Bad app reviews examples (real user feedback)

Real examples of bad app reviews grouped into patterns to help you understand what's actually breaking trust with your users.

App Crashes & Stability Issues

"literally crashes every single time i try to upload more than 3 photos. deleted and reinstalled twice, still happening. on iphone 14 pro if that helps anyone"
"the app just freezes on the checkout screen and i have to force close it. lost my cart 4 times now. this is so frustrating i almost switched to a competitor"

Broken Core Features

"the search filter stopped working after the last update. i set it to show only in-stock items and it just ignores that completely. makes the whole app useless for me"
"notifications are completely broken. i have them turned on but i only get maybe 1 out of every 5 alerts. missed two time-sensitive deals because of this"

Slow Performance & Loading Times

"takes like 8-10 seconds just to open the home feed on a brand new samsung s23. my wifi is fine, every other app is fast. something is seriously wrong on your end"
"scrolling is so laggy it makes me feel like im using a phone from 2012. used to be smooth, got way worse around version 4.2 i think. please fix this"

Confusing UI & Navigation

"where did the export button go?? i've been using this app for 2 years and after the redesign i cannot find half the things i used daily. who approved this layout"
"spent 15 minutes trying to figure out how to add a second account. there's no obvious button anywhere. had to google it and even that didn't really help. very unintuitive"

Login & Account Access Problems

"keeps logging me out randomly, sometimes multiple times a day. i have biometric login on but it still asks for my full password every time. super annoying on the go"
"tried to reset my password three times, the email just never arrives. checked spam, nothing. locked out of my account for 4 days now and support hasn't responded"

What these bad app reviews reveal

  • Version-specific regressions
    Users often pinpoint exact app versions where things broke, giving your team a precise starting point for debugging rather than vague complaints.
  • Device and OS fragmentation pain
    Negative reviews frequently surface device-specific bugs that internal QA misses, revealing gaps in your testing coverage across real-world hardware.
  • Where users hit their abandonment threshold
    Bad reviews name the exact moment a user gave up — checkout, search, login — showing you which friction points are actively costing you retention.

How to use these examples

  1. Tag each bad review by theme (crashes, performance, UI, access) so you can count frequency and prioritize fixes by impact rather than gut feel.
  2. Filter reviews by app version or date range to isolate whether a spike in negative feedback lines up with a specific release or backend change.
  3. Share clustered review examples directly with your engineering and product teams as evidence — specific user quotes move tickets faster than summary reports.

Decisions you can make

  • Roll back or hotfix a specific app version that triggered a wave of crash or performance complaints.
  • Reprioritize a bug that only appeared in edge-case QA testing but is clearly widespread among real users on specific devices.
  • Redesign a navigation flow that multiple users describe as impossible to find after a UI refresh.
  • Escalate login and account access issues to a dedicated sprint when review volume shows it's blocking new user activation.
  • Set up automated alerts when a new theme crosses a volume threshold so your team catches emerging problems before ratings drop further.

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