SHAPE® Magazine Reviews

by AA&O

I subscribed as part of a special email offer I received in May '13. I've downloaded every issue since June '13, but was having issues downloading April '14. Somehow the rules changed and my account ended up in some loophole, of which I was unaware. The first 2 out of 3 customer service reps were less than understanding and offered no compassion or explanation except "well we don't have you logged in since November" and "you need a separate subscription for digital." No apologies for the confusion or lack of communication, nor did anyone believe I really had been able to continue my digital subscription all these months! They could not possibly understand how I still had digital access, and I couldn't understand they didn't see why I was frustrated with being suddenly shut out (because they could not believe I had digital issues until just this month). The second rep was going to transfer me to digital subscriptions to get it all sorted, but disconnected me instead. I had to call back and wait on the line for another rep who informed me that my issue had been resolved. A waste of time and so very frustrating. Such a bad experience, I just canceled my subscription altogether.

by Annegirl1088

I canceled my subscription because digital access is no longer available to print subscribers. I had been very happy with SHAPE and the magazine when I had been able to access the digital edition with my print subscription. It was a little disappointing that no effort was made to contact me telling me that I would no longer have access to the digital version of the magazine. All of a sudden I could no longer log into SHAPE . The main reason that I purchased the print subscription was because with my previous subscription I had been able to receive the digital edition as well. I was refunded for my subscription.

by Ashley Dawn Hartsock

I never write reviews; instead, if I have a problem, I contact the developer directly. However, SHAPE support option for SHAPE takes you to the Fitness magazine home page, and you can't get into the customer service page without some sort of login information that only print subscribers would have. And the reason I need customer service? Only the first page of each article is available! I would have really liked to have been able to contact the developer instead of writing a negative review, but this may be the only way I can get this MAJOR problem addressed...

by Flohgal

New version does not give me free issues even tho I am a print subscriber. I went thru the sign up steps and it recognizes my fitness login and says I have a digital acct but all of the issues are for purchase only and none show up in my library as free to download. The only thing I can think is happening is that my current subscription ends this month and my renewal starts next month. Maybe once the renewal kicks in, this will work? I am doubtful as the new version seems flaky and there are buttons that I tap within SHAPE that don't respond. It freezes up. So disappointing because the old version was working for me.

by Teecube3

I subscribed to the print version from Feb-June 2012 and received free access to the digital versions until they updated their iPad app. Now I'm told I must PURCHASE individual issues all over again in order to have them digitally, even though I had them all downloaded before "they made SHAPE better than ever." Yeah, better for them not the subscriber. RIP OFF. This magazine and the customer service you get with it is NOT WORTH IT. Thanks for nothing, Fitness. They give then they take away! Not getting any more of my money and will not give any recommendations other than "forget it" regarding this magazine.

by Thumper08295

I was happy to get my print subscription on the iPad, and downloaded all of the issues. I loved the features and video content and interactivity. Every time I went back to my library to read them, I would have to redo load all of the issues to read them. I want to continue my subscription on the iPad, but they kept disappearing and had to be redownloaded. After contacting customer service, I was told that I cannot recover the magazines from the print subscription on the iPad because I did not download them. Well, I did, they just kept leaving my library. So all of my subscription from last year is gone (i recycled my print copies because i had them on the iPad- thought I was saving space). I hope others leave written reviews because I cannot be the only one having this issue.

by Tochit

SHAPE is slow to load, too many widgets that pause interaction until everything is downloaded! Ugh!!

I’m always fighting to try to get issues downloaded for off-line viewing on my wife’s iPad. How difficult is this what test scenario was totally skipped where user would want to download the magazine for offline viewing on a plane?

How do I download an issue? Does not appear in library as an issue to download but I can read the issue from the carousel at the bottom of home!

So frustrating because it appears she and a Luer and people are use roughly the same framework so why does this app not have basic functionality?

by Mike10562011

I thought SHAPE would be great as a current subscriber to the magazine. However, I must say that I was disappointed at first. It seems I'm not the only one that had trouble and I'm the geeky type!! I had to contact customer service and wait for them to email me back with the instructions (that should have been self-explanatory to begin with). After that though, it worked and I am happy with the digital magazines. I also have some this app digital magazines but they completely fail to take advantage of anything that the ipad2 has to offer. No videos, etc. Fitness magazines dominate, they're just a little behind on the ease of the use of their app!

by Kryssy

I downloaded SHAPE and the June issue and can honestly say I had no issues. I can see the articles just fine - links work, etc. But I concede that for subscribers, it's a bit of a pain that they cannot use their print subscription with SHAPE . Also, it would be really nice to have it able to switch from landscape to portrait viewing and perhaps the ability to zoom in? again, I had no readability issues or download problems, but these are features that are present in other magazine apps and would make this one a five star.

by Lneller

Thanks Fitness for letting your print subscribers have access for free. Another reason I renewed for 2 years!!

I love the interactive app! I have already done many of the exercises! This is way more fun than reading the mag! Great job on the design.

For subscribers having trouble accessing, I had that problem, too. I had to delete SHAPE a few time before it accepted my subscriber info. Annoying, yes, but worth getting it for free!

by Lady Dee_01

I love SHAPE and the ability to view the actual workouts being done. However my biggest complaint is that I am not able to highlight, underline, and make side notes within the magazine and articles/points that are helpful to me and others. The "favorite" function is okay but SHAPE would be 12 stars for me if I had those functions.

by Melli2000

I really like the fact that I am able to access a digital edition as print subscriber. At first I too had some difficulties to handle the digital version but figured out quickly how to get the most out of it. There are a lot of additional information, quick links and the best: workouts are shown as videos...so much better than just a plain pic. My advice: the second slide shows the content, go from there to every article, then you are able to see more than the first page of an article. Hope this helps anyone. This is truly an amazing addition to the print edition.

by BROH1285

SHAPE is great. Works well and so convenient to have on my iPad. I have an ipad 2 and when I first tried to sign in as a current subscriber my library was blank. I read some of the other reviews and one gave the correct directions to get signed in as a current subscriber. After I got all that figured out, all the mags are in my library and I love reading them! Just wish the directions would have been more clear in the first place. Not exactly easy as 1,2,3...

by Lori8Leo

Giving it 5 stars now because I got an email yesterday indicating that print subscribers can now enter their account number and download the digital version free. I did it and it works great. I am able to access all of my magazines. Asking people to pay for something twice is crazy...thanks for fixing this! 5 stars!

by Salty_Walnuts

Love the magazine and the features available, but please make it available for iPhone, would love to be able to read all the time. I don't always have my iPad with me, but I do always have my phone, would really love to always have access to it, even on the go! :)