User
Response from developer
That is fair, and you can actually do exactly that - there is a one-time Lifetime option on the purchase screen. Pay once, keep it forever, no subscription. The reason a subscription exists at all is that the sightings feed updates continuously rather than shipping with the app, so most people are paying for the data to keep arriving rather than for the software. But if you would rather just own it, the Lifetime option is there, and I should make that clearer before people hit the paywall. If you want to try it properly first, email me at stephenhartwd@gmail.com and mention this review and I will send you a free pass. - Stephen
Thank you for the fixes
The app has numerous cool features especially location information which is helpful for knowing where to find the whales and be amazed by their behavior! Great app!
Response from developer
Thank you for spelling out exactly what is cut off. Coordinates on the left and the button on the right, on an iPhone 15 Pro, is precise enough for us to chase down. That should not happen on any current iPhone, and you are paying for the app, so it is not good enough. It is with our developers now. Two things would help us find it faster: which screen you were on, and whether Display Zoom or a larger text size is turned on in Settings. Email me at stephenhartwd@gmail.com with those and mention this review, and I will send you a free Whale Tracker promo code as a thank you. - Stephen, Whale Tracker
Very outdated
Response from developer
You are right, and thank you for saying so plainly. I checked the live feed after reading this. It is updating - there are sightings from today, including Canadian ones - but the overall number has dropped by more than half over the last five weeks as reporting slows for the season. So an autumn map genuinely does look sparse next to a summer one, and if another app is showing you sightings mine is not, that is a coverage gap on my side rather than you misreading it. Two things would really help me fix it: which area you are watching, and which app is showing the sightings I am missing. I will go and add the source. Email me at stephenhartwd@gmail.com and mention this review - I will send you a free pass for the app either way, as thanks for taking the time. I would much rather chase down a real gap than argue about it. - Stephen
Costly app and doesn’t fit on screen
Please fix this. Thanks.
Response from developer
Thank you for spelling out exactly what is cut off. Coordinates on the left and the button on the right, on an iPhone 15 Pro, is precise enough for us to chase down. That should not happen on any current iPhone, and you are paying for the app, so it is not good enough. It is with our developers now. Two things would help us find it faster: which screen you were on, and whether Display Zoom or a larger text size is turned on in Settings. Email me at stephenhartwd@gmail.com with those and mention this review, and I will send you a free Whale Tracker promo code as a thank you. - Stephen, Whale Tracker
No follow button :(
Response from developer
Thanks for flagging this, and sorry. Following is a fairly new feature, so if the button isn't showing up for you that's on us, not something you're missing. It's now with our developers to fix. Email me at stephenhartwd@gmail.com and mention this review - I'll send you a free promo code for Whale Tracker as a thank you. It would also really help if you tell me where in the app you were trying to follow from and your iOS version, so we can track the bug down. Thanks for the four stars despite it. We'd like to earn the fifth. - Stephen, Whale Tracker
Very useful
Response from developer
Thank you! BC is where this whole thing started - the Salish Sea and Vancouver Island are some of the best-covered water we have, so it means a lot to hear it's working right where it matters most. If you ever spot something the map missed, tell us the area and we'll go chase down a source for it. Happy spotting! - Whale Tracker Team
Worth downloading
Response from developer
Humpbacks on day two is a good holiday. Thank you for this. Planning a trip around where the whales actually are is exactly what we built the map for, so it's great to hear it paid off that fast. If you tell us where you're headed next we're happy to check how well covered that stretch is before you go. - Whale Tracker Team
Must have
Response from developer
Thank you - a family day out that actually ends in whales is the whole reason this app exists. If there's a stretch of coast you visit often that looks thin on the map, let us know where and we'll see about adding reporting sources for it. Hope the next trip turns up something even better. - Whale Tracker Team
You can’t use the app unless you pay
Response from developer
Hi, thanks for the honest feedback — and sorry the paywall put you off. We want you to actually experience everything Whale Tracker does, so if you email us at Stephenhartwd@gmail.com we’ll set you up with a free year on us, no strings attached. Just mention this review so we know it’s you. Hope to hear from you! 🐋
Fake
Response from developer
Thanks for the feedback — we hear you, and we take data freshness seriously. Whale Tracker pulls from over 60 verified sources worldwide and updates automatically. We recently expanded our coverage significantly, including new New Zealand and Australian sources, and moved to a real-time data system so sightings appear on the map within minutes of being reported. If sightings looked stale when you tried the app, we'd genuinely like to know which area you were looking at — some regions simply have fewer active reporting networks than others, and that's something we're continuously working to improve. We're not perfect, but we're not fake — and we're building the most comprehensive whale sighting dataset available to any consumer app anywhere. We'd welcome you back to give it another try.
Hooray!
Response from developer
So glad it's working now — thank you for updating your review, it genuinely made our day! 🐋 As a thank-you for your patience while we sorted this out, we'd love to give you one full year of Whale Tracker free. Just reach out to us through the in-app support email and we'll set it up right away. Happy whale tracking! — Whale Tracker Team
Loved it in the beginning
Response from developer
Hi Kierst — we'd love to give you a full year of Whale Tracker, free, because you deserve way better than this. Nothing scammy was going on, though we completely understand why it felt that way: a bug on our end locked out people who'd already paid and then wouldn't let them repurchase. That's on us, and it's now fixed in the latest update. Please update the app and tap Restore Purchases at the bottom of the paywall — your existing subscription reconnects instantly with no new charge. Once you're back in, reach out via in-app support or reply here and we'll add the free year to your account. We loved having you that first week and we'd really love to keep you. 🐋 — Whale Tracker Team
Not working
Response from developer
Hi Andrea — first off, we'd love to give you a full year of Whale Tracker, free, for putting up with this. You paid and you should never have been locked out — that was a bug on our end that kept asking paying users to buy again. It's now fixed in the latest update: just update the app and tap Restore Purchases at the bottom of the paywall and your subscription reconnects instantly, no new charge. Once you're back in, reach out through the in-app support link or reply here and we'll get that free year on your account. Thank you for sticking with us — there are humpbacks, orcas, and grays waiting for you out there! 🐋 — Whale Tracker Team
BC ferry adventure
Response from developer
This might be our favourite review yet. Knowing which side of the ferry to stand on is genuinely the difference between seeing humpbacks and watching everyone else see them - the Vancouver to Nanaimo run is one of the best whale-watching trips nobody thinks to call whale watching. Really glad it got your family to the right rail, and thank you for taking the time to write this. - Whale Tracker Team
spotted two local whales using this app!🐋
Response from developer
Hi Esther9102 — WOW, what a trip! Humpbacks and orcas on the same cruise is unforgettable. Thanks for trusting the app and recommending it to others. We’re continually improving sighting coverage and guides to help more folks get moments like yours. If you captured any great photos or suggestions, feel free to share. Cheers and thank you for the 5⭐️!
Funktioniert nicht
Response from developer
Hi there, thanks for your feedback—we’re sorry you’re experiencing this issue. It sounds like the purchase selection isn’t triggering properly. This isn’t the expected behavior, and we’d really like to get this fixed for you as quickly as possible. Could you please try restarting the app and ensuring you’re on the latest version? If the issue continues, feel free to reach out with a bit more detail (device type, iOS version), and we’ll look into it right away. Thanks for your patience—we’re actively working to improve the experience. Hallo, vielen Dank für dein Feedback und es tut uns leid, dass dieses Problem auftritt. Es klingt so, als würde die Auswahl von Käufen nicht korrekt reagieren. Das sollte natürlich nicht passieren, und wir möchten das schnellstmöglich für dich beheben. Bitte versuche, die App neu zu starten und sicherzustellen, dass du die neueste Version verwendest. Falls das Problem weiterhin besteht, melde dich gerne mit ein paar zusätzlichen Details (Gerätetyp, iOS-Version), damit wir das genauer untersuchen können. Vielen Dank für deine Geduld – wir arbeiten kontinuierlich daran, die App zu verbessern.
Great for seeing whales!
Response from developer
Hej Svenfromsweden89 — tack! We’re so happy Whale Tracker helped you find pods and bring home great photos from Alaska. That’s the dream: simple tools that help create amazing memories with friends and family. We’re working on even better international coverage and smarter “new sightings” highlights—stay tuned. Thanks for taking us along on your adventure! 🐳📍✨
Lots of whales with great data!
Fake
Response from developer
Thanks for the feedback — we hear you, and we take data freshness seriously. Whale Tracker pulls from over 60 verified sources worldwide and updates automatically. We recently expanded our coverage significantly, including new New Zealand and Australian sources, and moved to a real-time data system so sightings appear on the map within minutes of being reported. If sightings looked stale when you tried the app, we'd genuinely like to know which area you were looking at — some regions simply have fewer active reporting networks than others, and that's something we're continuously working to improve. We're not perfect, but we're not fake — and we're building the most comprehensive whale sighting dataset available to any consumer app anywhere. We'd welcome you back to give it another try.
Essential for Whale Watching in Vancouver 🌊🐋
Response from developer
Thanks so much for the awesome review and for whale-watching with us in Vancouver! 🐋💙 We’ve just shipped v2.0 with smoother maps, a New Sightings (≤7d) focus, and refreshed guides for orcas and humpbacks. If you haven’t updated yet, give it a try—and if you spot anything we can improve (or want more regions covered), we’d love to hear from you at stephenhartwd@gmail.com . Safe watching and thank you for supporting responsible wildlife viewing! 🙏
