Sub Rosa Reviews

by I'll Pass On This One!

Bought the expensive card reader for my iPhone to be able to read encrypted emails without having to log into my work laptop, it worked fine for a month and now nothing, no recent updates to fix the problem. Customer service is aware of the problem but what now??? Avoid at all cost too expensive of a product to serve its intended purpose, sigh! Back to square one!

by Popeye 1234

There’s an unresolved issue that’s a year old for navy reservists trying to access a navy system called NSIPS. Google “NSIPS sub Rosa access” to see the unresolved issue that has been plaguing navy personnel for over a year. I’ve personally contacted Thursby software about six months ago and no help was given. All the folks in our unit with me are left out in the cold too. I suspect this is because Thursby primarily sells to the DOD. So if they’re trying to win a contract it’s all “yes sir, we’ll fix that and do this” but once they’ve delivered there’s no support or communication with the folks using the software (because we are not the customer, DOD is). Oh well, can’t really blame them, can only vent on App Store reviews.

by IAM.J0J0

For what I spent on this thing you’d think this reader would be a game changer. It made my wallet lighter and not in a good way. I purchased this after reading that it will let me access AKO and access my email and sign with my CAC. The signing part cost extra $$$. 😡 The reader does work but why put an outdated cord in the box? Micro / usb-a?!? It’s useless to me. Why not give us an iPad cord that folds the reader to the back?!? Just saying. The reader only allows you to access mail and AKO through their browser and not Safari. It does kinda work but does a very messy job at it which is not good for us military people.

by Rabioso Lou

Was working fine and then when I got a new CAC card the issues begin. They don’t support the new CAC cards, then I reached out to support and left me with this:

“Unfortunately there isn't a fix yet. Engineering is working on adding support to our apps for the new G+D cards. Once there is a fix we'll email blast everyone affected. Very sorry for the inconvenience.”

First they blamed my reader which I knew was not the problem, then finally they did a log and found out their software is the issue. What a terrible way to conduct business, specially with the amount of money I spent on their product and software.

by Jcgeerdes

Sub Rosa currently is the only solution for iOS mobile users. With that, I think Thursby could work closely with Apple to help with the format issues as well as connectivity.

About 70% of the time, I receive some error “data is not in the correct format”(paraphrased) message and I have to hard close SubRosa . This is both iPhone and iPad. I usually can get through 2-4 emails before it happens.

by Caleb L6

As a commander I’ve been looking for ways to work around the laptop tied to VPN. Thought this $100 solution for the browser and the hardware was worth it. BEWARE cost of ownership is greater than the initial sticker price.

BLUF: If you have extra money laying around, go for it. Otherwise there are ways to access the same content but better and saving yourself the money. It matters if you care about carrying a 16oz iPad or a 3.4lb laptop.

After 4 months, I realized this is just a glorified way to read OWA emails. Access to share points, DCS conference, and other NIPR-work sites are not fully compatible. Part of this is due to iOS and Adobe Flash, other times it’s because the Sub Rosa browser just fails to load. On top of that, dev wants money by charging a monthly/annual subscription to sign PDFs in their app. The most basic of work tasks usually required. I can do this on my MacBook for free or my work laptop for free. Why bother giving these devs more money after initial purchase? Cost doesn’t outweigh the benefits. The only irreplaceable feature with this is that I can read encrypted emails on the go so if I really care about blotters or PII then this is single feature is what makes SubRosa worth it.

Before you use SubRosa or purchase the hardware look up workarounds on popular websites to achieve the same end state.

by Jhr20180612

Is there no way to incorporate this hardware with the already existing browser? Or at least a browser that is already established? Being pigeonholed to using SubRosa as a browser obviously proves to be too much to seamlessly work as well as the commercial browsers that already operate on government systems. Simply plugging in a CAC card reader shouldn’t justify the work required to create a whole new browser, especially if SubRosa is the result. Please fix this.

Also, the card reader is expensive enough, there’s no need to charge for SubRosa . There is no way you’re not making good money on this small piece of plastic covering a microchip. Make the hardware work seamlessly, charge nothing for SubRosa . The customer reviews alone will yield you plenty of referrals to future customers who will buy your product.

by HR77

It’s handy and good for reading emails, but some other functions are awkward and not user friendly like editing and sending drafts. As far as signing PDFs, I’ll safe my money and take the time to login to a different machine rather than paying for an annual subscription.

Consensus from both our IT people and leadership is it needs substantial improvements before we purchase any more.

by Sprkyspe

Very handy when it’s working. I’ve had a lot of issues lately with it crashing when trying to use Air Force CHES OWA. Just this morning along, it probably crashed 10 times within a 15 minute span. Hopefully the developers can get it corrected though

by Mir1110

Army 365 finally works in Sub Rosa for most of the Microsoft apps except for Microsoft Teams. When accessing Teams, it will just sit at a black loading screen and the address bar says “initializing”and nothing ever loads. On iPadOS browser apps, you have to turn off “Prevent Cross-site Tracking” and select “request desktop site” for teams to work in the Chrome app in iPadOS. I’m not sure if this is the reason why we can’t access teams in the sub Rosa app or not. I don't see the options in Sub Rosa to make these changes like I can in the other browser apps so maybe that is part of the issue. Maybe they don’t allow these options for security reasons but I would give the Sub Rosa app 5 stars if they could get Microsoft Teams to work in their app.

by CutBlue

I’ve been using SubRosa for years with no issues. Thought I was going to have a problem when I transitioned to FlankSpeed, but it works. There are some glitches that need to be worked out: 1. SubRosa drops imported bookmarks every couple of weeks. This is a bit of a pain because some of the bookmarks are wrong so I have to fix them every time I have to do another import. 2. DTS is very hard to navigate. I think it’s more of a problem with the DTS website than Sub Rosa. If DTS would make their site mobile accessible, it would probably work better. 3. Can’t figure out how to download files outside of Sub Rosa, to the phone. 4. Can’t digitally sign PDFs. It pushes you to buy adobe access, but you shouldn’t need to since you can digitally sign on the free pc version of reader. If you’re USNR you can get the reader for free from Thursby. All in all, it’s better than having to lug a laptop everywhere or not having access at all.

by Feloche5

I used Sub Rosa during my deployment many times it helped me a lot in many missions. Now that I’m back home and this whole new A365 migration thing going on it’s a bum that many A365 apps don’t work like TEAMS for example, if you can fix that issue it will be an excelent app and tool for the field to use.

by アンソニーポッター

No one cares what ego-driven ring-knocker officers think, with their long, exasperating reviews. Suppose you take the time to order Thursby and don’t like it then that it is okay. At the same time, of you are as smart as you want us all to think that you are, you could have used someone else’s to determine you don’t like. In all, it’s the right product and, at times, very handy depending on the particular situation. I have had my share of connectivity issues at times. However, the same can be said for stand-alone OWA, VPN Access, etc. and government devices. Some people believe they are more intelligent than they really are and forget nuance English Grammar.

by Army_jag

Like many Apple users, I’ve been waiting for a method by which I can access my government email via my iPhone or iPad. Finally, Thursby produced a terrific product and this accompanying software app seamlessly allows me to access any website that requires a common access card (CAC).
Thanks.

by Geovaani Bates

The users who gave SubRosa a low rating fail to realize that the DoD IT standards are constantly improving. If you ignore the frequent updates, you’re poor user experience is on you. I have no regrets on the purchase of the hardware. I appreciate the developer’s efforts in keeping up with DoD standard. SubRosa is essential for all active duty, retired, DoD employee, or DoD affiliate.

by R3dC3ll

I've traveled the world for last 24 years extensively, and Thursby's products never failed to work as designed. The incredible security capability for encryoted emails and work via the Lighning Port CAC card reader on the iPhone is something else 😊👍🏻

Thank You Thursby for great work, keep it up! Worth every penny.

by CVW Staff O

Solid product that gives you CAC ACCESS when you need or want it! They back up their product with 5.0 customer service. Call and you will be impressed with their prompt, efficient and superb team. I have used this product for the last 5 years!

by 1FixApp

The Sub Rosa browser tends to crash after I sign into my email through OWA. And if the browser doesn't crash then I often get this "pkwebmail error" and it says to try again later. PLEASE FIX this!!!
It would also be nice if Sub Rosa would allow full access features when entering sites like DTS, GEARS, & AFFMS. Most features are limited when entering these sites.

by Two.Rivers

**Update**
Re-written for 5.1

SubRosa combined with a Thursby CAC reader revolutionized my experience with daily access to mail (including encrypted) and other CAC enabled sites. I recommend it to all my colleagues to simplify their lives and anyone who has gotten SubRosa and reader completely agrees.

Now with the ability to fill and digitally sign a PDF!! Home run.

I’d be remiss not to mention the fantastic support team who has quickly addressed any issues that have come up over the last years.

by Delarris

I check my email daily with the laptop but I hate pulling it out and setting it up. So I thought this would be more convenient and easier, and it was initially. I started having issues with my reader not reading my CAC and receiving errors, so I did my research first to attempt to fix the issues. After I tried everything, I contacted tech support and Kim replied immediately and kept consistent contact attempting to fix the issue over about 3-4 days. Once we tried everything she transferred me to Luke in Sales and he sent me out a replacement and free label and package to send back my old reader. Again, their customer services was excellent and extremely responsive to my needs!!!

by Difficileronald

We are in 2020 even Opera browser looks way way better than that. I’m sure you guys can see that the Interface is beyond ugly and almost feels 1995. Please update the UI please please please.

by DaneItAll

When I first bought the CAC card reader it was magical, worth every penny I paid for it. A few months ago something happened, it is now a useless piece of crap. I can not access anything. I am not the only one. Everyone that I talked into buying one, is having the same issue. We have emailed customer support - no resolution.

by Hyperion Overlord Magentus XI

I have only had the PKard Reader and the Sub Rosa app for a short period, and I am already absolutely sick of it. As anyone can see from the other reviews, sometimes it works great and sometimes it doesn't work at all. A product that is all over the place when it comes to performance is just not reliable and will almost certainly fail when you need it the most.
I have been on the telephone with support consistently since I plugged in, and even the tech guys were largely stumped. We tried several things, some of them multiple times, until after about 20 minutes something finally worked after I unplugged the reader and plugged it back in. That is NOT a solution for a quality product. I specifically asked if I was going to have to go through the same nonsense every time I tried using the product, and the reply was a hesitating, "Well, you shouldn't...". You're darn right I shouldn't, but I do...and that is why I gave a single star. I am sure anyone reading this review can tell that I have had it up to my ears with this nonsense.

by Cbtri3

SubRosa was great, minus a few hiccups, until the switch to Office 365 was made. The plan was in the works for a while in the military but this company didn’t seem to plan for the change. You can no longer read/write encrypt any message.

- No notification to customers
- App for Office 365 is clunky and wastes your time
- Almost impossible to use on a phone
- All around terrible now

Until they fix the compatibility don’t waste your money if you need it for an iOS device. The website now is misleading, as of 9 Feb, the second bullet that states
“Sign, encrypt, decrypt email with zero-data-at-rest on the device” is not true. You can’t encrypt/decrypt.

I have a Thursby Card reader for sale for $.01 contact me at.....

——————————Update 23 Feb
I reached out to support the same day I wrote this review on 9 Feb. I used your chat function from the website. I described the issues and the person offered no solution. I use the link provided in SubRosa for office 365. I can access some other websites, however webmail is a waste of time. Every single message that has been encrypted shows, “this message has no content”.

I used the word Clunky to describe accessing Office 365. I know it’s just office 365 because every other website I can get to responds much faster. Still disappointed and CAN NOT recommend for anyone who wants to access Office 365 email.

by Jjitl

As of this writing i am unable to login web mail, i understand some cert changes are ongoing (PIV) but i do not know. All i know is it's not working.

by N0man15

Worked reasonably well but recently stopped recognizing the cac in the identiv sleeve.

by Kv0th3

Great app for basic tasks, OWA/DTS/AKO etc. My only issue thus far is reliability - with my 200MB home wireless it works great, but if I turn wireless off or have to travel and work off my 10MB LTE connection access becomes spotty. Usually 5-6 frustrating attempts to check mail over a half hour will fail before I finally get in. Could be DISA OWA issues, could be Verizon LTE issues, could be app issues; I still seem to have better reliability using my phone as a hotspot for my computer but, when it works, Sub-Rosa is much more convenient.

- Stephen Roy

by Dr. Nate

UPDATED: It never fails to call Tech Support direct!!! I contacted Thursby Software, and these guys created a Beta version that allowed me to get my emails back while they fix their Dual Persona/PIV challenge on DoD CAC cards. I did have to ask for the “manager” - but once I did, magic things started to happen. Thank you guys at Thursby - you really came through! This is the best travel solution for DoD email...if you don’t have it, you should. All you need is an iPad Pro and the Thursby CAC reader (The newest iPad with a USB-C is not yet supported, but all lightning connectors are...). I have been using this for several years now and love it.
—————
This is the second time that an “upgrade” has made my iPad/this app combination for DoD email WORTHLESS. They seem to forget that those of us with PIV have special access needs. Bottom line, when you call the tech support, they’re very personable and apologetic - but they can’t do anything for me. So 5.0 took out all CAC Card users with PIVs...so here I sit for weeks at a time without my email solution.

Come on guys. You’re the best solution out there - but things like this are horrendous fails.

by BooyaShakah

Please at least consider licensing / partnering with the Brave web browser team. Would be amazing.

They get big visibility from the DoD crowd as they try to grow, you get a superior UI / browser to power the Thursby experience.

Thank you, team — really appreciate what you do!

by The 10 Chris

I have my second cac reader. Both are iPhone litening connectors. Got a new one for firm ware needed for ipad pro C type adaptor. Use on both phone and ipad. Very convenient

by SpidaPink

Love the product. I had a previous model and just recently bought a new reader for my iPad pro. Works great. I almost wish it was my office laptop. I don't even bring my work laptop home anymore. I only had to install my bookmarks once. I did notice that if you don't log off you will have to do it again upon next login. Just remember to log off. I saved other military websites to my bookmarks and they work great every time. It's perfect. I only wish that in the future the will make the case reader for the iPad pro. I can use my pencil within SubRosa . Multitasking isn't an option right now that would be helpful so I can input data into the spreadsheets I'm creating from the information I'm pulling using the pro split screen option. I love it though😍 I haven't been promoted to buy the higher app that I read about in other reviews. This is great.

by Panning4Gold

If price is the key point, would have to recommend a PC laptop. Readers for those run ten bucks at most. Googling for iPads and iPhones - Thursby's reader is the most affordable … has a free app. The next cheapest for an iPad runs almost $400 … comes with no apps! Found all the main sites worked. Thurby's tech support explains that a few web sites are hard coded with tools that don't work on Apple devices but they're working with the sites and vendors to help them line up with what users have today rather than past when there was only Windows. Glass half empty POV -- more expensive and does less than on a PC. Glass half full POV -- best and most affordable iPad/iPhone solution out there and set to get better...