San Francisco Chronicle Negative Reviews

San Francisco Chronicle App Complaints & User Negative Comments 2024

San Francisco Chronicle app received 33 complaints, negative comments and reviews by users. Have you ever had a bad experience using San Francisco Chronicle? Can you share your negative thoughts about san francisco chronicle?

San Francisco Chronicle for Negative User Reviews

✓ Crossword experience needs improvementIt’s not rare for the crossword screens to fail to load and just show a blank white screen. I get that sometimes there will be server errors or whatnot, but at least show an error message to that point. The user has no idea what’s going on, will it eventually load? Has it already errored out and just not bothered to tell you? Poor app developer decision..Dav YaginumaVersion: 202109.13

✓ Good content but needs viewing Needs improvementToo often I find a good article I want to read on my pad … to find it is too small to easily read and enjoy. So frustrating for seniors whose eyes are not as good as they once were. Allowing a zoom feature would do the trick and about half of digital subscriptions allow this capability. So why not the Chronicle?.Oliver twoVersion: 202110.0

✓ ChronicleOne has to scan story titles and typically more than half of the articles have been in previous editions. Some of the articles stay in there for a week. In the hard copy there are no repeat articles. I assume this is done to make the paper appear to have more content. I find it annoying. And I miss box scores for the various sports to see who is playing, where certain players are hitting in the batting order, free throw % for the game, etc..Coast guy 1945Version: 202212.8

✓ App reviewCouldn’t be a worse experience if the Chronicle were trying to scare off its steady customers. I was unable to open it for three days last week for reasons never given. Efforts to contact the Chronicle were awful. At one point, someone without authorization tried to sign me up for a paper subscription. Got resolved after about a week, but these problems recur regularly. As for the app itself, full of stale news..49 yr. readerVersion: 202112.14

✓ Terrible appWhy must I constantly—as in each and every time—link my subscription to this app?? I get an email from the Chron referring me to an article of interest. When I use the link to the full article, voila! Can’t read it. Unless I go through the multiple-step, tedious and unnecessary process of linking my subscription. Using the very same email address the Chron used to send me the suggested article. For *years.*. I would like to support San Francisco’s only daily paper, and the hard-working union journalists, photographers, and printers who work there, but I have had it. Done..Yet ANOTHER ex-customerVersion: 202202.3

✓ Bring back e-editionThis latest incarnation of SFGate is clumsy with lots of duplication and old content replete through the pages. I loved the old e-edition which was a mirror image of the actual paper. You could scroll page by page as if you were reading the actual paper. This version, the Front Page is muddled with subtitles and a few pix. It’s unclear where the big stories are! The Local section is often a repeat of the Front Page. Scroll down and you’ll find old articles from days or weeks before that I’ve already read. It’s frankly boring and lacks any pizzazz. Bring back the e-edition..ChilequileVersion: 202101.57

✓ Yesterday newsI have read the chronicle since I was a young boy, 58 years. I can’t believe how this publication has failed to deliver the current news of the day. Even the sports scores do not get into the paper. The web site is the most unstable site I have used. You ask for the paper version and it keeps taking you to the text version. It always freezing and very wonky. It is so frustrating!!! The chronicle should change their name to “Yesterday News” Mark Charles.Frustrated cronicle readerVersion: 202202.3

✓ ReviewTired of the progressive political views - who is justin phillips to vent his own concerns? He is no political expert or experienced legislator Same goes for soleil ho - while Asian food is great - it is apparent that this is only food she tries - Oh and now she has joined in her opines with phillips? Her comment about “why is Kissinger still alive” was so inappropriate considering her immigration status (and that of her family) would likely be impossible without his efforts. But, again who is she to make such statements and how does that relate to her food critique? As disappointed with the editorial staff as with these pundits - I now get e edition only for benefit of reading obituaries of business acquaintances, friends and family. East bay times is far more balanced..Ruthien1Version: 202212.8

✓ Subscription feels more like donating to a charityBack in the day when newspapers ruled, the Chronicle was at the top of the heap in the Bay Area. Never great, but adequate to cover major news events along with local stories. Unfortunately their digital transition has been poorly executed. The app is very clunky. I receive banner notifications of stories and when I press them it does not take me to the story. Instead it takes me to the “front page“ of the app and then I have to find the story on my own. Also, I guess they have much fewer reporters. Major news stories are either missed or show up days later. Two digital age tricks they have learned well is making it difficult to cancel subscriptions and flooding the App Store with fake five star reviews. Overall I’m surprised that the news organization is surviving..DiddyboyyVersion: 202209.36

✓ Stop moving adds from appearingMoving adds, flashing adds,etc.,are more than just annoying they introduce anxiety into a contemplative time of one’s day, the reading of the morning paper. Adds are part of the paper, but flashing adds centered at the top of the E print edition are insufferable. Please do something to make reading the Chronicle an enjoyable experience again. Thanks.Pauly PaperVersion: 202202.3

✓ App needs workLove the chronicle, but the app needs work. The worst problem is when you download an issue to use offline. I do this all the time. You need to keep the issue up because if you return to the home page or settings page, you can’t get back to the saved issue without an internet connection, which is presumably why you saved it in the first place. The screen is sensitive and if you accidentally touch the wrong place you’ll get thrown out of the issue and not be able to get back in, which also happens sometimes after taking a break. Also, on the home page it lists stories in the online edition but won’t let you read them except for one monthly. Hey, I’m a subscriber! It let me link my subscription but still won’t let me access the stories through the app, only the daily paper. To read the online stories I have to go sign into the chronicle site on my computer..SilentdivasVersion: 202304.20

✓ Constant reloading and repeat articlesWhile reading an article the page constantly reloads itself (to provide still more ads) and this makes it extremely frustrating to use. Since we users already pay a subscription fee to use the dang app we shouldn’t be forced to wait all the danged time for fresh ads to download which then re-download the entire article. They also re-use a whole heck of a lot of old articles that appeared days (sometimes *weeks*!) previously. Lastly they need to gray-out or otherwise somehow indicate articles previously read. When my current subscription expires I strongly doubt that I will renew it because I am just so fed up..Marcus TruckerVersion: 202211.34

✓ Terrible design flawThis app is frustrating to use. You can’t tap the top of the screen to be auto-scrolled back to the top, which Apple built into iOS. You have to tap the screen to make the SFChron logo appear then tap that. But worse is if you screen shuts off or you leave the app even for a second, you lose your place in an article and are auto scrolled back to the top. Why would they do that? It makes reading articles terrible, which makes the app worked. I’ll be canceling my subscription once my cheap trial is over..EcoTeachVersion: 202202.3

✓ Other newspaper apps are much betterOne might imagine that the leading newspaper from the country’s (world’s) tech capital might have a suitably great mobile app. Sadly, this is not the case. Other major papers do mobile seamlessly, so it’s not like this is a hard problem to solve. Half the links in the app will open a new browser window to the SF Chronicle website where I’m not logged in. The interface is clunky in general and seems to regularly forget I’m indeed a paying customer. At their digital subscription price, this product needs to be much better..Esty3350Version: 202212.8

✓ Love the paper - app could use some improvementAll that great local reporting in convenient app format. I wish the integration between the app and the website worked better (or were replaced.) The app has a separate login from the website and regardless of how many times I follow the link account prompts it just doesn’t work. I can open stories from the app itself but opening a story from social media is just impossible..Support Local JournalismVersion: 202101.57

✓ You cannot bookmark articles for later reading!Content is great but I cannot believe the app cannot do a simple thing like bookmarking an article so that you can read it later. You can email the link to share an article then copy that URL from your email program onto a note taking program or send that email to yourself. It’s such a basic feature I cannot believe that Hearst didn’t think about this..AskmrleeVersion: 202309.3

✓ Annoying appThis app has some annoying features. It seems to jump back up to the top of the article while you're reading so you have to keep scrolling down to find where you left off. Today I started reading a long article. If I set my phone down for a minute it moved to another article. Very frustrating! Also, it's really hard to find articles or sections that you know exist but are missing from this app. I like the Sunday book section but apparently I can only read that on the e-edition..Miss Mary in CaliforniaVersion: 202202.3

✓ I hope the Chronicle invests in UX, eventuallyThis app has a hopeless layout for daily readers like me. I’m constantly weighing unsubscribing. It is frustrating trying to find new daily content because they prioritize features and lists, and shard every section in too many topical subsections. As a result I've continued trying to read the e-edition, which they are rudely making harder to use. I subscribe to the NY Times, The Washington Post and the Athletic and all are a pleasure. The Chronicle is frustrating. The Chronicle needs a serious UX investment and reboot. God knows I hope they read the specific critiques here. I’ve tried to convey this unsuccessfully via other feedback channels..JimnsfVersion: 202112.14

✓ Still clunky and freeze-proneThe Chron app is still unpredictable and is often very difficult, if not impossible to manage. At least there is now a search function. My comments are based on using different Apple products, all up to date. It often freezes and crashes, in spite of some improvements. Some articles run for weeks! Why? The “paper” is shallow, redundant, and disappointing..Beatleboy's uncleVersion: 202101.57

✓ Chronicle reviewI have read the paper for decades, but trying to do so on line is regularly a frustrating challenge. For example, I opened today’s paper and when I later returned to finish it, it suddenly was Saturday’s and I couldn’t get it to change back to today’s. It is beyond annoying to have to repeatedly deal with one issue or another far too often to simply read the paper on line..MRTnSFVersion: 202101.57

✓ Digital ChronicleEasy to use and it is enjoyable on the move. The digital Mon thru Saturday and then a traditional, regular Sunday paper is delivered is a good deal. Unfortunately the customer service is not good. 4 time I called them to tell them what I ordered, yet they are still delivering regular newspapers each day. I paid $312 for what I ordered yet when I check on the billing the $312 payment is acknowledged but they say I have a balance of $270 which is apparently for a full 7 day a week delivery of a physical Chronicle What gives? KOB.Will HearstVersion: 202209.36

✓ Talk about being NOT user friendlyThis app is pretty bad. I searched for their puzzles section, not just crosswords, and it’s not listed on the app. I can find it on their webpage after several clicks. It also will not sync with Apple News and can’t change my subscription email to be the same as Apple ID. Very difficult to find cancel function unless you call them. Their whole online presence is pretty bad. They need to look at NYT and LA Times for functionality. I will not be renewing this subscription..PTprofVersion: 202309.3

✓ Doesn’t work…even though I’m logged into my accountI have lived in the Bay most of my life and while I greatly appreciate local news and was once a paperboy for the San Mateo Times and my parents still get a paper copy of the Chronicle I never have. I’ve subscribed to the NYT electronic version in the past and quite enjoyed it. So, when I saw a deal that they were offering a promotion that was 6 months for .99 I figured I’d give it a try. Well, I downloaded the app and created an account and paid. Now, it somehow tells me I’ve reached the total number of free stories for a month. So, something weird and super wonky is up..Minting MadmanVersion: 202211.34

✓ Good luck trying to cancel your subscriptionI’m a Bay Area native, but currently live out of state. I still enjoy keeping up with Bay Area news and sports, and the app generally works fine for that. However, I’ve found it nearly impossible to cancel a subscription after the promotional offer is up. There is no way to cancel a digital sub without a phone call, and the number only stays open until 2:30 pm PT. And when you do call, no one answers. It is easier to get ahold of your state Unemployment Dep’t! I sent an email to complain, and the reply was filled with lies and false information on how to cancel using a web browser - which does not even give the option. Despite all my efforts to cancel, my sub is still active. This is obviously the intent of corrupt management to make it as hard to cancel as possible. I finally had to call my credit card to block future charges, and might even have to close the card to guarantee it won’t be charged again. These types of unethical and fraudulent business practices should not be allowed on the app store!.Double-0 DiabloVersion: 202104.1

✓ Almost thereI appreciate the search function added earlier in the year. A glaring issue remains with the refresh rate, though it appears not to refresh in The middle of reading a story as I believe it used to. Most news apps I’m familiar with can hold a page in place when the device is paused, or even when exiting the app and coming back later. (the Guardian app is a good example.) This holds the place the reader last encountered. The SF Chronicle app refreshes the story in either case, going back to the top. This is especially difficult to work with in longer articles. Think bus commuter, or work break reader. Please add this common function to make this app much more usable..LowdownhausVersion: 202104.1

✓ Articles always „fail to load“9 out of 10 times I can not use the app meaning not being able to pull up and read any articles. When I go to the front page tab and click on any article, it always gives me the error message “article failed to load” and “try later”. I deleted and reinstalled the app a couple of times and it also doesn’t matter on what kind of iPhone I had the app I always have these issues. This app does not work for me at all and is one of the reasons why I will cancel my subscription..MEny82Version: 202304.20

✓ MiserableI have nothing but problems trying to read the Chronicle on the app on either my phone or iPad. I have spent lengthy periods on the time on the phone with customer support where I repeatedly will change my password on the website and then use it to try and get into the app. It will work for one day and then it will tell me either that I am not a subscriber or that my subscription has expired. Nothing seems to work. And promises to have tech-support call me have not happened. Fortunately my subscription expires this month and I’m just going to let it go. It’s not worth the hassle. I can’t believe the Chronicle can’t do a better job providing online news..Adk2790Version: 202202.3

✓ Ruined once first class newspaperOver the years the paper has had a noticible decline in the amount of substance and quality of its product. A lack of fact based reporting along with more articles written as an opinion instead of actual reporting has ruined a once high quality newspaper. I can’t trust the newspaper to be objective in its reporting and often have to fact check the article from other sources to find the reporting misleading or lacking in its journalistic intgrity. I’m sorry to say the only thing they tend to print trustworthy are the obits and sports..Apple Home MachineVersion: 202211.34

✓ Opening push notifications is still brokenBreaking news is the primary reason I use this app, and tapping on breaking news push notifications is still broken. For a while they wouldn’t load the article at all, but now they load the article in a broken viewport. For example, a wide landscape article will render in a portrait viewport and you’ll need to scroll horizontally to read… or vice versa. You’ll get a tiny portrait viewport if your phone is in landscape mode orientation..AquaosxVersion: 202104.1

✓ Mediocre and frustrating appSF Chron folks, you can be doing so much better. The content has a jumbled timeline where days old articles appear as Top of the News. The “Top” of the news is actually placed at the way bottom of the page. And there is no search function that I can find. I appreciate the special tracker pages and breaking news compilations for fires and COVID. But from a news content standpoint it lacks cohesion and clarity..Lena BrookVersion: 202109.13

✓ Great paper but worse appI wish they would invest some money into their app. It is too bad because it is such a great paper. On the iPhone, there is no back button so once you click on a story, you are stuck there. The e version is nice but hard to read on a phone. There is also a bug in linking a digital subscription to the app such that when you log in it shows no subscription..Chasing notesVersion: 202305.30

✓ Clearly an afterthoughtThe iPad app is obviously low on the priority at the Chronicle. No one at the company reads the paper on it, or it would never be this bad. Unreliable offline use, no previously-read indicator, changing headlines, reloading while you are reading an article, no clear timeline for article availability, odd categorization of stories (business is “tech” but includes Oakland Tech basketball because of poor filtering)… the list goes on and on. To top it off, the feedback function is answered by what appears to be an outsourced company who doesn’t care, and the reader can’t submit a screenshot to show the issue because their email doesn’t accept attachments that large. It’s fine for reading articles if you don’t mind clickbait headlines and losing state all the time, but it’s pretty frustrating when compared with how the app was better a few years ago..MpsmythVersion: 202202.3

✓ Convoluted payments, and blocked contentI really want to like this app and support the Chronicle, but the app and payment process is a mess. I paid for a subscription (renewed, actually) in the app using Apple Pay. The app shows it’s liked to my email address. I can access and read most of the co tent with the app. The election guide endorsements open in a web browser, not the app. However, it seems that app access does not grant you web access to the content. So, any content they choose to open in a browser rather than in the app is blocked behind a different paywall than the one you opened by paying in the app. I called the app customer service department and their systems see my account but say my subscription is expired. Their system is a mess..BirdahonkVersion: 202209.36

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