The Times Literary Supplement App Reviews

Elegant interface. The storage of previously-read issues is a plus; it will take a lot of issues to fill up an iPad, and a lot of issues of the TLS to wade through is a nice problem to have. What marvels will the Basement Labyrinth produce next?

A beautifully designed app - and the TLS is extremely well edited these days. It loses stars because its too much of a bother for me to read. I used to be able to download issues. I cant anymore: it rejects my password. It flees from me that sometime did me seek. Like some other commenters, I can uninstall and reinstall the app. That works, but not permanently. I cant be bothered to do it regularly. I can use Safari with my iPhone and read the text in less attractive forms. Or theres good old paper. I cant believe an obvious bug, receiving other complaints, hasnt been fixed. Cant you bring in the Obamacare team?

Every time a new issue comes out the app forgets who I am and I have to sign in again. Deleting and reinstalling app doesnt seem to help. Dearth of documentation in Settings. E.g., no directions for deleting issues. Also, no indication that American subscription numbers have an extra digit so that, when signing on, you should only type in the first seven. TLS cyber efforts have always been dicey, and this is no exception.

TLS is, of course, superb. But the app must be continually deleted and reïnstalled with reëntry of subscription particulars in order to download anything. Terrible nuisance, reminiscent of The Economist app when it was new. Likely, the app designers will eventually fix this bug. For now, however, Ill grin and bear the inconvenience.

Consider resolving technical issues out of respect for loyal subscribers. How many times do I need to contact technical support with complaints about sign in issues before you fix the problem? Regretting subscribing to the works. You guys are a-holes.

I have a print plus digital subscription, and the app almost never works. Says I dont have access. Can reinstall and sometimes that helps for maybe one issue. Theyve been trying to fix this since March. Whoever is working in their subscription/tech dept are a bunch of bumbling idiots. However, I did subscribe one month directly through Apple and everything worked flawlessly. Strange. Im going to cancel with TLS.

Every time I try to download, I am forced to delete thewhole app, reboot, and reinstall the app. I want this to work. Getting an all-digital edition was a big mistake.

Great when it works. Usually, however, one must uninstall and reinstall every time. A pain with slow internet.

This app is continually denying me access to new issues; the digital subscription has been a complete waste of money.

This is an update to a previous review: they have fixed the technical problems and everything works well so I am giving it four stars. Why four? Simple--it just isnt as interesting to read as the TLS on paper, less satisfying because not as easy to browse. On the other hand, immediate access to the longer excerpts that appear in the print edition. So I am a very happy customer overall. Would give it 4.5 if I could. Earlier review: I really want this app to work. The few times it has, 5 stars. The multiple no times, no stars. No download authorized, I am told (though my subscription is active). Cant be removed from my device (why?). I called customer service on this and they said that there have been problems since March which were supposed to be fixed end of June (this is July). I heard back on an e-mail sent over a week ago saying things would be dealt with soon. Hmmm... Okay, I have been credited for an extra four weeks on my subscription, thank you, but what I really want is to be reading! Yes, you can sometimes (hit or miss) download by reinstalling the app, but the operative word here is sometimes.

This app is very finicky. Requires repeated logging in and out, activating over and again. Wrote to them about it. Not much improvement if any. Still, manageable but could be much better.

Great publication but difficult to connect to your paid print subscription.

Not that great

there have been lengthy periods where the app simply does not work (when you try to download an issue, it says "authorization failed") - customer service explains these gaps in service as "technical problems" - it is simply not an acceptable level of service for the price!

I, too, have it. Customer service gave me a voucher number, but that wasnt the problem. They havent responded to me since I reported that the problem was ongoing. Glad to know others have it; not glad that I cant read the digital version of the paper.

Starting with March 18, 2015 issue, the app stopped working, and although it recognizes the subscriber login and acknowledges that the subscription is active, when I try to download an issue, I get an "Authorisation failed" error. Ive contacted customer service, they reproduced the error and forwarded it to management, and I was told to keep checking the app and wait till they fix it. Now a new issue is available, and still no fix. I am afraid to delete the app from my ipad because I dont want to lose the other issues, but keep deleting and reinstalling it on my iphone. Its becoming very frustrating to be paying for a subscription and not be able to access it. Please fix the bug! [Added later]: At first I also got a voucher number, which seems to be the default response when you contact subscription services. But voucher number is only for accessing online archive, and once you configure your user name its not needed. It would be nice if issues were actually browsable, like in NYRB or LRB, but if you have digital subscription only, I dont see how you can access issue contents outside the app. Its really frustrating and it seems that TLS is not taking the issue seriously, given the lack of response....

App fails to download magazine content due to some kind of authorization service error. Customer service claims they are working on it. Makes a subscription mostly worthless.

Same as others--keep getting "Authorisation Failed" when I try to access issues, though the app assures me that my "Subscription [is] active." Ive emailed customer service three times over past week, and no response. Very frustrating.

Loved this until it stopped downloading because of authentication service problem which they are either unable or unwilling to fix. Customer service is not helpful, just says they are working on it. Really, for 3 weeks!? I am about to cancel the whole thing and ask for a refund.

several weeks without being able to ise; TLS does not know when it will be fixed.