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Proving once again that competent tech geeks work for Google, not conservative publishers operating on a shoe string, the people behind the Weekly Standard app have provided the worst possible smart phone interface for their magazine. To call the app buggy, glitchy or finicky would imply that it sometimes works. As of this writing, my iOS subscription gives me access to the April 2 issue, which is at least 6 issues behind. Trying to update my subscription produces this message: “Your subscription to the Oklahoman is current and will renew on December 31, 1969.” I am not making this up. A call to subscription services resulted in a nice lady reading to me over the phone a mile-long URL link for a 90-day digital subscription. As you may have guessed, the requested URL was not found. So no app, no access, no help, and I paid something like $60 for the annual subscription. This makes Trump University look like a bargain.

The content of this publication is first rate. The app is so badly executed it should be executed. Issues failed to load. Then they fixed that problem but now when you try to read articles they don’t scroll properly. Bugs and crashes are so common with this app you could use it as a training tool for how not to make an app. I really hate writing this review because I’ve been a subscriber since this magazine started many years ago. Such a terrible shame that no one at the publisher cares about the quality of the app. I’m running a 2016 model of the iPad Pro 9.6 with all the latest updates. So it should run properly if they were keeping up to date on Apple’s developer standards. Since the app has been broken for months and through a full update earlier this month, they clearly just don’t have the competence to manage an app. For your own sanity, stick to the print version of this fine magazine.

The app stinks. It has never been good, but isn’t working at all now. It hasn’t downloaded a new issue this month, which I paid for. Deleting and reinstalling doesn’t help. Deleting, reinstalling, and logging in as an existing subscriber reveals the message that my subscription to The Oklahoman is good until 1969. Yay for me. Pitiful, pitiful, pitiful. May 24 update. Still not working. This kind of nonsense and indifference to readers has happened before, but not usually this long. I’ve been a reader since the mag’s first year. Pains me, but I’ve already cancelled automatic renewal.