Southern Living Magazine Reviews

by Dzitnup

I love Southern Living magazine and have been a subscriber for many years. Since I would rather not have a bunch of old issues to dispose of or store, I thought reading it online would be a good solution.
I simply don’t understand why it takes an hour or longer to download one issue, and why you can’t do anything else with your device during this time because if you navigate away from SouthernLivingMagazine it pauses the download. You can’t just sit down with a cup of coffee and flip through the new issue unless you have planned far in advance to have it downloaded and ready. We do not have the fastest Wi-Fi, but I don’t run into this type of thing anywhere else. I would think that first and foremost, when developing an app for a magazine, the priority would be to create one that allows people to actually READ the magazine when they want to. In my opinion, SouthernLivingMagazine developers have failed miserably on this one!

by Almondisiac

I have been able to access issues from Dec 2021 through April 2022 in SouthernLivingMagazine and Better Homes & Garden on any of my Apple devices. I’ve contacted the providers and Apple, followed all the T/S steps and nothing works. I’ve subscribed to both since 2014. Zinio isn’t helpful at all. If they can’t resolve within the next 48 hours I want a 5-month refund on both magazines. Simply ridiculous-no customer support from anyone and two many 3rd parties to work to.

by Lmownsby

I was able to download up through last December, then could not download anything again without purchasing until the May issue of 2020, and nothing else. I still cannot download anything else from this year. My subscription renews in August.

by PawleysGolfer

Terrible App. My library has not updated since March 2020. I’ve tried everything including delete / reinstall app. Library still stuck in March. My account is current. Guess I will just to wait until the snail mail delivers the hard copy. Southern Living is NOT a digital publisher.

by Radjack2005

I updated the digital version of my app, and I lost years worth of digital subscriptions plus I lost 2 Southern Living House Plans magazines that I had purchased through SouthernLivingMagazine that cost me $4.99 each. I’ve been in contact with Meredith Digital Customer Service (who BTW is located in the Philippians), Zinio, and even Southern Living House Plans. No one can help me. They all seem to think it’s someone else’s problem. Zinio just said that as per publisher’s request they are no long supporting any issues but the magazine. So, I’m angry and frustrated. I’ve been a loyal subscriber for years. I’m about to cancel my subscription to both digital and hard copy Southern Living. That is so sad too. They used to be such a wonderful company. What a bunch of crooks and jerks.

by Wendeloowho

I have been a southern living subscriber for more than 10 years and am frustrated the digital edition stopped downloading 2 months ago. Help! Both my subscription and digital app are up to date.

by IJJL

I am a current subscriber and have been for many, many years and can no longer restore issues through SouthernLivingMagazine. Please fix this.

by Cocodoggie

Love the magazine for 30 years, however and ready to cancel my subscription as it will not allow me to refresh my ITunes purchases. I travel a great deal and this is essential.

by Cindy AA

You are able to download issues with a paid subscription. Why pay for 2 subscriptions??

by Jk W858

This is the most useless app I have seen, even if you know the name of a recipe search will not take you to it. Very slow to return unrelated recipes.

by Ozark American

I have always loved the articles in this magazine. Have keep many paper issues through the years. Thinking I may just go back to the paper because I can’t get this sad app to load. I have tried reloading many times and it just sits there and buffers. Then it drops out. Hate to let SouthernLivingMagazine go but I don’t have much choices.

by MGS1950

I was thrilled to see Southern Living now has an electronic version. I had contacted Southern Living over a month ago asking when this was going to be available, but never received a reply.

A couple of requests for improvement. Over all the years I have been reading SL, I have torn out articles of interest, especially travel articles to file away so when we visit those states I have all of your suggested places to consider. I also do this with the recipes I want to try. With the new electronic version, I cannot bookmark or print a page. After I have finished reading and tearing out all of the pages I want to keep for future reference from the printed version, I am able to throw the rest of the magazine away.

I would also like to see a hyperlink for all websites referenced. Currently, when I'm reading the printed version I need my computer or iPad close by so I can go to the site or I mark the page and go back to it when I'm at a computer.

by Misstate82

I can’t download the issues. It continues to offer a trial or purchase; I have had a subscription for years. Apparently, an update caused this glitch a few months ago, and it still hasn’t been resolved.

by Good American

I dislike the latest version of Southern Living app. It is slow to load my issues. There is now a "latest" tab which is confusing because it prominently displays a note to "Subscribe and save" as if I was not already subscribed. Once in the issue, you can no longer flip pages and the header and footer bars appear on every page until you start to scroll. It takes away from the experience of feeling like you are looking at a non digital magazine. I also dislike the way the "issues" tab is organized. I like the way issues were organized in the previous version of SouthernLivingMagazine . When moving thru the issue pages I accidentally went to the table of contents. I dislike that the table of contents is just a list now with no design around it. I also you have to know exactly where you were in order to go back to that exact page. Makes me want to go back to the paper subscription.

by Sljunky

I’ve been a collector of Southern Living magazines for over 40 years. After downsizing recently and having to let go of my collection, I am so happy I can reference old issues so easy. Thank you!

by Cski1

My mother who is an extreme technophobe was even able to navigate it! I love being able to click through to websites along with the other wonderful features. The only reason I'm withholding a star is that I would like to have a bookmark function. As far as "clipping" articles like I do in the paper version, I just use the screenshot and place them in AwesomeNote. I would, however, like to see a print function for recipes. This would help with the problem of having to have more than one screenshot when having to scroll a recipe. But for a first rendition of the magazine, amazing!

by K Southerland

I LOVE that I have my Southern Living right on my iPad2 included FREE with my print subscription! No more hauling a stack of magazines on car trips or having all my back issues & clippings under the end table! I would like a good way to "clip" & save articles & recipes, as well as hyperlinks to recipes so that I can import them directly into my recipe manager. It would also be nice to be able to drop Southern Living into the Newsstand app (from what I can tell it must be an individual app...?). Overall great app!!

by Amybeth73

I am a print subscriber and was thrilled to learn that Southern Living, like many of my other magazines, was offering free digital versions for their print subscribers. I have been a long-time patron of SL as is my mother and my late grandmother. I have cherished recipes that my children ask for repeatedly and knowing that they are from Southern Living, I know that the recipe will always satisfy. I love getting a new edition monthly and plan my meals accordingly. The new app is feature-loaded with gorgeous photos-everything I have come to expect from SL. Congrats on keeping up with the times!

by Puttsen

I am happy to say that Southern Living magazine has fixed the problem I had with the new app update and I am now signed in and have ALL my past issues of Southern Living Magazines. Thank you!

Original review:
Disappointed
I have gotten Southern Living magazine since 1980 and have never been disappointed, even when they were in black and white. Well I won’t be able to say that again. This latest update is a disaster. I have lost all my copies dating back to 2013 since I can’t even sign back in. Please fix the issue with your app update! The new features for the new update sounded very promising, especially being able to share recipes.

by Skis Like Rock

No more ugly stack of magazines, no more lugging them like a hellish anchor! SouthernLivingMagazine is fluid, easy to use with built in tutorials, and i dont feel i am missing anything by not having the paper copy in hand. Being stationed abroad with the military (germany and stan) i get the issues almost two weeks later if i'm lucky. This puts a big damper on the holiday issues in particular. With SouthernLivingMagazine , I know i am not missing anything. Moreover the magazine makes it in one piece. Although no fault of the companies, sometimes things just don't make it to theater in the best of conditions.

by SP3H

SouthernLivingMagazine update is horrible. I have followed the directions five times and still can’t access my print/digital subscription or previously downloaded issues. I even uninstalled SouthernLivingMagazine and reinstalled it. Very frustrating.

by AUMimi7

I am unable to access the magazine on line even though I am a subscriber of at least 40 years.

by Al The Sad Ones Are Taken

Can never get my mag.’s on line, even with my subscription. I am tired of calling and waiting and waiting and waiting to get someone to help. Then a month or two later the same thing happens again. Pretty sad because the mag. has so many ties with Bham. which is where I live and my account is never straightened out.

by S'more N More

I have the hardest time bringing in a new issue. This has happened more than once. I was notified the new issue was available but I can’t download it. It does allow me to purchase a subscription which I already renewed months ago. Im not going to spend money again on something I already bought. I have other digital subscriptions, I never have this problem with them. Very disappointed!

by Kribarry

Like nearly all other reviewers I have been a loyal SL customer for 20 years. The new app update has caused all of my back digital issues to disappear. I get an error with my email address and my account number is not recognized but says “try back later” which I have done for days...when is later? I have sent a request for help through SouthernLivingMagazine , hopefully this is promptly resolved before I leave on vacation tomorrow because I wanted to take my issues with me on my iPad but have had no luck after days of trying this mind-numbingly frustrating new app! So disappointed :-(

by Becky1219

I love this publication on IPad. However, it takes some navigation to get to the back issues. Although the current issues shows on the IPad Newstand, in order to access the back issues, I discovered by accident that Southern Living has its own Newstand embedded in SouthernLivingMagazine. By tapping the bottom of the cover page of the current issue, a new browser bar opens along the bottom. Only by using this browser was I able to locate and download past issues. Please update your instructions to include this information.

by Lyndasully

App works beautifully and I just can’t be without my SL magazine, thanks so much!