the day in analog form. Lol. 

One thing I’d like to see is a toggle to keep the screen from sleeping while it’s playing music and maybe spruce up the look of the button controls. Otherwise great job. I hope the developer keeps it updated and adds more cassette looks. I’d even pay for those as add-ons.

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*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 2026-08-28.*