Review Insights · Google Play
The Guardian - US & World News
Guardian News & Media Ltd · 405,292 ratings · ★ 4.6
4.6
★★★★★
405,292 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 62 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
"subscription"
15 negative reviews mention this · 24% of all complaints
★★★★★ "The Guardian journalism is excellent and I subscribe. Unfortunately with this app, it is practically impossible to read articles as they disappear every time you scroll up. What is the point of a news app where you can't read the news? It's…" - Peter Gordon
2
"guardian"
14 negative reviews mention this · 23% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Still scrolling blank pages! so frustrating. Love the paper and pay for sub but a few weeks on and still the same issue with blankpages when scrolling. Guardian has no time scale for fix ! Will not renew ." - Marie Martin
3
"articles"
12 negative reviews mention this · 19% of all complaints
★★★★★ "The Guardian journalism is excellent and I subscribe. Unfortunately with this app, it is practically impossible to read articles as they disappear every time you scroll up. What is the point of a news app where you can't read the news? It's…" - Peter Gordon
4
"read"
8 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "The Guardian journalism is excellent and I subscribe. Unfortunately with this app, it is practically impossible to read articles as they disappear every time you scroll up. What is the point of a news app where you can't read the news? It's…" - Peter Gordon
5
"news"
8 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "The Guardian journalism is excellent and I subscribe. Unfortunately with this app, it is practically impossible to read articles as they disappear every time you scroll up. What is the point of a news app where you can't read the news? It's…" - Peter Gordon
6
"since"
8 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Since the 20th April 2026 update, the app crashes on every story loaded. Clearing app cache, app data, and a forced stop doesn't help. Shame as I do like the app layout - but I can no longer access any story. Additionally, the setting to "s…" - Tom Walker
7
"update"
8 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Since the 20th April 2026 update, the app crashes on every story loaded. Clearing app cache, app data, and a forced stop doesn't help. Shame as I do like the app layout - but I can no longer access any story. Additionally, the setting to "s…" - Tom Walker
8
"doesn"
8 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Since the 20th April 2026 update, the app crashes on every story loaded. Clearing app cache, app data, and a forced stop doesn't help. Shame as I do like the app layout - but I can no longer access any story. Additionally, the setting to "s…" - Tom Walker
9
"been"
7 negative reviews mention this · 11% of all complaints
★★★★★ "I've been solving the quick crossword for years at this point. They changed the online UI sometime back and made it worse, so naturally I had to download the app. The app cannot remember my progress in the crossword. I solve half the crossw…" - Rahul Tripathy
10
"screen"
7 negative reviews mention this · 11% of all complaints
★★★★★ "please please fix the upward scrolling blank screen issue, it's infuriating and I can't believe it's been in-app this long. just roll it back!? This plus other recent changes, it feels like enshitification is underway - doubley bad given th…" - Ivan Gregory
📋 All 62 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").
No better than the daily mail sometimes but also begs for cash.
Still scrolling blank pages! so frustrating. Love the paper and pay for sub but a few weeks on and still the same issue with blankpages when scrolling. Guardian has no time scale for fix ! Will not renew .
The Guardian journalism is excellent and I subscribe. Unfortunately with this app, it is practically impossible to read articles as they disappear every time you scroll up. What is the point of a news app where you can't read the news? It's been like this for over 6 months, when I reported it on the beta and still not fixed. Won't be renewing my subscription if I can't read the excellent journalism!
Hidden paywall. The app pretends to be free, then suggests you create a free account to keep using it. Makes you connect to your social media or verified email. Only then you are informed you have 20 articles before you have to start paying. I uninstalled, but of course they now have my verified email.
Since the 20th April 2026 update, the app crashes on every story loaded. Clearing app cache, app data, and a forced stop doesn't help. Shame as I do like the app layout - but I can no longer access any story. Additionally, the setting to "show articles you have already read" has disappeared from the settings menu and I no longer have the tick mark to keep track of viewed articles.
please please fix the upward scrolling blank screen issue, it's infuriating and I can't believe it's been in-app this long. just roll it back!? This plus other recent changes, it feels like enshitification is underway - doubley bad given the huge subscription price increase.
Now requires sign-in to read news in app with unclear justification for why. It's been quite biased so I was already disappointed, but now have uninstalled because of this
Guardian reader since 1957, Alastair Cooke & Michael Frayn. Now a pale shadow of those days, tending to be a mix of Titbits, Reveille & the House Mag of a women's cooperative. Can't get its subscriptions in order. My income is in £s but I live in Euroland so want to pay in £s, which after all must be their major currency for expenditures? Also, they can't comprehend that the same guy could want to use 2 email addresses and different gadgets- Laptop as well as Android phone(s). Bring back Rusbrid
'We don't have billionaire owners...' We just blackmail readers to subscribe. Shocked to see so many other 1 star reviews here, but not surprised. How far it has fallen! Now their app keeps begging for a Subscription...I had already SUBSCRIBED but this was not enough £££, yet it was the Guardian's suggested amount!!! Suddenly I was faced an article limit! No reply and therefore no subscription. The Guardian doesn't read these reviews it seems.
This app notifies me for useless little articles and doesn't for important stuff. I had already personalized it to my interests, yet it still notifies me USELESS info. I do not recommend if you want notifications for important news, instead of the garbage news it throws at you. Mind you, I had this app for 2 years, I just didn't bother to uninstall it, and not once have I gotten a notification I liked. And now ? I have to sign in ? Register ? Worst update of all time.
Have had and enjoyed the app for years but the latest version is mostly white screen and frustrating beyond measure. As a fast reader it seems there is more time looking at white screens or fleeting images of a page than being able to ready steadily through articles as was the case in the past. I've tried all the fixes and it's still an issue. 27.4.26 The white screen scrolling problem which has returned and shows no signs of disappearing means I won't renew my £114 subscription sadly.
Fake, aggressively anti male
I can't open or print crosswords using options
Sign up now mandatory to use. Nope
THIS APP CAN DAMAGE YOUR PHONE SCREEN I used this app ONCE to play the quick crossword. It was very bright in the room I played in so my phone auto adjusted to max brightness. It took me 6 minutes or so, even taking a break occasionally, and my screen now has burnt-in after images of the bright white squares. They have yet to go away. I would suggest until they change the colour/brightness on puzzles, steer clear.
its a con. my wife kept getting hit with requests for money for every article despite having a lite plan which you pay for every month.
The app doesn't work for me on my Android 16, Samsung tab 9. After recent upgrade the app opens stories to empty pages. A longstanding problem is there is no support. Clicking on "support" does nothing. Shame as The paper is a great read but I will have to cancel my subscription as I can't wait around hoping it will fix in the next upgrade.
I use to enjoy reading news from all sides but the Guardian is now one that requires you to sign up and give personal information - even if it's free, why do they need it?
I wanted to be able to at least review this app but could not go through a single story without multiple traps sending me to ads. REMOVED WITH CAUSE.
quick and mini crossword don't open
Be warned that if you subscribe via Google Play, it doesn't work outside Android (can't use the account to access The Guardian website or app on any other devices such as iPad)
Starving journalist adverts is annoying. Especially with a subscription to this app, why do I have to pay twice?
locked in a loop
For the last couple of weeks I get a blank screen for any article which only disappears when I scroll down and reappears if I try to scroll up. Makes the app too frustrating to use so considering stopping my supporter subscription.
Loved the app but recently you just get a blank screen. You have to scroll to read the article. and if you scroll back up it is also blank. paid version so disappointed
I was blatantly misled that I would be sent to downloading Movie Reveal. Once I realized it was The Guardian app I wasn't surprised. Thank you for keeping up with your AMAZING standard of outright telling the opposite of the truth
it doesn't let you save the app
I'm tired of constantly having to sign in with my paid subscription!
Not impressed. Despite being a paid up subscriber I am being blocked from access to the digital version of the Guardian. If this is not resolved very soon I will have to cancel my subscription and go elsewhere for my news. This is an update 6/4/26, when once again the reading content is dysfunctional despite paying a subscription.
Charge my account WITHOUT CONSENT AND SUBSCRIPTION ORFER.
bias
app interferes with other apps,& is a nuisance for
great app for years. currently not. sort it out.
Constantly just fails to load.
Unusable since march 26 update. Hangs constantly and if it doesn't do that it just spins forever loading articles. I'm paying quite a lot for this app. Just roll back the update.
Terrible since latest upgrades, glitches, pages not loading. Not good when paying for subscription
why limit your in-app reading, but disable any way to get the link at that screen? I either waste time copying my social media post I've clicked on into chrome, then opening the link, or I just uninstall the app. easy choice guys! I used to subscribe even, this is not workable UX
New look new owners Just feels a downgrade in news and service. subscription keep going up and changing what you get in that tier. app is terrible, news written by AI or someone that's doesn't spell check. since a recent update the app just hangs. uninstall reinstall etc the normal fixes doesn't change the issues.
Updates rendered the app barely usable. I've been a supporter for nearly a decade and never had a problem with the app until now. It struggles to load articles and constantly crashes. The proposed solution of delete and reinstall hasn't made a difference. Feels like an own goal for the Guardian who rely on members/subscribers.
android app very buggy since last update and won't load articles , stalls all the time. As a paid subscriber this is very disappointing. Not a criticism of the journalism but of the app development
Occasionally works on Samsung A53 but mostly just hangs. Shame, the app used to work well on my phone.
Two months ago they ran an update. Since then the app is constantly freezing and closing. They obviously know there is an issue because they have issued two more updates since. They still haven't fixed the issue. I pay for a subscription to the Guardian. I've contacted them SIX times about the problems with the app. Nobody from the Guardian has responded. I can't believe how they poorly they treat paying customers. I won't be reviewing my subscription.
Hopeless:dies not explain what £4 monthly buys you.
Yet more problems with the app over the past couple of versions. Frequently fails to load articles and then I'm left with the busy animation. Website works fine, so it's app-specific. Have tried uninstall/reinstall. Sometimes it works fine, but when fails it stays failing until I kill the app.
Collecting my data for resale is still a pay wall. Sadly that's the end of my decades of Guardian readership.
I will never donate to guardian unless we are allowed to comment ans rate your news articles.
Currently completely broken. Crashes when you click on any story.
must sign up for an account to access any news. Quick uninstall.
Forced login just to read articles? No thanks. I'll just go back to reading on the web.
I've been solving the quick crossword for years at this point. They changed the online UI sometime back and made it worse, so naturally I had to download the app. The app cannot remember my progress in the crossword. I solve half the crossword and come back later in the day to see that it's only saved maybe 3 of my responses. Please fix this and I shall rate you higher.
+ 12 more in the clipboard copy
Sentiment summary
91%
Positive (4-5★)
2%
Neutral (3★)
7%
Negative (1-2★)