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Review Insights · Google Play

Howbout: shared calendar

Howbout · 18,532 ratings · ★ 4.7

4.7
★★★★★
18,532 ratings
5 ★
14,977 (81%)
4 ★
2,124 (11%)
3 ★
637 (3%)
2 ★
118 (1%)
1 ★
667 (4%)
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Top complaints - extracted from 45 negative reviews

Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.

1
"friends"
12 negative reviews mention this · 27% of all complaints
★★★★ "DOWNLOAD TIMETREE INSTEAD! This app makes you invite friends before you can even try the service. this means you already gave them your phone number and you cant even use the service before making your friends sign up and now they have to p…" - Chrissy Marie
2
"phone"
9 negative reviews mention this · 20% of all complaints
★★★★ "I couldn't log in with my phone number, why?" - Guāng Yuān
3
"invite"
8 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★ "i hate how i still have to invite someone before i can use the app, very dissapointing and definitely annoying." - Khate aizel Adelino
4
"number"
7 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★ "I couldn't log in with my phone number, why?" - Guāng Yuān
5
"phone number"
7 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★ "I couldn't log in with my phone number, why?" - Guāng Yuān
6
"work"
7 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★ "this app no longer works on my phone" - Aubriona Reeves
7
"people"
7 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★ "Rewuires adding more people to "unlock" the calendar. I just wanted a shared calendar for my household, not this pathetic excuse for a chain letter. Garbage." - Quintillus 54
8
"without"
5 negative reviews mention this · 11% of all complaints
★★★★★ "I shouldn't have to provide a phone number in order to use the app. A phone number isn't needed to keep it "secure". My google account info is the very most you would need. update to developer: there's no need for me to email you. You can u…" - Account Email
9
"friend"
5 negative reviews mention this · 11% of all complaints
★★★★ "DOWNLOAD TIMETREE INSTEAD! This app makes you invite friends before you can even try the service. this means you already gave them your phone number and you cant even use the service before making your friends sign up and now they have to p…" - Chrissy Marie
10
"calendar"
5 negative reviews mention this · 11% of all complaints
★★★★ "I need to invite a friend(s) to use the calendar app to even work. If I can give 0 stars, I would." - Carmí Mendez

📋 All 45 negative reviews

Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").

★★★★ Guāng Yuān 6/25/2026
I couldn't log in with my phone number, why?
★★★★ Aubriona Reeves 6/20/2026 v15.2.0
this app no longer works on my phone
★★★★ Khate aizel Adelino 6/18/2026 v15.2.0
i hate how i still have to invite someone before i can use the app, very dissapointing and definitely annoying.
★★★★ Chrissy Marie 6/17/2026
DOWNLOAD TIMETREE INSTEAD! This app makes you invite friends before you can even try the service. this means you already gave them your phone number and you cant even use the service before making your friends sign up and now they have to put in their phone number too. I got to that step and just immediately undownloaded it. left a bad taste in my mouth and went to reddit to find other good recommendations such as the free app timetree which doesnt make u jump thru hoops to use its service.
★★★★ Cassandra Ollodo 6/17/2026 v15.2.0
I've tried using multiple numbers, but they keep declining it, even though they're from different companies. what do I do? :(
★★★★ Roos Pennings 6/3/2026 v15.0.2
won't let me join unless I get a friend to join. this is corrupt bro. fix this.
★★★★ Carmí Mendez 6/3/2026 v15.0.2
I need to invite a friend(s) to use the calendar app to even work. If I can give 0 stars, I would.
★★★★ Lee Gwynette Velasco 6/1/2026
stop being so desperate for downloads bro and make the app actually work
★★★★ Natalie kelsey 5/30/2026
make it make sense, im 2010 but cant use the app? but 2009 can? ok... calender app btw
★★★★ Quintillus 54 5/26/2026 v15.0.0
Rewuires adding more people to "unlock" the calendar. I just wanted a shared calendar for my household, not this pathetic excuse for a chain letter. Garbage.
★★★★ Jesse Milan 5/22/2026 v14.2.0
Requires you to share with friends in order to use the app, awful design. Practically like a pyramid scheme.
★★★★ Nightarchtavious 5/21/2026
make an app wjere everyone can access it for free not some paywall bs
★★★★ Asisipho Magwentshu 5/19/2026 v14.2.0
delete my details
★★★★ Rui Ferrari 5/13/2026 v14.2.0
absolutely rubbish. u can open the app if friends dont download and signed up as well. who came up with idea like that. do not download it, plenty of others out there.
★★★★ Jade 5/12/2026
The app does not work on Android. It lets me put my number in, it lets me verify my phone number, but once I get to the email screen it doesn't let me progress from there. And it lags and glitches my phone once I try to leave the app. I've uninstalled, I've restarted, I've cleared storage and cache. It does not work.
★★★★ Macayla Potgieter 5/6/2026
after trying to sign up for this app, I have been getting non stop spam phone calls. not sure if its related, or a very big coincidence
★★★★ MU Paliso 5/1/2026
worst app ever •Does not allow any South African numbers •Tried 3!!!different numbers (still didn't work) •I don't recommend this app at all!
★★★★ WAYNE Whites 4/26/2026
bad app they want you to promote them by sending their link to others. I couldn't even do what the app is for because I needed to send their stupid link to 3 people before I could actually do anything on the app.
★★★★ Tashy 4/26/2026 v14.0.0
Poor Design I understand it's a calendar targeted towards friends. But needing a friend code to even access the app is very weird. Also, that doesn't even work. I've tried invite codes as well, and I can't even get on the app through my friends.
★★★★ Natascha 4/24/2026 v14.0.0
I don't like that it makes you invite friends before being able to check out the different features. It feels kind of spammy. I'm open to changing my review if they change this, but at the moment this prevents me from determining whether I would use this app.
★★★★ Nico Widmer 4/24/2026 v14.0.0
Can't evaluate this app because it's not usable without inviting someone first. Not going to harass people to install an app just so I can evaluate it and MAYBE use it together later.
★★★★ Ella Genzer 4/22/2026 v14.0.0
i put in my phone number and it won't even let me make an account. it tells me to use a legitimate android or iPhone. I have an android and it still won't accept my number. i live in the US too!!
★★★★ Modipadi Mphela 4/20/2026 v13.13.0
I don't like the fact that you need to send this app to your friends and the only way for the app to work is for your friends to accept 🙄😒like what is I don't have friends or my friends are always offline?😒
★★★★ Carolyn Henderson 4/20/2026 v13.13.0
Requiring EVERY person to add 3 friends before they're allowed to even use the app is stupid and ridiculous. You have lost approximately 11 potential customers among my group of friends who were unable to join due to this policy. It's terrible.
★★★★ Frank Cancellieri 4/17/2026 v13.13.0
I have to pay to add a widgit to my homescreen? seriously?
★★★★ Amanda Tyrrell 4/13/2026 v13.13.0
You will get charged, even you only have the free version, and then get told its not them that bills you!!
★★★★ W Mari Ansaldo 4/7/2026 v13.12.0
I wanted this app to have a shared calendar for my husband and myself. Apparently I need to invite 3 different "friends" and it didn't even count my husband as 1. Because I can't get past the choose 3 friends screen it's completely useless to me. Uninstalled. Thanks for nothing.
★★★★ Nomcebo Nkwanyana 3/31/2026 v13.11.0
horrible App
★★★★ Matt Saywell 3/25/2026 v13.11.0
Really tried to get people to use this app, through all the image sending issues etc, the thing that killed it was sending notifications to friends for things they weren't invited to. That's surely the biggest no no, telling everyone things they're not invited to. We're lucky it didn't cause a row really. The privacy settings are too confusing if that's what the problem was. Group gave up with it, back to messenger chats
★★★★ Dustin Bumgarner 3/23/2026
app is useless. to "unlock" the app for free it requires you to send invite to friends, well when I went to do that it says "oops something went wrong" like it's forcing you to pay for the app instead. that's a scammy way to run an app, uninstalled immediately!
★★★★ Belle Betty 3/20/2026
at the moment it's a 1, my friend slove it but someone is using my phone number so I can not get into the app.
★★★★ Wilma Hunter 3/18/2026 v13.10.1
Stupid glitch won't let my grandmother add her acount to mine and my moms calander. it sends a verification code that was never asked for
★★★★ Shaylene Morris 3/18/2026
I don't like the fact that you can only join if you get a friend to join. why are we forcing people to join?
★★★★ three three three 3/18/2026 v13.10.1
you forced me to update and now the app doesn't launch. thanks.
★★★★ Lorelei Botha 3/17/2026
STUPID APP
★★★★ Jaqlena Young 3/11/2026
you need a phone number and you cant use without it
★★★★★ rinfeld 6/11/2026 v15.1.2
Невозможно зайти, не присылает код на телефон
★★★★★ Account Email 6/9/2026
I shouldn't have to provide a phone number in order to use the app. A phone number isn't needed to keep it "secure". My google account info is the very most you would need. update to developer: there's no need for me to email you. You can update the apps without me needing to write you
★★★★★ Raime Cainhurst 6/4/2026
back button doesn't work horrible interface cluttered af
★★★★★ Kylee 6/2/2026 v15.0.2
was 4 stars now 2, its gotten worse to use over time. Events wont delete for others when deleted by creator among other weird glitches/changes.
★★★★★ shey zhey1234 5/18/2026 v14.2.0
I kinda have a problem of unlocking the app. I was planning on using it alone with no friends since where im from this is actually not that known so I don't know people who uses this app, I hope there's an option where you can unlock it without Inviting anyone 'cause I honestly don't want any of my friends to feel forced just because I want to be on the app
★★★★★ Anthony Calvano 5/18/2026 v14.2.0
Cool Idea, terrible execution. Every time I try to enter an event, it screws me over. Changes the date, the time, whatever. I shouldn't have to enter it four times to get it in there properly. Data entry is literally the first thing that is taught to programmers. Not to mention that you have this fuction here that allows you to use commonly labeled events' names, but you couldn't bother pulling the frequently used time associated with said event title? Come on.
★★★★★ Colby Thomas 5/12/2026 v14.2.0
Cannot test the app without someone else signing up. That in itself feels sketchy.
★★★★★ Stephanie B 4/9/2026 v13.12.0
the fact they make it so you have to PAY to have the app open to the calendar instead of the updates is insulting. purposely making the app worse to try to make people pay is pathetic. they made it open to a place they know most users don't want to open to.
★★★★★ AnnMarie 3/15/2026 v13.10.0
the app seem perf in the tiktok ad but wdym "share with 3 friends " like dawg I only have 1 🫩 fix this cause nothing was shown on the ad to invite 3 friends and this (i think) is a form of false advertising 🥰

Sentiment summary

92%
Positive (4-5★)
3%
Neutral (3★)
4%
Negative (1-2★)

✓ Strong positive sentiment - clone path is harder, users like the existing app.