Review Insights · App Store
The Great Courses
The Great Courses · 17,177 ratings · ★ 4.8
4.8
★★★★★
17,177 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 54 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
"courses"
25 negative reviews mention this · 46% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Unfortunate software. Hopefully, this is an isolated incident. However, my personal experience shows otherwise. The courses are world class however the software is remarkably bad. Plan on multiple password resets in order to view your coursework. Each login requ…" - Sherm2
2
"content"
24 negative reviews mention this · 44% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Limited Content if you dont get Plus. I got the Classics membership because there was a promo, then added a bunch of lectures to my watch list. I started several. Then when I log back in nearly every course I had saved is now only in the plus bundle, practically double the pric…" - M.Anthony Ross
3
"subscription"
12 negative reviews mention this · 22% of all complaints
★★★★★ "New forced app update won’t open!. My yearly subscription through apple isn’t being recognized by the app… plenty of other apps do this seemlessly, without kicking me out AND continue to recognize my subscription. Fix this ASAP!" - Machkingbird
4
"work"
12 negative reviews mention this · 22% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Unfortunate software. Hopefully, this is an isolated incident. However, my personal experience shows otherwise. The courses are world class however the software is remarkably bad. Plan on multiple password resets in order to view your coursework. Each login requ…" - Sherm2
5
"course"
10 negative reviews mention this · 19% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Unfortunate software. Hopefully, this is an isolated incident. However, my personal experience shows otherwise. The courses are world class however the software is remarkably bad. Plan on multiple password resets in order to view your coursework. Each login requ…" - Sherm2
6
"while"
10 negative reviews mention this · 19% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Be prepared to be frustrated. The app is constantly unstable and unreliable. Your downloads disappear, settings are lost, you're forced to upgrade or logged out unexpectedly, etc. For somebody trying to listen while away from WiFi this will be a constant frustration. …" - NotAnApplePerson
7
"been"
10 negative reviews mention this · 19% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Great Courses, Inadequate App. My wife and I have long been fans of The Great Courses, even during the dark time when it temporarily abandoned its name; this review is for the app, not the content. It is flakey in its basic functionality, even after the supposedly major…" - Flash Sheridan
8
"watch"
8 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Limited Content if you dont get Plus. I got the Classics membership because there was a promo, then added a bunch of lectures to my watch list. I started several. Then when I log back in nearly every course I had saved is now only in the plus bundle, practically double the pric…" - M.Anthony Ross
9
"love"
8 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Cant use on multiple devices without breaking your login credentials, making app completely unusable. After four years, it LOOKS LIKE they have finally made an app that is stable and functional... WRONG! Turns out if you try to use their service on a different device, like an android tablet or phone, once you login on the android device, it…" - PowerUserPro
10
"download"
8 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Cant use on multiple devices without breaking your login credentials, making app completely unusable. After four years, it LOOKS LIKE they have finally made an app that is stable and functional... WRONG! Turns out if you try to use their service on a different device, like an android tablet or phone, once you login on the android device, it…" - PowerUserPro
11
"plus"
7 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Limited Content if you dont get Plus. I got the Classics membership because there was a promo, then added a bunch of lectures to my watch list. I started several. Then when I log back in nearly every course I had saved is now only in the plus bundle, practically double the pric…" - M.Anthony Ross
12
"without"
7 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Cant use on multiple devices without breaking your login credentials, making app completely unusable. After four years, it LOOKS LIKE they have finally made an app that is stable and functional... WRONG! Turns out if you try to use their service on a different device, like an android tablet or phone, once you login on the android device, it…" - PowerUserPro
📋 All 54 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").
New update sucks
Can’t get to my old purchases. Update is wonky. Will not use - lost a long time customer
Unfortunate software
Hopefully, this is an isolated incident. However, my personal experience shows otherwise. The courses are world class however the software is remarkably bad. Plan on multiple password resets in order to view your coursework. Each login requires multiple password resets. What a shame.
New forced app update won’t open!
My yearly subscription through apple isn’t being recognized by the app… plenty of other apps do this seemlessly, without kicking me out AND continue to recognize my subscription. Fix this ASAP!
Great Courses lousy app
While I’ve enjoyed most of the courses I have watched the app is awful. The continue watching can’t be edited.
Great App!
App crashing after latest update. Content is GREAT!.
Can’t allow app to crash I learn on the go!
Thanks
Update
Above crash seems to have resolved. Thanks
Excellent content
Pls make it run in the background, it stops playing say if I need to open message app while listening. I use video mode.
Also, pls make a bookmark function that takes you to the whole course not only to specific lecture. I keep having to go to my watch list to find a specific course. My watch list is huge!
Will happily keep subscribing! Totally worth the money.
5 Stars when above issues are fixed
Thanks
Can’t allow app to crash I learn on the go!
Thanks
Update
Above crash seems to have resolved. Thanks
Excellent content
Pls make it run in the background, it stops playing say if I need to open message app while listening. I use video mode.
Also, pls make a bookmark function that takes you to the whole course not only to specific lecture. I keep having to go to my watch list to find a specific course. My watch list is huge!
Will happily keep subscribing! Totally worth the money.
5 Stars when above issues are fixed
Thanks
Losing a loyal customer
I have purchased 117 courses over the past 15 years but will not buy another and refuse to be held captive by the subscription model. This app is crapp and I say that as a career software developer. Downloading my purchased content fails far more often than it succeeds and the entire user experience is torture. You have failed in your prime function, which should be to facilitate your customers ability to enjoy your products. You need to outsource the app to competent developers and get this fixed. Just awful.
Awful Garbage
The old Great Courses app was truly solid. I had used it across generations of iPads. Now, ever since it was retired and absorbed into the great course plus app, I’ve had THREE separate events in which I lost a few hundred GB’s of downloaded courses and thus had to redownload them.
I watch these courses when traveling. I don’t want to rely upon streaming the content, especially when my viewing progress is rarely maintained when streaming.
I’ve sunk thousands into this now piss poor company. I should have stuck with books instead. Welcome to the unreliability of the digital content world.
Furthermore, the current offerings are overtly simplified in comparison to the older courses. Many of the recent courses don’t even meet high school standards.
I watch these courses when traveling. I don’t want to rely upon streaming the content, especially when my viewing progress is rarely maintained when streaming.
I’ve sunk thousands into this now piss poor company. I should have stuck with books instead. Welcome to the unreliability of the digital content world.
Furthermore, the current offerings are overtly simplified in comparison to the older courses. Many of the recent courses don’t even meet high school standards.
Horrible
The original app is so much better. Courses bought while we had the original app don’t automatically appear in the new app - not just “don’t download” - new app says I didn’t purchase. Then constant pausing because it won’t connect to WiFi (everything else on my phone and iPad does), then it starts to play the same episode from two different spots, so the lecturer is speaking over themselves. I give up. Maybe this is their way of trying to force us to buy a subscription?
Digital Decay
My “great courses” from the 20th Century are right where I left the DVD’s and still work as purchased.
Meanwhile, Great Courses has become Great Courses Plus!
The transition and reset of the password didn’t work; maybe because I didn’t bite your new “subscription” hook?
At any rate, I’m writing off my lost digital purchase. Time is too precious to waste chasing locked binary information.
I could jump through your hoops and next week a new genius executive will decide to rename it: “Great Courses Plus Plus Infinity!“ And we will all need new passwords again, to get at what we’ve already paid for.
No thanks. I’ll just buy my Great Courses on DVD at the flea market. The old stuff is still great!
Meanwhile, Great Courses has become Great Courses Plus!
The transition and reset of the password didn’t work; maybe because I didn’t bite your new “subscription” hook?
At any rate, I’m writing off my lost digital purchase. Time is too precious to waste chasing locked binary information.
I could jump through your hoops and next week a new genius executive will decide to rename it: “Great Courses Plus Plus Infinity!“ And we will all need new passwords again, to get at what we’ve already paid for.
No thanks. I’ll just buy my Great Courses on DVD at the flea market. The old stuff is still great!
ADA request denied then ignored
All I asked for was transcripts that are provided at an EXTRA cost. I was denied. I showed them the laws that were being violated by asking me to purchase each course, especially when I am already paying for the subscription. Then I was ignored until my YEAR subscription ended.
Video with captions that “almost” match what is being said as it is being said, is assuming abilities and disabilities. Not everyone can read that fast, see that well, or hear well enough all at the same time!
I’m a single parent with multiple medical disabilities and learning disabilities, using the program. I am trying to learn how to represent myself in court, to get custody back of my littlest.
They have great courses that are in depth and of topics I want to learn more of. I didn’t know my hearing and vision processing would decline enough for me to ask for a REASONABLE accommodation.
If this has happened to you too, please let me know to add you to my case :(. I’m on most social media platforms.
Video with captions that “almost” match what is being said as it is being said, is assuming abilities and disabilities. Not everyone can read that fast, see that well, or hear well enough all at the same time!
I’m a single parent with multiple medical disabilities and learning disabilities, using the program. I am trying to learn how to represent myself in court, to get custody back of my littlest.
They have great courses that are in depth and of topics I want to learn more of. I didn’t know my hearing and vision processing would decline enough for me to ask for a REASONABLE accommodation.
If this has happened to you too, please let me know to add you to my case :(. I’m on most social media platforms.
App does not function well
Love the content. However, the app is a pain. Seems to work ok on a phone; but on an iPad, especially if I am not connected to the internet, it hangs up. Takes forever to load; or just fails to load at all. Only way to make it reliably load is to turn the iPad completely off, turn it back on ,and then try to load the app as the FIRST thing to do. Not sure why this happens, but this is highly irritating. I have tried to uninstall/delete the app and then re-install - no difference !
App doesn’t work
The iPad app is totally unresponsive. You can click on one thing like “My Purchases” but after that you can’t click on anything. So you can’t access anything you’ve paid for.
New version broken
Terrible new version. Takes forever to load. Most times it fails to load at all.
No purchase option?
I am quite disappointed that The Great Courses has gone from a purchase model to a subscription model. Why not offer both options to consumers? Two thumbs down.
Worst App ensh#*ification
Awful.
It was a bad app before the shift; it is now truly awful.
I can’t download reliably-when I downloading the app acts like it’s transferring data but when I attempt to access, it shows 0 bytes. It sometimes succeeds-2 or 3 lessons-but then won’t transfer any more. This is not due to lack of memory on my device.
If I wish to watch where I don’t have WiFi or cell bars I must turn off WiFi in iPad and place in airplane mode ^before app opens^ then hope app won’t lock me out when I attempt to open to view downloaded lesson.
If I leave the app to access my ipad the app will lock me out.
Customer service acknowledges the app is bad. The company has not bothered to fix it. TGC Could use a course in maintaining customer satisfaction.
1 star because I can’t rate it lower.
It was a bad app before the shift; it is now truly awful.
I can’t download reliably-when I downloading the app acts like it’s transferring data but when I attempt to access, it shows 0 bytes. It sometimes succeeds-2 or 3 lessons-but then won’t transfer any more. This is not due to lack of memory on my device.
If I wish to watch where I don’t have WiFi or cell bars I must turn off WiFi in iPad and place in airplane mode ^before app opens^ then hope app won’t lock me out when I attempt to open to view downloaded lesson.
If I leave the app to access my ipad the app will lock me out.
Customer service acknowledges the app is bad. The company has not bothered to fix it. TGC Could use a course in maintaining customer satisfaction.
1 star because I can’t rate it lower.
Not functional
Not loading any courses, and can’t navigate to anything like downloaded videos, or even my own profile. It’s been like this for a few weeks.
Offline mode completely broken, also paid for courses locked
This is an abysmally terrible app.
It fails at its primary function.
I downloaded a bunch of courses I own into the app to watch offline (in remote areas without internet, etc.) and the app will not start up if it doesn’t have an internet connection EVEN IF you recently used the app 15 minutes earlier on WiFi.
(I.e., I could at least understand if they wanted you to log in online once a month or so to re-authorize, but this isn’t that. The app just doesn’t start up at all without continuous internet.)
Why on earth would you take the enormous time to download everything before a trip if they render all your downloaded content inaccessible the second you’re outside of internet range?
This is on top of them intentionally and permanently breaking their “regular” app in order to force everyone onto their “Plus” app.
Which meant I had to re-download every single course AGAIN onto the new app. (Time-consuming process)
And then only to discover the new app is completely nonfunctional for offline use with downloaded courses.
I’ve spent thousands of dollars on DVDs from this company over the years, so it is heartbreaking to see them discontinue the sale of physical media, force everyone onto these digital apps, and then intentionally break their original digital app and then never get their “Plus” app (this app) to work with content you’ve already paid for.
And then on top of all of that, quite a few of the courses I’ve previously paid for are now “locked” and not available for download or streaming in the app even over WiFi because they want me to pay for those courses a second time.
I used to extol their “lifetime replacement guarantee” which is now not even worth the virtual paper it’s no longer printed on.
In fact, now they even take back courses you have previously paid for!
I strongly no longer recommend that you do business with this company.
Stay far far away.
It fails at its primary function.
I downloaded a bunch of courses I own into the app to watch offline (in remote areas without internet, etc.) and the app will not start up if it doesn’t have an internet connection EVEN IF you recently used the app 15 minutes earlier on WiFi.
(I.e., I could at least understand if they wanted you to log in online once a month or so to re-authorize, but this isn’t that. The app just doesn’t start up at all without continuous internet.)
Why on earth would you take the enormous time to download everything before a trip if they render all your downloaded content inaccessible the second you’re outside of internet range?
This is on top of them intentionally and permanently breaking their “regular” app in order to force everyone onto their “Plus” app.
Which meant I had to re-download every single course AGAIN onto the new app. (Time-consuming process)
And then only to discover the new app is completely nonfunctional for offline use with downloaded courses.
I’ve spent thousands of dollars on DVDs from this company over the years, so it is heartbreaking to see them discontinue the sale of physical media, force everyone onto these digital apps, and then intentionally break their original digital app and then never get their “Plus” app (this app) to work with content you’ve already paid for.
And then on top of all of that, quite a few of the courses I’ve previously paid for are now “locked” and not available for download or streaming in the app even over WiFi because they want me to pay for those courses a second time.
I used to extol their “lifetime replacement guarantee” which is now not even worth the virtual paper it’s no longer printed on.
In fact, now they even take back courses you have previously paid for!
I strongly no longer recommend that you do business with this company.
Stay far far away.
Screwed up again
In this new change, they have screwed up a good system again. The downloaded content isn’t available if the device isn’t connected to the Internet. What’s the point of downloading to watch on a plane if I have to be connected to watch? Fire your designers and talk to your users!!!!
Bring it back
Bring back the “Sleep feature”!
Do not upgrade
Do not "upgrade!" Stick with the original app. The Plus app does not allow you to download courses you've paid for and view them later without signing up for an additional subscription. Their support people are ineffective, dumb, and useless.
Not as good as plain Great Courses app
This forced upgrade / change of apps is a failure. We are now unable to background the app (for example to take notes in another app) without this app returning to the welcome screen of the app. To the project manager and their superiors: this is a failure of meeting basic functionality that was in the prior app and reflects poorly on your competancy.
Totally Screwed
I PAID for courses and was very happy downloading them to listen to while driving on the Great Courses App. Woke up TODAY to find out I no longer have access to MY FULLY PAID for courses cause that app no longer works & I HAVE to PAY for this one to listen to MY FULLY PAID for courses while driving wtfh!!! Now I can ONLY access my content via website yeah that’s totally safe while driving ☠️☠️☠️
How much
I think anyone who wants me to buy into something even with a free trial without telling me the cost until I give them a whole lot of information they can then sell is not much different from any scammers. Let you in, get you hooked, wham. I even went to the FAQ where they listed the question but cleverly failed to answer it. Maybe I’m wrong but I really don’t think I need any more aggravation in my life. I for one, pass.
Speed Changes Does Not Work
On iOS, using AirPlay or Cast, to LG smart TV
How to buy courses
I have purchased and enjoyed courses from The Teaching Company for many years, and greatly enjoyed them.
Ever since you changed your policy and approach to the European System, I can no longer access the “offered courses”!!! Why???
Michael Dolan
Ever since you changed your policy and approach to the European System, I can no longer access the “offered courses”!!! Why???
Michael Dolan
App doesn’t work on iPhone
This app suddenly stopped working on my iPhone. This app suddenly stopped opening up. I tried deleting the app and re-installing and it still doesn’t work.
Great content, terrible app.
I love the content on this app. Everything I watched was informative. The app, however, was buggy. I would pause a video and the audio would continue to play. I would switch from one subject to another and have both audios playing simultaneously.
Misleading Age Rating
The app is listed as having a “4+” rating, but on its title page today (3/11/24), it includes a course called “Sex in the Middle Ages.” That doesn’t seem to be okay for 4 year olds to watch, or maybe I’m just an overprotective parent.
Google courses are better
This app was far from helpful! Crashes a lot courses are very dull and worst part they don’t refund your money if you forget to unsubscribe to the crap. Don’t waste your time or money in this mess ! Google courses are way better
Casting is no longer working
Casting is no longer working - technical support doesn’t respond It used to be a great app Chrome casting is still not working and technical support doesn’t respond
This issue has been resolved
This issue has been resolved
Great content, TERRIBLE app
App can’t play on iPhone in a reduced window. Content restarts randomly. No subtitles in airplane mode, so useless on airplanes. Please fix!!
App always signs me out
Constantly having to re-sign into the app to use. Regretting my annual subscription.
Great service, the app is very buggy
Fantastic selection of content, been buying these great courses since the 1990s. But the app constantly freezes, when it’s not slow and unresponsive in sections. The AppleTV version of the app constantly logs me out and requires that I log back in *every single time* I open it. Get some high quality developers!
Edit: more than a year later, these same problems persist. Don’t they have anyone to test the app on different platforms to make sure it works? Spending $100 a year for this service is the best deal out there, but only if the apps (both on Apple TV and on iOS) work.
Edit: more than a year later, these same problems persist. Don’t they have anyone to test the app on different platforms to make sure it works? Spending $100 a year for this service is the best deal out there, but only if the apps (both on Apple TV and on iOS) work.
Great content, bad app
I do not understand why there is no sharing button in the iOS app to share courses. Also, no PIP. I feel the developr of the app wants to make life very hard for the user!
Content is 5x stars. App is zero stars
Love the content. It’s amazing. But why do I have to login EVERY single time I open the roku app?
Limited Content if you dont get Plus
I got the Classics membership because there was a promo, then added a bunch of lectures to my watch list. I started several. Then when I log back in nearly every course I had saved is now only in the plus bundle, practically double the price. I will be canceling the membership immediately. There is no way they could have done this intentionally, but it felt very misleading.
Cant use on multiple devices without breaking your login credentials, making app completely unusable
After four years, it LOOKS LIKE they have finally made an app that is stable and functional... WRONG! Turns out if you try to use their service on a different device, like an android tablet or phone, once you login on the android device, it logs you out out of your iPhone app. And then, when you try to log back in on your iPhone, your username and password no longer works! It says email and password not a match. But I absolutely positively was using the correct password and email set. To "fix this" I had to reinstall the app, which deleted 100 GB of my off-line downloads! This kind of thing has happened so many times and I'm tired of having to waste my time re-downloading my off-line downloads. I love the service but the problems with the app is ridiculous. I think it's time to quit and go with a different service.
Be prepared to be frustrated
The app is constantly unstable and unreliable. Your downloads disappear, settings are lost, you're forced to upgrade or logged out unexpectedly, etc. For somebody trying to listen while away from WiFi this will be a constant frustration.
In addition, the depth and challenge of the material seems dumbed down since the rebranding from The Teaching Company.
Still seems like the best choice for real educational material, but also a shame, given what it once was.
In addition, the depth and challenge of the material seems dumbed down since the rebranding from The Teaching Company.
Still seems like the best choice for real educational material, but also a shame, given what it once was.
Great Courses, Inadequate App
My wife and I have long been fans of The Great Courses, even during the dark time when it temporarily abandoned its name; this review is for the app, not the content. It is flakey in its basic functionality, even after the supposedly major 8.0 upgrade:
• It often forgets the last lecture I played, resuming instead at the beginning of the previous lecture.
• It usually loses my place when switching from video to audio.
• It stops while playing in video mode when I lock the screen. This is a reasonable interface decision, though inappropriate for my usage in the gym. But it usually fails to resume when I press the Play button, either on the lock screen or on my headphones. I seem to have better luck if I pause the video before locking the screen.
• It often forgets the last lecture I played, resuming instead at the beginning of the previous lecture.
• It usually loses my place when switching from video to audio.
• It stops while playing in video mode when I lock the screen. This is a reasonable interface decision, though inappropriate for my usage in the gym. But it usually fails to resume when I press the Play button, either on the lock screen or on my headphones. I seem to have better luck if I pause the video before locking the screen.
Great Courses, Inadequate App
My wife and I have long been fans of The Great Courses, even during the dark time when it temporarily abandoned its name; this review is for the app, not the content. It is flakey in its basic functionality:
• It often forgets the last lecture I played, resuming instead at the beginning of the previous lecture.
• It usually loses my place when switching from video to audio.
• It stops while playing in video mode when I lock the screen. This is a reasonable interface decision, though inappropriate for my usage in the gym. But it usually fails to resume when I press the Play button, either on the lock screen or on my headphones. I seem to have better luck if I pause the video before locking the screen.
• It often forgets the last lecture I played, resuming instead at the beginning of the previous lecture.
• It usually loses my place when switching from video to audio.
• It stops while playing in video mode when I lock the screen. This is a reasonable interface decision, though inappropriate for my usage in the gym. But it usually fails to resume when I press the Play button, either on the lock screen or on my headphones. I seem to have better luck if I pause the video before locking the screen.
You would think you are signing into Fort Knox
Every other day have to sign in
Disappointing
I love the content. I have bought a TON of content over the years. More than I’ve actually watched or listened to.
The new Plus app is awfully dedicated to pushing the subscription plan. I don’t want a subscription. And I have no search function to just search my purchased content. Why?
Worse, this version of the app has a similar shortcoming to the old app. I download content to watch/listen when I have no internet access. But the app still insists I log in, even to watch downloaded content.
I can’t log in if I have no internet access. I can’t log in before I leave, but sometimes it forgets, and I’m out of luck.
Very disappointing on both accounts. I’ve been a customer since the days of cassette tapes. I think this app is deeply flawed, at least for a customer like me.
Finally, it has no search function for material I have already bought. I have to manually search. Thoughtless.
The new Plus app is awfully dedicated to pushing the subscription plan. I don’t want a subscription. And I have no search function to just search my purchased content. Why?
Worse, this version of the app has a similar shortcoming to the old app. I download content to watch/listen when I have no internet access. But the app still insists I log in, even to watch downloaded content.
I can’t log in if I have no internet access. I can’t log in before I leave, but sometimes it forgets, and I’m out of luck.
Very disappointing on both accounts. I’ve been a customer since the days of cassette tapes. I think this app is deeply flawed, at least for a customer like me.
Finally, it has no search function for material I have already bought. I have to manually search. Thoughtless.
Content is great... When the app feels like working.
Who do I talk to about the glitches in this app? It often crashes.
My downloads just delete themselves.
When I try to download content again, it won’t load at all or is extremely slow.
I’m always having to restart the app or download it again.
What a pain considering how expensive the subscription is!
My downloads just delete themselves.
When I try to download content again, it won’t load at all or is extremely slow.
I’m always having to restart the app or download it again.
What a pain considering how expensive the subscription is!
Slow to open; non-functional on airplane
I have been listening to great courses since the early 1990s when I rented cassettes. The company has continued to try to meet me via the latest technological improvements.
I have purchased many courses. I am able to download lectures. Yet the app does not open without Internet access or requires me to join streaming service while on airplane.
Content = 5 stars. Implementation = 0
Stars as I cannot access the content.
I have purchased many courses. I am able to download lectures. Yet the app does not open without Internet access or requires me to join streaming service while on airplane.
Content = 5 stars. Implementation = 0
Stars as I cannot access the content.
Still terrible
Have now viewed previously purchased courses. Download for viewing off line doesn’t work. I have a half TB previously download, un-usable. Also lost is the ability to have my previously purchased courses presented in different ways (a-z; z-a, ; recently viewed; etc.
Has been some improvement in clarity.
Given the diminished quality of lecturer presentation (they need to learn to be able to present in a natural voice rather then clumsily reciting a script), and lack of interesting subjects,have not purchased new courses.
Doesn’t appear Great Course Admin cares. Just a continued down hill slope.
Has been some improvement in clarity.
Given the diminished quality of lecturer presentation (they need to learn to be able to present in a natural voice rather then clumsily reciting a script), and lack of interesting subjects,have not purchased new courses.
Doesn’t appear Great Course Admin cares. Just a continued down hill slope.
CC font in Ipad version of app too small; app doesn't recognize Apple's Accessibility Settings
My complaint isn't with the content of the Great Courses Plus app for the Ipad. Rather, it is with the small size of the font used for closed captioning. Oddly, this app does not respond to Apple's accessibility settings. Using those accessibility settings to specify an "Extra Large Font" has absolutely no effect on the size of the font used in this app. Equally oddly, when viewing a Great Courses course with the Kanopy app, the user can use the Apple accessibility settings to enlarge the size of the closed captioning font as needed. Why viewers using the native Great Courses Plus app for the Ipad aren't allowed the same benefit is a mystery.
Even those lucky viewers with perfect hearing may at times find that using closed captioning is helpful. While the Great Courses professors tend to articulate their words well, even the best of professors will occasionally swallow a word and some will, unfortunately, mumble a bit too much. In those cases, closed captioning permits the user to more readily understand the professor.
Although there is no set standard for the size of closed captioning fonts, the normal practice is to use at least an 18 point font. The font used in this app appears to be closer to eight points. This is an unfortunate error in the design of this app. Hopefully, it will be remedied at some point. As matters currently stand, the undersized font detracts from what is usually an instructive and entertaining experience.
Even those lucky viewers with perfect hearing may at times find that using closed captioning is helpful. While the Great Courses professors tend to articulate their words well, even the best of professors will occasionally swallow a word and some will, unfortunately, mumble a bit too much. In those cases, closed captioning permits the user to more readily understand the professor.
Although there is no set standard for the size of closed captioning fonts, the normal practice is to use at least an 18 point font. The font used in this app appears to be closer to eight points. This is an unfortunate error in the design of this app. Hopefully, it will be remedied at some point. As matters currently stand, the undersized font detracts from what is usually an instructive and entertaining experience.
Disappointed
Why do I have to pay more money to view the courses I have purchased over the years? In order to view my courses, I had to take out a subscription to this app, otherwise my courses were blocked.
The Apple TV app is almost unusable
they are aware that the Apple TV app cannot stay signed in and have been for many months and yet it is still not fixed. This is an expensive premium product. The app should work.
LOVE THE CONTENT
The app needs work, the BIGGEST thing to implement is the ability to keep listening to something when you leave the app. If watching a course, then letting the video do a PIP like YouTube. If that’s too wild truly just let me leave the app and do other stuff while I have a course playing in the background.
Great content, horrible app
Love the content and information, but when the app reopens on my iPhone, it loses my place when trying to play a lecture and starts it over. Very frustrating. I was originally hoping they would come up with a CarPlay app, but now I’m just hoping for basic functionality to work.
+ 4 more in the clipboard copy
Sentiment summary
96%
Positive (4-5★)
2%
Neutral (3★)
3%
Negative (1-2★)