# Whale Tracker - Sightings Map — user reviews > 17 indexed App Store user reviews of Whale Tracker by STEPHEN VICTOR HART, rated 3.90/5 from 17 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whale-tracker-sightings-map/id6751474710/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whale-tracker-sightings-map/id6751474710.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 11 · 4★ 2 · 3★ 0 · 2★ 0 · 1★ 4 ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — You can’t use the app unless you pay *2026-07-11* There’s no way to use this without paying , not even a free trial. don’t get this **Developer response:** 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! 🐋 ### 1/5 — Fake *2026-07-05* This app is awful. Completely fake, only posts old sightings, useless. **Developer response:** 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. ### 1/5 — Loved it in the beginning *2026-06-07* I loved this for like the first week, but then it locked me out of the app saying I had to buy a subscription even though I had just paid for the year. It was very strange and then it wouldn’t let me repurchase because I already had an account, so I just couldn’t access the app I had paid for…very scammy feelings **Developer response:** 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 ### 1/5 — Not working *2026-06-04* I paid for the month and every time I go to open it and it wants me to pay over and over again **Developer response:** 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 ### 1/5 — Funktioniert nicht *2026-04-26* Man kann Käufe auswählen und dann passiert nichts. Keine Funktion **Developer response:** 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. ### 1/5 — Fake *2026-04-06* This app is awful. Completely fake, only posts old sightings completely useless. **Developer response:** 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. ### 4/5 — No follow button :( *2026-08-22* Cool app, but the follow button doesn’t show up. ### 5/5 — Very useful *2026-07-22* This app is amazing! Perfect for whale sightings around BC. **Developer response:** 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 ### 5/5 — Worth downloading *2026-07-19* Found this app before our vacation and ended up seeing humpbacks on our second day. Definitely keeping it for future trips! **Developer response:** 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 ### 5/5 — Must have *2026-07-18* Great app, I used this for a day out with my family and we spotted few good looking whales. If you love marine life this is definitely a must have! **Developer response:** 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 ## Most praised reviews (7 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Hooray! *2026-06-14* I’ve updated the app after a developer fix & it’s working. Thank you developer for checking & fixing the app. Happy now 😃 **Developer response:** 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 ### 5/5 — BC ferry adventure *2026-05-10* Our family use this app on the BC Ferries going from Vancouver to Nanaimo. It was so helpful to tell us where to stand on the boat to spot the whales we saw so many humpbacks in orca whales. Just an amazing experience great app. **Developer response:** 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 ### 5/5 — spotted two local whales using this app!🐋 *2026-05-02* What makes this app stand out immediately is the real-time live sighting map. Seeing whale and shark activity update every few seconds makes it feel like you’re literally connected to the ocean in real time. It’s not just static information—you can open the app and instantly know what’s happening out there, whether it’s orcas off the coast or humpbacks migrating nearby. **Developer response:** 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⭐️! ### 5/5 — Great for seeing whales! *2026-04-11* Best whale tracking app I’ve found. The live sightings are super fast and the map is really clean. Feels like you actually know what’s happening in real time. **Developer response:** 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! 🐳📍✨ ### 5/5 — Lots of whales with great data! *2026-04-11* Really impressed with this app. Live sightings update quickly and the map is clean and simple. Highly recommend. ### 5/5 — Essential for Whale Watching in Vancouver 🌊🐋 *2025-09-24* Absolutely love this app — it’s easy to use, accurate, and extremely useful during my time in Vancouver. The recent-sightings map is clean and intuitive. I appreciated the built-in species guides (especially for orcas and humpbacks), and the fact that it works offline when service is spotty. No ads, no forced account setup — just a great, privacy-friendly tool for wildlife lovers. Highly recommend! **Developer response:** 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! 🙏 ### 5/5 — Great travel app! *2025-09-21* We use the app on our trip to the coast and helped us identify the pods of whales for the kids and also locate popular sighting areas! Easy to navigate and simple. **Developer response:** Thank you so much for the kind words! 🙌 We’re thrilled Whale Tracker helped on your coastal trip—especially for identifying pods with the kids. In v2.0 we refreshed the Learn guides and added a Whale Quiz for fun on the drive between spots. If there’s anything that would make family trips even easier (or regions you’d like covered), we’d love to hear it: stephenhartwd@gmail.com . Happy spotting and safe adventures! 🐋💙 --- *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 2026-08-26.*