Review Insights · App Store
Philo: Shows, Movies & Live TV
Philo · 68,576 ratings · ★ 4.8
4.8
★★★★★
68,576 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 55 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
"watch"
16 negative reviews mention this · 29% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Stupid casino ads. I pay a lot of money to watch so much ads?!!" - Periscopeisbusted
2
"money"
13 negative reviews mention this · 24% of all complaints
★★★★★ "philo. i downloaded the app didn’t like it deleted it paid for it and they keep taking money out my account and won’t give it back" - user72738446)463748
3
"philo"
11 negative reviews mention this · 20% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Why is there so many ads?. Please stop with the ads. You can’t tell me it’s to keep it cheap because over the 4 years I’ve used Philo it’s so expensive now. It’s gone up and up with more and more ads. I’m canceling for sure. If I’m going to pay that much might as wel…" - JJbeauty87
4
"month"
10 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "$30 and you still get ads. Ridiculous how it is $30 per month then shows littered with ads that you can’t skip. It’s being uninstalled just before the trial ends." - Leddo72
5
"service"
9 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★★ "There is a reason Philo still does Free Trials. Paying $25 just for the Essential Pack is crazy. Then, after buying the pack and getting on the streaming service, I saw that most of the movies and TV shows were old. Honestly, it felt like the biggest waste of money. I would not recommen…" - KQ5062
6
"work"
9 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★★ "There is a reason Philo still does Free Trials. Paying $25 just for the Essential Pack is crazy. Then, after buying the pack and getting on the streaming service, I saw that most of the movies and TV shows were old. Honestly, it felt like the biggest waste of money. I would not recommen…" - KQ5062
7
"subscription"
9 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Ads are horrible. Only problem is why is there no ad free option to pay for like I understand having ads on the starter subscription, but why isn’t there other options to pay for?" - Appleuser_2013
8
"free"
8 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "There is a reason Philo still does Free Trials. Paying $25 just for the Essential Pack is crazy. Then, after buying the pack and getting on the streaming service, I saw that most of the movies and TV shows were old. Honestly, it felt like the biggest waste of money. I would not recommen…" - KQ5062
9
"shows"
8 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "There is a reason Philo still does Free Trials. Paying $25 just for the Essential Pack is crazy. Then, after buying the pack and getting on the streaming service, I saw that most of the movies and TV shows were old. Honestly, it felt like the biggest waste of money. I would not recommen…" - KQ5062
10
"ipad"
8 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Not able to upload on iPad. It’s not working on my iPad saying I am using a old version. This the only version on my iPad." - Mijariah2
11
"streaming"
7 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "There is a reason Philo still does Free Trials. Paying $25 just for the Essential Pack is crazy. Then, after buying the pack and getting on the streaming service, I saw that most of the movies and TV shows were old. Honestly, it felt like the biggest waste of money. I would not recommen…" - KQ5062
12
"show"
7 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "There is a reason Philo still does Free Trials. Paying $25 just for the Essential Pack is crazy. Then, after buying the pack and getting on the streaming service, I saw that most of the movies and TV shows were old. Honestly, it felt like the biggest waste of money. I would not recommen…" - KQ5062
📋 All 55 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").
Too many commercials
They are everywhere
Why is there so many ads?
Please stop with the ads. You can’t tell me it’s to keep it cheap because over the 4 years I’ve used Philo it’s so expensive now. It’s gone up and up with more and more ads. I’m canceling for sure. If I’m going to pay that much might as well pay for YouTube tv with 1 or 2 ads. You got big and you got greedy
philo
i downloaded the app didn’t like it deleted it paid for it and they keep taking money out my account and won’t give it back
Stupid casino ads
I pay a lot of money to watch so much ads?!!
There is a reason Philo still does Free Trials
Paying $25 just for the Essential Pack is crazy. Then, after buying the pack and getting on the streaming service, I saw that most of the movies and TV shows were old. Honestly, it felt like the biggest waste of money.
I would not recommend Philo unless you are someone who enjoys really old movies and TV shows. If that’s your preference, then it may work for you, but if not, this is not the right streaming service. They are not even updated on TV shows that came out in 2021, and they don’t have all the episodes uploaded.
Overall, I highly would not recommend Philo.
I would not recommend Philo unless you are someone who enjoys really old movies and TV shows. If that’s your preference, then it may work for you, but if not, this is not the right streaming service. They are not even updated on TV shows that came out in 2021, and they don’t have all the episodes uploaded.
Overall, I highly would not recommend Philo.
$30 and you still get ads
Ridiculous how it is $30 per month then shows littered with ads that you can’t skip. It’s being uninstalled just before the trial ends.
Terrible
Playing ads on top of a $28/ month service is terrible. Watch content elsewhere.
Not able to upload on iPad
It’s not working on my iPad saying I am using a old version. This the only version on my iPad.
The worst
I downloaded the app to watch show the Cosby show they don’t have most of the episodes and so many add for no reason.
Waste of money
Having such a high monthly subscription fee and still having nonstop ads in shows is absolutely ridiculous. I feel as if I can’t even enjoy what I’m watching because of the amount of ads.
Please enable Apple silicon Mac availability
I love using Philo TV on iPhone/iPad and would really value having it on my Mac (Apple silicon)., I use it for streaming live tv and need it on desktop to avoid switching devices]. If possible, please consider opting in to ‘Available for Apple silicon Macs’ in App Store Connect. Even a basic version would be very helpful. Thanks for considering!
To be clear, I am not referring to any web browser because it does not enhance user
experience at all. I prefer to use the native app version because it is highly useful compared to any web browser.
To be clear, I am not referring to any web browser because it does not enhance user
experience at all. I prefer to use the native app version because it is highly useful compared to any web browser.
Worst Option
This is, hands down, the single WORST streaming app. Watching live is a nightmare. The app will consistently drop service, an hour long show will take two to get through with the amount of stopping it does. $30 a month for an app that stops and starts at its leisure is highway robbery. Once the season of my show is finished, I will be all too happy to cancel my subscription. Caveat Emptor!
Too many ads. No option to remove ads.
They give me ads after 5 minutes of watch time. The ads are two minutes. I understand that’s how they make money but at the same they have no option to remove the ads with a subscription. This would be a 5 star if I could pay for no ads. Also they repeat the same damn ads every single time.
Outdated
The shows are so outdated
Not free
It says you can watch for free or you can upgrade to the premium but the first thing they do when you try to sign on is to tell you you have to spend $38. This is a fraud.
Too expensive for ads
paying almost $40 a month for unskippable ads is insane. Do better
Too many ads
I watch Philo and pay too much money a month for all these ads. Each ad is over 4 minutes for a hour show and over 3 minutes for a 30 minute show. Unacceptable
Wont work on older iPads or iphones
It’t now only works on iOS 18 or higher. If you try to use it in anything below 18. You get a notice your app is out of date “ visit the App Store to update “ then when you go to the App Store you get a notice “ The latest version requires iOS 18 or above but you can download latest compatible versions “ so when you do. And try to use it . You get “ please go to the App Store and download The latest version. it’s just a circle. instead of saying there is no compatible version. Even YouTube Tv and Sling will run on iOS 15.8.5 But not Philo .
Why are you restricting such a large group of people just because they do not have the money to buy new iPads and phones is Beyond me. The service itself is nice if you can find a device it works on .
Why are you restricting such a large group of people just because they do not have the money to buy new iPads and phones is Beyond me. The service itself is nice if you can find a device it works on .
Stopped working
I never thought I would see the day where I would have to unsubscribe to Philo due to the fact that the app is no longer supported on my iPad because it’s older that is crazy. I wish they would fix this problem and roll it back where any iPad or device can be used!!!!!!
App not working
I’m going to need my money back if this app doesn’t work it’s way too expensive for the app not to work.
Sloooowwwww
The app is super slow to load content. I would never use this app except for streaming the new season of RPDR, otherwise… what a dud.
Reviewing again because it’s garbage!
5-6 minutes of ads every 5 minutes of show you watch is absurd! If Apple denies my refund I’m going to be livid. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND DO NOT PAY FOR THIS. For $38 I should NOT have 5+ minutes of ads every couple of minutes. Tried to use it since a refund seems unlikely and I got through half an episode before I couldn’t take it anymore. Plus they play the same ads repeatedly for 5+ minutes. It’s not the great deal they claim, paying for discovery+ & HBO max individually is cheaper, less ads and the same amount of content, and I know because I already pay for both. What a joke.
Terrible user interface
I bought this strictly to watch MTV and it’s been absolutely terrible. Overpriced and the user interface is sooooo clunky, would not recommend. If you’re watching on a tv it’s very slow even with high speed internet. Hate.
Every other subscription triumphs.
The trashiest app that only gives “reality tv” and movies from the 90’s. Save your money and go anywhere else.
$38 dollars and still has ads
Greedy as hell
Extremely Buggy App
Don’t waste your time with this app. It is extremely buggy! I’m disabled and it’s easier for me to watch tv on my 2023 iPad Pro (M2 chip) connected to my chair but this app is the worst of all of them, it is very buggy and crashes - Especially if you want to stream dvr titles. I always get the error message that it can’t be played. And that’s frustrating!
Too many bugs and glitches. Leaving asap
When I fast forward a saved episode on my tv, Philo freezes on my fire-stick. It won’t go back or forward. The only way to exit is to restart my fire stick. I’ve been a customer for 4 years and I think this is my sign to leave and find better with less bugs and better content.
PS. The app is updated and my internet connection is strong.
PS. The app is updated and my internet connection is strong.
Buggy
Keeps logging me out I can’t watch anything.
Update
Update doesn't exist for IOS yet, so I can't update this app.
Scam
I didn’t even get the chance to use this app. I tried to get the free subscription but it claimed it “declined” due to insufficient funds. So, I didn’t think much of it. Yet, when the trial was “over” they charged me 33.01. I called for a refund and they explicitly told me that the account was deactivated and I was given a refund. But today, I was charged another 33.01 and they were no help when I called. They kept repeating that they canceled the account and can’t see my charge anywhere, even with all my information given to them, they’re dead on the fact that they think I used another email or number on my account. Worthless app that only steals your money!
Fast forward & rewind glitch
Not sure what happened but all of a sudden, if you tried to fast forward or rewind in a movie, it selects a different movie. It’s like you’re skipping through movies rather than skipping through the movie you’re currently watching.
Latest upgrade no longer opens on ipad
Like the title says. I click on the app, says I need to upgrade and sends me to the app store. But the app tells me I have the latest version. Power cycle ipad does not help. Why pay for service if I can't use it?
Worst streaming service
I truly hate this streaming service they constantly raise the price every couple months also it has a lot of ads I'm not paying 38 dollars to watch ads and I pay way less for other streaming platforms that don't half ads and also all the shows are not even available to watch you have to eating a certain day to watch old shows that been out already I don't recommend this streaming platform it's a waste of money honestly if I can give it 0 I will
Downhill
This was a great service until now. I got this at least 5 years ago and watched a lot of great fun movies. Now I go on a short vacation and return to all my favorite channels being locked out and to want me to pay $40. month to unlock them. I found something else to replace you. I want to unsubscribe and even that seems to be a lot of work. I haven’t located the management site yet.
fY Not worth it
Too few programs and movies that we enjoy
App crashing
DO NOT SWITCH PROFILES, THE APP CRASHES ALL THE TIME AND IS NOT WORTH THE MONEY IF EVERY TIME YOU GO TO WATCH YOU HAVE TO SIGN BACK IN AND GET CODES AND EVERYTHING JUST FOR IT TO CRASH AGAIN. YOU GO ONLY FOR TROUBLESHOOTING AND THEY TELL YOU TO DO WHAT YOU’VE ALREADY DONE WHICH IS TO EITHER RESTART THE DEVICE OR REDOWNLOAD WHICH MADE IT WORSE BECAUSE I ACTUALLY ONLY HAD THE ISSUE ON MY PHONE BUT IT KEPT SAYING MY IPAD WASN’T UP TO DATE WHEN IT ACTUALLY WAS. SO NOW I AM HAVING THE SAME ISSUE BECAUSE I REDOWNLOADED IT TO MY IPAD SO I DIDN’T GET THE ERROR AND NOW I’M GETTING IT HERE TOO.
Older devices
I love Philo and been a subscriber for years. However I have not updated my iPad and now I can not use Philo because your app only work with newer iPad O/S that my iPad can not install. You should have an exception in place for folks whom have older devices. This is what many app owners do to continue support for their users whom do not have or can not afford a newer device. It is as if the poor is being penalized by Philo for not being able to afford newer devices.
No longer useful
App says I need to download the newer version to use, but the new version won’t work on my phone which is up to date. It says I can download an older version but it won’t open. Pointless ti pay for this if I can’t watch it.
Took away support of iPad IOS 16
I’ve been a long time subscriber. As of today, the app won’t open and directs me to the app store. The problem is the updated Philo app require IOS 17. My iPad can not update to that level. Is Philo going to provide an app for older iPads?
Ads & More Ads
Good grief, the ads are so repetitive and are more than any cable station I’ve ever watched. I forgot how much I can’t stand advertisements during a show. Either show ads before or after a live show but not during. the days of streaming ad free are coming to an end and there will be a reckoning and a completely new way to watch shows without ads. The app itself functions well on Apple devices, but very slow on Android.
Rough
Ad skipping on saved content is inconsistent. Sometimes it skips the break, sometimes it skips in increments, and sometimes you just have to let the ads run out, sometimes for 3 minutes. Needs work to make it consistent. Using on an otherwise flawless new Roku stick. You’ll have to spend more than this to get competitive with legacy DVRs from cable and satellite.
Why does one movie have ten ads for 4 minutes per ad
I won’t be continuing my free trail it’s not worth it especially if you have ads
Nearly 30.00 a month with ads?!
Why am I paying nearly 30 dollars and having ads?!? Canceling immediately!
More ads than show
Not only are there too many ads but the length of them are too long! No other app has ads that run this long and that are this frequent but yet it’s one of the highest in price! I just don’t get it. I shouldn’t have to pay more for no ads when the price is already high. And I see that I’m not the only one that feels that way so something has to give at some point because this is ridiculous.
Commercials
Way too many commercials for the price
Ads are horrible
Only problem is why is there no ad free option to pay for like I understand having ads on the starter subscription, but why isn’t there other options to pay for?
The nerve of “unbeatable $33 a month”
when their PREDATORY competitors (small companies like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max) charge 25 for their top of the line subscription. I assume the owners of this company are smoking good meth on mars. Im sure this company will be huge 5 year from now. This company is the innovator of overcharging their customers even more than Netflix, for the purpose of establishing dominance over their competitors. And on top of if they’re so confident that you’ll be satisfied that they don’t offer any type of free trial for their household name streaming service and instead just assume you’ll take their word that its the best!
Jokes aside $33 a month is delusional and to say its unbeatable in 2026 on top of it should be laughed at and shamed
Jokes aside $33 a month is delusional and to say its unbeatable in 2026 on top of it should be laughed at and shamed
Cmon bruh
Constant ads
Ugh!!! I’m over it!!
I give stars because they have a nice of network and shows.. but for 30 odd dollars a month. Thee amount of connection issues a can barely make it thru a show… sometimes when a new episode is supposed to be on there it’s not might not see it till the next week. The loading screen, constant freezing is ridiculous.. it’s not my internet all other apps work fine
Older versions won’t work on older iPhones and iPads
It does not work on older iPhones or iPads. Do you have an older device that would be to go to sling or YouTube TV as they still work on the older devices.
+ 5 more in the clipboard copy
Sentiment summary
94%
Positive (4-5★)
2%
Neutral (3★)
4%
Negative (1-2★)