# The Olympian: Olympia WA News — user reviews > 67 indexed App Store user reviews of The Olympian by The McClatchy Company, rated 3.70/5 from 338 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-olympian-olympia-wa-news/id391027211/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-olympian-olympia-wa-news/id391027211.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 181 · 4★ 51 · 3★ 20 · 2★ 7 · 1★ 79 ## What do users think of The Olympian? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 👍 App works fine (occasionally) - 👍 Provides local news - 👍 Latest articles available **Cons** - 🐛 App crashes frequently - 🐛 Login issues - 🐛 Unreliable performance - 🐛 Invasive ads - 🐛 Paywalled content - 🐛 Poor user interface - 🐛 Content not local - 🐛 Blurry/unreadable text - 🐛 Updates worsen app - 🐛 Difficult to navigate - 🐛 Subscription issues - 🐛 Poor customer support - 🐛 Outdated stories - 🐛 Inconsistent delivery - 🐛 Unprofessional support email - 🐛 Tracking and monitoring - 🐛 Push notifications not customizable - 🐛 Download issues - 🐛 Cannot enlarge print - 🐛 No way to exit download - 🐛 Unresponsive developers - 🐛 Poor policy compliance **Commonly reported bugs** - Blocked from login with Google (Error 403: disallowed_useragent) - Latest update crashes app - App crashes on startup - Links don't work - Rotating tablet jumps pages - Puzzle expansion is blurry - eEdition in a continuous loop asking for userID and password - App won't log in - Error Fetching Feeds - Pull to Refresh errors - App not working for subscribers - Resetting password asks to create new account - New update not working on older iPads - App crashes constantly - Articles not for local area - App crashes every time it is opened - App crashes after reinstall - App requires registration and crashes on login - App crashing every time to open - App crashes after a few weeks - App requires subscription for all content - App not loading - Doesn't work with iOS 5 **Most requested features** - Fix Google SSO compliance - Improve local coverage - Allow customizable notifications - Revert to older app version - Add puzzles (crosswords, etc.) - Improve search functionality - Allow offline reading - Fix blurry/pixelated text - Improve print version readability - Format app like the actual newspaper - Allow enlarging print in downloads - Provide access to previous editions - Fix app crashing on startup - Make app compatible with older devices - Offer dark mode ## Newest reviews (18 of 67) ### 2/5 — Unreliable *2026-02-20, version 11.1.0* Unreliable ### 3/5 — Bad app *2023-10-29* Links don’t work. When you rotate your tablet it jumps six or seven pages forward. When I expand a puzzle to print it, it comes out blurry. **Developer response:** We apologize for the experience you are receiving with the app. In an effort to assist you with assist you with printing the puzzle section, please email us customerservice@mcclatchy.com with your contact information as we would like to help assist you. Thank you.. ### 1/5 — Every time they change it gets worse *2021-09-03* Seems something is always wrong. I don’t know ho many times this app has been changed, and I still can’t get to work right. **Developer response:** Thank you for your feedback. Please let us know what app issues you are experiencing to further assist you. ### 1/5 — Ads with a paid subscription? *2021-05-30* I was hoping to support my “local” paper but I’m over it now. Horrible app. I shouldn’t be seeing ads with a paid subscription. No wonder this newspaper is dying. ### 1/5 — Local news important except to the paper owner *2021-03-28, version 8.1.0* Random schedules for delivery, some days not at all. Reporting has continous errors for local stories. Comics are great! ### 1/5 — Would like to occasionally see *2021-01-22* What’s happening in Olympia. I used to live there and still have family in the area. I hate that I have to buy a subscription in order to read more than 3 lines of outdated news. ### 1/5 — Bankrupt app just like the paper *2020-08-25, version 7.9.1* Enough said ### 1/5 — Really Bad *2020-05-31* For over a month I’ve tried to read the e edition. I had hoped it would read like a newspaper. Am I doing something wrong? This has many, many pop ups that are incredibly distracting. It is hard to browse in order to find articles which i prefer to read. I am inundated by news emails that I can’t seem to turn off. Every time I unsubscribe I get new emails or push alerts. This has been a very unpleasant experience and I am cancelling ### 1/5 — Inconsistent *2020-03-16, version 7.6.0* It works for about a week. The won’t let me in. When I try to reset my password it asks me to create a new account. ### 2/5 — First Saturday Newspaper online only *2020-01-25* Not as good as holding a paper in your hands. Also has old, old stories, like reading last weeks paper. Why not try a format which copies the format of the actual newspaper? That would be original. Still attempting to read this “newspaper “. Where are the comics and advice column?What about the crossword? What about this moment in history? I am old-fashioned, I know, but I savor the old newsprint and paper. (I do appreciate the newer inks.) This app does not present things in a way which is close enough to what I enjoy. It is attempting to copy the other news apps, without having enough to offer to be them. Please try another approach if you are determined to do this online thing. You can’t compete with Apple News. Charlotte Ann Barber ### 1/5 — Horrible Ap *2020-01-15* I absolutely hate this ap. It often takes a very long time to load, it closes on its own when you try to move around in it. Not everything can be viewed such as “what’s happening” and cartoons on the editorial page. Ads pop up without being selected. If you down load to read, you cannot enlarge the print. And there’s no way to get out of the down load. The only reason I have kept it is there are no other options for local news. Looking at the other ratings it appears the Olympian is unconcerned with displeasure with the ap. Read to be done! ### 1/5 — Can’t use the e- edition *2019-12-31, version 7.5.0* Called the help desk because I can’t get the edition to work. The “solution” is I am to be sent a daily email that will allow me to access the e-edition. I hope they can devote some funds to fixing this goofy app. ### 1/5 — Subscription delays *2019-12-18* Was supposed to get my first issues of the Olympian on Sunday . That didn’t happen . Have called since than 4 times , because I have not received 1 issue . Just got of the phone again , same old same old . So my review is definitely not flattering . If you want to get a newspaper , you have to go to the store . ### 1/5 — This new app is the worst *2019-11-30* The updated app will not allow reading of the newspaper “print” version on an iPad like before. The whole thing is fuzzy and if you try to enlarge it to read an article, it is so pixelated it is unreadable. If you download it, it is sharp but too small to read and you can’t expand it to enlarge it. What a waste. ### 1/5 — Very aggravating *2019-11-16, version 7.4.1* The previous app worked wonderfully on my iPad. This new system is a constant struggle. PLEASE give us back the old app! ### 1/5 — Scam *2019-10-17, version 7.3.0* Every customer gets a different rate with the paper and then it jumps up in price ridiculously - with no customer being treated equally and neighbors who subscribe at the same time often paying different rates. This app said $1.99 for 1 month access and then “after the 12 weeks” it’ll go to $15.99 a month. So how much is it for weeks 6-12? More of the same with how the paper subscription scam runs! ### 1/5 — Poor update *2019-10-14, version 6.2.3* New update does not work on older iPads, due to need for iOS 10 or later ### 1/5 — Very Poor Product *2019-10-07, version 7.3.0* Just cancelled my online subscription. I have lived in Olympia and read our local paper since 1989. The previous e edition worked well, whereas the new version is an ill thought out disaster. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Lousy local coverage *2026-03-29, version 11.1.0* Covering the No Kings marches in Tri-cities & Bellingham, no mention of the one here in Olympia. I don’t feel the need to continue my subscription. ### 1/5 — Blocked from login with Google *2025-08-12* Update: my attempts to contact the app developers remain unsuccessful. They don’t bother responding at all. I was pretty sure that support email provided was shady at best… =============== Whenever I attempt to log into this app to access my premium subscription using my Google Single Sign-On (SSO), I got the following return from Google: “Access blocked: This request is blocked by Google’s policies” Error 403: disallowed_useragent The “dev support” email registered is a Gmail Account, which makes the developer appear to be unprofessional at best or shady at worst. I’d like to be able to leverage my premium subscription on this app. How about some proper policy compliance with Google SSO…? ### 1/5 — Blocked from login with Google *2025-05-04* Whenever I attempt to log into this app to access my premium subscription using my Google Single Sign-On (SSO), I got the following return from Google: “Access blocked: This request is blocked by Google’s policies” The “dev support” email registered is a Gmail Account, which makes the developer appear to be unprofessional at best or shady at worst. I’d like to be able to leverage my premium subscription on this app. How about some proper policy compliance with Google SSO…? ### 1/5 — Latest update crashes app *2025-01-12* This app gets worse with every update. The latest update fails to download half of the stories, displaying only the spinning “working” icon until it crashes completely. After a few rounds of this, the app crashes on startup — completely unusable. Deleting the app and reinstalling from the App store does not help. The app still crashes on startup. ### 1/5 — Just deleted *2024-06-17, version 10.0.3* All the articles are paywalled now. Why bother? ### 1/5 — Trying to use the app is useless *2024-05-05, version 9.3.4* I have a subscription to the but the app doesn’t seem to get that. It isn’t working. ### 1/5 — Invasive AP!!! Don’t use *2024-03-02, version 9.3.4* Your APP is extremely invasive and tracks, downloads and monitors all the activities associated with my smartphone!!! ### 1/5 — eEdition doesn’t work with Update last week of July 2022 *2022-07-31* The Olympian update the last week of July 2022 forced users tr into a continuous loop asking for userID and password. The Olympian suggested accessing eEdition through the browser instead of the app. Support and function is non-existent. Recent recommendation from The Olympian was to turnoff notifications in Safari. **Developer response:** Contact our Customer Service Team at customerservice@theolympian.com to check your account. ### 1/5 — App won’t log in *2022-07-07* This app worked for about a week before it never let me log in again. On top of that, it auto renewed my subscription after a year and i barely got to even use it. Do not recommend **Developer response:** We apologize for the inconvenience, we are transitioning to a new subscription platform and sorting out a few bugs. In the meantime, we've enabled full access for all readers until the transition is complete. Once the new system is running, a login or subscription purchase will be required for unlimited access. ### 1/5 — Just like the print edition — awful *2022-03-14* Just as the printed Olympian is the worst daily newspaper I’ve ever read, this is the worst news app I’ve ever tried to use. Absolute, McClatchy-mangled junk. I’d give this app a zero if I could. **Developer response:** Please let us know what issues you are experiencing to further assist you. Our Customer Service Team can also be reached at customerservice@theolympian.com. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — App Does Not Work *2021-12-31* I have a subscription and was unable to access news through the app’s feed on my IPhone, however, I was able to access the digital edition. The error that I received was “Error Fetching Feeds” and “Pull to Refresh” whenever I tried opening the app after receiving an Olympian news alert on my IPhone or IPad. I quickly received a response from the developer advising me to turn off Private Relay in my phone’s settings and voila, the error disappeared. **Developer response:** Thank you for your response and glad the fix worked. ### 5/5 — Very good app! *2021-07-20* app seems to have made a lot of changes (based on other reviews), i think it works just fine ### 5/5 — What happened? *2019-10-06* This is a fail. Before, I could read the paper on my I-pad as articles or as a paper. I’m usually chose the print version, and could change size of the comics and print easily. No more, and the ads are totally invasive. Also, comics have been gone twice recently. I am frustrated as well as sad....I miss the local reporting, the local journalists, the hometown feel. And the inclusion of the national scene with the extra section seems to be gone as well. At least go back to the prior ap! ### 5/5 — A Terrible change to the e-edition app! *2019-10-03* The Olympian has changed the e-edition just recently. A huge downgrade of this product. I use The Olympian app on an iPad. Although one can still see the paper like a print version one cannot enlarge the copy without losing part of the page. And the ads are a constant annoyance. Worst for me, one can no longer access previous editions or download an edition to read offline later when there is no internet access. I called customer service. They were off no assistance. Shane on you McClatchy and The Olympian. ### 5/5 — The Olympian Review *2015-02-16, version 5.9.0* For all the years The Olympian Newspaper and now online articles, this app is impressive. Continue to have political, environmental, more local high school and college sport results. Hiring employees regularly is a positive. Go Thurston County reporters! ### 5/5 — Love this app! *2014-04-22, version 4.8.0.0* I don't buy the paper Olympian anymore due to this app. It provides all the up to date articles that I would get in the paper version. I'm very satisfied. ### 5/5 — Quick and easy *2012-12-18, version 1.1.18.0* Works well has almost everything you'd see online. :) ### 5/5 — Miss it *2011-11-15, version 1.1* It was nice having LOCAL news. If I live in Oly, why would I want the Seattle news? The Olympian gave me news on my ride to work, updates in my neighborhood and the option to look at global issues! Please fix it! I cannot find another local iphone app. ### 5/5 — Easy to use *2011-06-12, version 1.1* This app has the latest news at my fingertips. Love it! Use it daily or more! ### 4/5 — Good so far! *2014-08-06, version 5.4.0* I have been able to open the app, read articles and go from nod section over the paper to the next with ease. No crashing. --- *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 2026-09-09.*