National Geographic Reviews

by Kohanmike

I opened the latest version on my iPad 5, chose Magazine, chose download via my 418 Mbps internet, which was going on forever, so I opened another app, When I chose NG app, it opened not where I left, but on the home page. I had to go through the process again. It happened again. Terrible.

Adding to this, it keeps happening, I put away my iPad with NationalGeographic open to the article I'm reading, but when open the iPad the next day and choose NationalGeographic , it goes back to the home page and I have to find the article I was reading all over again. Really bad.

by Moglee

I used NationalGeographic a few years back and had a subscription. I now wanted to check my old issues using restore purchases but that does not seem to work. In the process I am also forced to register a nat geo account. Totally unnecessary! The error message points me to the FAQ but there I can only see generic instructions on the various places you can go to to restore purchases. None of them work for me. App Support only leads to a generic support web site on which I am unable to find anything app related. The developer web site link in NationalGeographic store only redirects to NationalGeographic . I honestly tried but I give up. Developers make it super hard to get in touch with support or to get to some meaningful instructions on what to do if things fail. With this poor implementation of a digital version of the magazine I sometimes regret having gone digital. So sad.

by Pthief

Just received notification that my subscription has ended. This is the rub. I paid for something else. I had several years worth of magazines archived - all gone. Subscribers who are calling National Geographic out for bait and switch are exactly right. So disappointed. That is an unnecessary stain on the Nat Geo brand.

**Update 2021
After more than a year, I just signed on again to see if access had been restored to years of previously purchased and archived magazines. Nope. I don’t blame Disney. I blame National Geographic. For the same amount of money previously paid, I could have purchased the print version and would still be able to read through old articles. Going digital seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I would have to pay for access a second time in order to view previous purchases. Shame.

by Allegators

Prior to Disney, NationalGeographic was great. It was fast & I never had an issue linking my subscription. Once Disney took over NationalGeographic quality went down immensely. It takes minutes for NationalGeographic to just open the homepage. Once the homepage finally loads, I’m rarely able to get any articles to open. It’s unbelievably slow. The same issues occur when I open an article from a Nat Geo email on my phone & it prompts NationalGeographic . When I’m lucky enough to get an article to load, NationalGeographic often crashes/closes without warning…. Then I have to start the 5 minute process of restarting NationalGeographic & opening the article again. This is really unacceptable when Nat Geo is now owned by the largest company on the planet.

Not to mention the issues I had linking my subscription right after Disney took over. It took 2 months & multiple phone calls to customer service to get it fixed. Again… this is the quality product/service we get from the largest company on Earth?

My local news apps work far better than Nat Geo & have a fraction of the financial backing.

by Zyxwvuts

After canceling my iPad subscription years ago due to NationalGeographic change (the change that ruined the iPad version as we knew it), I decided to come back for another year. Stories load, downloading works, but some of the page view pages look like low quality scans…? And the article/online view has many graphics that are unreadable because they are so low quality/grainy (check out the graphics in the October 2021 pay inequality article…unreadable on an iPad, fine on iPhone—they likely used the same graphics for the iPhone and iPad). This can’t be the hardest thing on Disney’s plate to get right…I don’t get it.

by Fitguy2012

As a professional photographer myself I’ve always loved reading the magazine. Great stories incredible images. The only thing I don’t like about the new app is downloaded, offline issue of the magazine are saved as text only. What is the point of downloading the worlds best photographed magazine if I can’t see the images when I don’t have an internet connection? It would be nice to be resting up from an amazing day of photography for example in base camp inside the arctic circle and be able to view and read a nat geo story about the arctic circle.

by GraPhXLight

Moving from an article featured in the email newsletter is something that one day, maybe-perhaps-but-not-yet, will work as it should. Currently -and for the longest time, through all of the improvement and fix-it updates- the “Read On”button in the NG email newsletter goes to a blank page or, if very “lucky”, a nice picture with the iconic yellow rectangle in its center and that’s it, no article or any other content to see and read. Separate from the failed linking to articles from emails, NationalGeographic is slow, text is slow, and images download as if stuck in a 2002, 3G time loop. What’s amazing to me is that this is the nothing less than THE National Geographic… and this is how their app works (sort of). If NG displayed the same standards when producing their mag., it’d be called “People Magazine” …

by Richard Cœur De Lion

Good news! It doesn't crash regularly anymore. The bad news: Search doesn't work. Click on a topic tile and it brings up a blank page. When I get an email with stories described and I touch the button to read more it brings up (or switches to) NationalGeographic...period. I cannot find the story described in the email anywhere in NationalGeographic . For such a great organization and such great magazines, this is a poor app. I have multiple subscriptions but it would be worth it to pay a couple of dollars more for NationalGeographic and get one that actually works.

by Liz Bead

A link to another story is always at the bottom of the screen. I have accidentally hit it several times. I have to go back find the article again and scroll to where I left off.

When looking at pictures, it covers the description. This is extremely annoying. I will choose what I want to read next. If not fixed I will not renew.

by Repulsed By New Version

The page view is the step in the right direction. However, most of the photos in the print version of the magazine are spread over two (sometimes even four) pages. NationalGeographic needs to have a 2-page view in which two consecutive pages are shown side-by-side. With this addition the digital version of the magazine will be able to (almost) fully substitute for the print version.

by Cdavidbragg

Hi, the latest updates have solved many of the bugs with NationalGeographic and greatly improved the ability to view a “print version” (i.e., a replica of the printed magazine), but one feature I would love to see is the option to have landscape mode show both pages as they would appear if one had a paper version of the magazine open.

This would greatly improve NationalGeographic , as there are many photographs that span both pages of an open magazine. Thanks so much.

by Wmb215

Updating to 3 stars. Finally I was able to reach someone that suggested deleting NationalGeographic . But that didn’t work. Then it seemed they perhaps had some issues on the back end of the system (nothing to do with my app). Now downloads seem to work as well as reading offline. Not giving higher than 3 starts because NationalGeographic is still very slow.
——————
Zero Stars!!! It’s been years since my first review of NationalGeographic and it’s still broken. Nothing gets fixed. They say the Downloading is now enabled, but it’s clearly broken. It fails when trying to download, then the item gets stuck in the Library and your can’t remove it even though it isn’t bookmarked as a saved item. The only way to purge it is to delete NationalGeographic and start all over. One brief time I was able to download an article, then while traveling and not on WiFi, the article wasn’t available. So why is there a download option if you can’t read it offline? Maybe I’m missing the purpose of the download option. I’ve tried uninstalling and reinstalling NationalGeographic per NatGeo’s support team recommendation, only to loose all my bookmarked items. Then the problem persisted. They or their developer clearly have no clue as to what is wrong with NationalGeographic, nor do they care about fixing it. If they did, these issues would not be languishing for the past several years. The original apps was great — could download issues, read offline — then this new app came along and all went sideways if not backwards.

by Paq7512

NationalGeographic however is hit and miss, sometimes it takes 20 seconds to start up. And it’s the only app on my phone to crash that I can tell. My phone was recently restored to iOS 14.5.1 with latest cloud backup and the IOS as an ipsw file. And still buggy. Please fix the speed and reliability. Thank you. Update. Changed to 4 stars. I will update to 5 if it stays. A developer of NationalGeographic reached out and I’ve tested it a few times. Seems good. NG is awesome. I also have the tv program as well. 😊

Back to 3 stars. App takes a while to load. And if you switch back to it, it will crash, even though it was “open”.

by Wildsalmonwoman

I’ve been reading and enjoying National Geographic since childhood. It has opened up the world to me, the unfolding history of our species, the magic and wonder of the planet’s flora and fauna, new discoveries about space, and our struggle to live sensibly and kindly (we aren’t doing that so well). NationalGeographic means I alway have something to read, ponder, and enjoy at my fingertips. Thank you!

by Crhistci

NationalGeographic has improved since my previous subscription more than a year ago. Clearly devs have listened the people, although there are some issues when NationalGeographic freezes. Nothing to hate, though. The download option to read offline really rocks

by Trigger664

I have always loved group looking at National Geographic the pictures and stories of everything and everyone around the world right at you fingertips. Now we have the same thing in digital which to me with any decent computer the pictures jump right out at you face . We also have another great feature especially for someone of a little age you can make the font size bigger. Hey that’s huge. Keep up the great work National Geographic

by Baltimore Dad

I subscribed during the pandemic. It was much needed to inject some foreign lands into my daily life. I miss traveling and living abroad. Nat Geo has been a lifesaver!!! Not to mention the articles I learn from everyday. My son then gets on and we share time together talking about world events outside of politics. I wish more would do the same!

by SuziRob

I have been reading this magazines articles and pictorials since I was a child and subscribed to it when I could afford to or read it in waiting rooms and libraries. The articles are always first rate and fascinating. National Geographic is unique and covers a wide variety of subjects in the sciences from oceanography to photography to biology to archeology to ancient history to paleontology to sociology to anthropology to medicine, etc. No other magazine manages to feature wonderful articles on so many different topics. I am a “baby boomer” (in my 70s) and have been reading Nat/Geo for over 60 years.

by Author At Large

The past 30 years of my life, including the last nine in so-called retirement, slowing down does not seem to be part of my DNA. Ending the day learning something about the geography of our planet, the lifestyle of others and being able to see how various other species live, causes me to reconnect with life.

by Maypole-1

I’m so excited to actually be able to read articles about science and what’s being studied around the world and practically in my back yard. Oh how I’ve missed it since no one has the magazine’s lying around anymore so I’ve wasted my time reading little bits and pieces on one site are the other not to mention all the wasted time on social platforms never getting the science fix that I love.
Why I waited so long and wasted so much time when my old favorite magazine was still around and better than ever,I’d give it a rating of 5 out of 5 👍 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

by Bob83318

NationalGeographic no longer allows for the downloading of the magazine to be read offline. I was told “our engineers are working on that.” Huh? The older versions allowed this. Why doesn’t the new one? Stupid app from what used to be a smart company. New ownership isn’t quite the same.

So, I just received a response to the review above. They are “looking into this as a possible enhancement in the future.” WHAT!? Downloading the issue was always a feature. Has Nat Geo taken leave of their senses? Or do they just figure subscribers have?

Just an update. After waiting weeks for a response, I was told there are no plans to restore the previous functionality to NationalGeographic . I made my decision to cancel my subscription because of this. New owners definitely do not share the same mission as the founders. Nat Geo didn’t seem to mind I was cancelling. And why would they, I’m only one subscriber. Maybe if thousands did it matter. All we an do is vote with our dollars. I’ll send mine to Habitat for Humanity instead.

by Docgompf

This may be my second review, I’m not sure. I re-downloaded and logged back in while I still have a subscription (I won’t be renewing) to find that National Geographic still has not found a way to allow me to access my back issues for off-line viewing. Seven months now my digital magazines have been gone. I have traveled several times and really missed the NatGeo reading that I would’ve done had they been available for download... as they were for years until they were hastily removed from long time subscribers’ digital libraries. They are hurting the people who cherished there magazines the most! Also, I’m wondering if the magazine will start refusing to cover climate change issues because of the new ownership... scary thought that people with money will buy up legitimate news and science education sources that dispute their anti-science beliefs.

by Kfed3030

I'm kind of heartbroken, honestly. Longtime subscriber, and longtime subscriber of the iPad edition, specifically, which for so many years was perfect: NatGeo's world class journalism and photography in a portable magazine format that seamlessly integrated text, video, sound, and images. It was way ahead of the curve in terms of getting new digital content out in a format that still appealed to lovers of the traditional magazine experience, especially compared to other science/tech magazines.

But now... this. I don't understand these changes at all. I don't understand why we wouldn't want to be able to read the magazine offline — I don't understand what sense that makes, or why someone reading a MAGAZINE would be expected not to care that they can no longer read it as a magazine.

I'm heartbroken because this was my favorite magazine, and it seems like the people now running it don't understand what consumers loved so much about it.

by Jorge AASSMM

What happened to you guys? When I first moved to the digital version of the magazine (first versions of NationalGeographic ) it was such amazing experience. So much so, that I would take my iPad to family reunions to show family this new and improved way to enjoy National Geography, it was amazing! Could get videos and trifolds and could read advertising, felt like the real magazine but so much better. Then, you went to this current version... Why? Noe NationalGeographic looks like a poorly assembled word version of articles, not even a nice layout; My church news letter looks much better. Your app Is so bad that when I open NationalGeographic I am not engaged and have stopped reading. Was ready to cancel my subscription but I discovered that you are able to read your subscription in the Apple news app where the experience is much better but not as good as the first versions of the natgeo magazine app. Please bring back the great experience, you did it before.

by Jkasulka

What used to feel like a nicely laid out version of the print magazine has turned into a bunch of links to web articles. Before the layout and images felt very purposely laid out and arranged, now it just seems like a jumbled mess. As others have noted you can’t download the entire issue and browse later when you don’t have internet access making it useless for reading while traveling.

If I want to see all these other articles they are trying to cram into the magazine app I would just go to the website, or they could make it a separate app. I want the subscription to feel similar to the magazine that you can peruse and enjoy, not just a bunch of quick links to the website because the company is too lazy to bother doing the layout and page design that they used to do before.

A terrible move and I will not renew my subscription if this is the direction the magazine will be moving to now.

by HobbyGuitarist

Well they FINALLY fixed the problem of articles jumping back to the beginning if you switched away from NationalGeographic . But at what cost? This version logs me out half the time so I frequently have to re-login when I open NationalGeographic . And if NationalGeographic is backgrounders for too long but miraculously doesn’t log me out, it appears not just to lose my place in the article I was reading but to forget which issue I was even reading. So I have to find my place from scratch. Worst of all, there is no more offline viewing! So you must have an internet connection to browse or read issues. No more downloading a few to read on the subway or on a plane. I also contacted them repeatedly about multiple paper issues still coming in the mail and the inability to link my subscription with NationalGeographic . I finally managed to fix it without any response from their customer service whatsoever. I’m getting closer and closer to just giving up on NG. :-(

by JimmyD2

I loved the old version of NationalGeographic . This new version, while incorporating different content and media types, makes just reading the magazine almost impossible... Unless you want to focus on just the main articles. Where You Shot? Where are the short pieces? And while the embedding of photos it's now more natural in the body of each piece, the captions disappear in a few seconds making it difficult to appreciate all the information contained in the image.

NationalGeographic used to be the way I read my monthly magazine. Guess I will have to go back to paper to make sure I am getting my money's worth and not missing anything. Ugh.

Update:. I see NationalGeographic still stinks and since I was reading the magazine almost exclusively on my tablet I've now got 8 unread issues on my nightstand. I guess I will cancel my subscription since it's clear you are not listening to your subscribers. So sad.

by EnslavedByCorgis

There seems to be a growing trend with publishers that are turning decent useable apps into something virtually unusable. Publishers need to face up to the reality that those of that are still interested in these apps want a traditional print experience that we don’t have to chew up bandwidth to use. One of the most galling aspects of NationalGeographic is that I no longer have ANY of the prior issues I hadn’t read yet. If a developer is going too pull stunts like this just put a paywall on your darned website. I hope somewhere in Apple there is someone paying attention to this trend on NationalGeographic Store and will discourage it. I will probably cancel my subscription as the response from the publisher has not been encouraging. Leave the up-to-date news and shorts for the website and the quality long-form articles for the magazine, whatever the medium. I’m afraid I now have to add NationalGeographic to the same company as the execrable Sky & Telescope as textbook examples of how NOT to write or update an app or listen to your customers.

by AreBe49

Having subscribed to National Geographic for the last 45 years, I am appalled at what has happened to the digital edition. All of my past paid for issues are no longer available. One of the nice things about digital magazine editions is transportability and no need to keep old paper copies. This feature has been removed as has the magazine format. Although I still enjoy the print edition, the loss of the online magazine app and past issues will assure that my current subscription is my last.
I must comment on the few developers “responses”. I have seldom seen more lame responses to sincere subscriber complaints. Your developers have apparently been looking into restoring some features for a year now with no success. The developers are either still learning how to create a useful app or are being prevented from doing so by management/ownership. Given the ownership since 2015 - Fox - I would assume the later.
So, see ya’ when and if you return to customer satisfaction as a publishing principle.

by Kdkdkdkdkdkdkdkdkdkdkd

Losing the ability to download issues is a major flaw in this update. No more reading offline while traveling. Even at home with an internet connection you better finish each article in one sitting or you have to re-download the article and scroll down to find where you stopped. Not to mention that even with a high speed connection each article takes a while to download and if you want to see a larger version of an image it takes at least 4 seconds to download the image then the caption goes away until you tap the image again. Oh, and if you are on a metered network each time you open an article you eat into your precious data limit.

Only slightly less annoying than losing the ability to download issues is the complete destruction of the readability of the magazine. Instead of smoothly scrolling through the issue you have to keep going back and forth between web pages.

How anyone on your product team thought this update was a good idea is a complete mystery.

by HobbesH

Not surprisingly, I’ve been a National Geographic subscriber for years and jumped when they added NationalGeographic . It was terrific - you could download entire magazines, which was great while travelling off the beaten path, or on an airplane. The media and audio additions added to the printed magazine experience. The navigation and matched layout to the print copy made it simple to switch back and forth from tablet to print without even needing to check the Table of Contents. It was wonderfully seamless! I recommended NationalGeographic to all my friends because the extra media enhanced a great digital copy of the magazines. I could have my printed copy experience with added bonuses! When leaving comments with other magazines, I would recommend that they take notes from National Geographic.

Unfortunately, this “major update” seems more like a major re-write and downgrade to a glorified webpage. Instead of getting a digital magazine that I can conveniently take on-the-go, I get something closer to a bad version of the National Geographic website. I’ve gone back to the printed magazine and have had to warn off my friends and family.

I’m begging you, National Geographic, take us back to our previous state of bliss!

by Karl The Viking

It’s no coincidence that almost without exception every review since the 3.0 update has been for one star only. In my opinion NationalGeographic no longer even rates a single star. As a subscriber to Nat Geo for nearly 40 years this update destroys the entire premise of a MAGAZINE. Nat Geo did a great job with the original app of taking the printed magazine content and enhancing it with new media and up to the minute content. The application allowed me to carry my magazines with me to read on long flights and vacations and really did enhance the Magazine experience for those of us who were avid print subscribers and supporters of the work that Nat Geo do. NationalGeographic update takes that whole experience backwards. Now when I travel I have to take my print magazines with me again. What were they thinking when they did this redesign? I can guarantee that they didn’t trial run the redesign with real subscribers. Such a disappointment that such a great organization should fail to appreciate the real needs of its customers and supporters. I don’t plan on cancelling my subscription because I still want to support so much of the great work that Nat Geo do. But I sincerely hope that they will re-think this application and get us a magazine application that in the words of their new president..”informs individuals, policy makers, corporations, foundations and other like minded individuals...” wherever they might be, connected or not.

by Seahorse One

October 19, 2019 update:
A clear revolt from so many passionate long time readers (35+ years for me) yet NATGEO chooses to do nothing except respond to a few people with the same canned statement about "looking into restoring the ability to download for offline reading". Its now been close to a year since they killed a brilliant magazine app and replaced it with this glorified web browser. At this point I am going to assume that nothing is going to be done to bring back the ability to download issues. I need something I can read offline while traveling. The current product is useless to me. I haven't been able to read but one issue since this new version of NationalGeographic was launched. It was a tragically poor decision by management to kill the old app and now that clueless choice has been compounded with poor customer service by stringing along your angry readership for nearly a year with the hope that something might change. When my current subscription expires, I will be joining the non-renewing group.

Original post Jan 15, 2019
The ability to download an issue for reading offline has been removed. The "Monthly Issues" aren't what the actual magazine looks like any more. You have to log on every single time you open NationalGeographic .... Marketing missed it big time on this update. Is the new commercial ownership intent on ruining what has been a brilliant publication? So disappointing after being a devoted fan all these years.

by Wallufet

As a professional designer, I must give some credits to NationalGeographic ’s modern-looking redesign.

Before the redesign, NationalGeographic was technically a PDF reader. Every time a new issue came out, I had to download the entire PDF file — hundreds of megabytes — and worry about exceeding the storage limit on my iPad (16 GB). I have always wanted an app that’s designed for mobile. Why would anyone want to read a magazine on the screen? That’s why I have been reading the hard copy instead. The old PDF reader used a redundant UI, which constantly obstruct my view of the content. The navigation was confusing. The layout of each article was inconsistent... It was horrible.

The redesign is a huge step forward but still has room for improvements. For example, I’d like to be able to read the content in portrait mode on my iPad. I’d also like to have more options in the settings, such as a Night Mode or Low-battery Mode. Just keep NationalGeographic light and simple, and keep improving the user experience in future updates. Great job, NatGeo!

by Pastorlarry

I hesitated to subscribe. I mean, I wasn’t sure I had the time to open the magazine let alone NationalGeographic . To boggles with it! I took a chance, driven by curiosity and the fond memories of being totally engrossed in the NG print editions my grandmother purchased and saved for me.

To me, NationalGeographic immediately added a richness not found in my physical subscriptions. Don’t misunderstand, there is nothing like the smell and feel of a great (especially an old!) NG magazine in your hands! But, when you crave something more, something deeper and different, well, then nothing beats the “bells and whistles” of the National Geographic app.

NationalGeographic takes one farther into the stories, causing the imagination to spark and come alive. Much like the old Choose Your Own Adventure books of my childhood, the possibilities and paths are practically endless. NationalGeographic is indeed a rarity in a mass produced world. So, get comfortable, open your mind, and let your membership take you far away from what you think you know.