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Day One app reviews: what users complain about
We ran AppGripe on 300 of the most recent public App Store reviews of Day One: Daily Journal & Diary (Journaling, by Bloom Built Inc) from 3 storefronts, dated 2024-02-15 to 2026-10-20. Average rating in this sample: 3.84★. Its all-time US App Store rating is 4.8★ from 119K ratings. 102 reviews contained a complaint; the biggest theme was bugs (59%).
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Complaint categories
| Category | Reviews | Share of complaints | Avg severity (0–3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bugs | 60 | 59% | 2.4 |
| Pricing / subscription | 41 | 40% | 2.3 |
| Feature requests | 36 | 35% | 2.1 |
| Crashes / freezes | 25 | 25% | 2.6 |
| UX / design | 20 | 20% | 2.2 |
| Performance | 19 | 19% | 2.5 |
| Ads | 3 | 3% | 2.4 |
A review can count in several categories, so shares add up to more than 100%. Severity is the AI's estimate of how bad the problem is for the user.
Top issues, ranked by reviews × severity
- Soften the redesign backlash: 29 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.3/3. What to do: Explain the change in-app, restore the most-missed option, or offer a setting for the old behaviour.
“It seems that Markdown support in the app, is now completely removed, I’m instead, directed to use the web version. It isn’t even that i can’t paste in markdown ( which I used to previously, and it would be rendered mostly correctly ), I’m prevented from editi…” (2★, v2025.23, GB) - Justify or adjust the price: 24 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.2/3. What to do: Test a cheaper tier, annual discount or one-time purchase; show what paid users get.
“I’ve been using this app since 2018. Today I tried to add a pic to my entry to find out that they’ve more than doubled the subscription price and canceled my subscription with no notice. I do like the app, but going from $25/year to $70/year is quite annoying.…” (2★, v2026.12, CA) - Stop data / progress loss: 20 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.4/3. What to do: Reproduce sync and restore paths; add server-side backup and a visible "restore" option.
“The app deleted years of journaling with an update. I’m beyond furious that I’ve lost my written thoughts and memories upon the birth of my daughter” (1★, v2026.14, US) - Ease paywall pressure: 20 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.4/3. What to do: Keep core features usable for free users or explain clearly what is paid; show the paywall less often.
“The audio was a major reason for downloading the app, it was also stated that the audio function was part of the basic subscription, but I was unable to record because it is part of the paid subscription. So my issue is why was it stated falsely.” (1★, v2025.16, CA) - Ship the most requested feature: 17 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.1/3. What to do: Read the quotes below for the exact request; consider a public roadmap.
“In general this is a very useful app. However, as others have said, the latest update overcomplicates things. For instance, the search function is now totally opaque. I used to search for a keyword (e.g. a town name) and it would bring up when this town was me…” (3★, v2026.14, GB) - Fix crash on launch: 11 complaining reviews, avg severity 2.9/3. What to do: Check crash logs (Xcode Organizer / Crashlytics) for the affected version and device models first.
“Not sure what’s happening but I can’t even open the app now or even delete it from my iPhone. It’s just stalled on a constant loading state and no idea how to get around this” (1★, v2025.13, GB)
Rating by app version (newest first)
| Version | Reviews | Avg stars | Share with a complaint |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.21 | 13 | 4.5 | 15% |
| 2026.20 | 14 | 4.2 | 21% |
| 2026.19 | 12 | 4.4 | 17% |
| 2026.18 | 13 | 3.7 | 15% |
| 2026.17 | 14 | 4.0 | 50% |
| 2026.16 | 12 | 4.4 | 17% |
Versions with fewer than 3 reviews in the sample are left out.
FAQ
What do users complain about most in Day One?
In 300 recent App Store reviews (2024-02-15 to 2026-10-20), the most common complaint theme was bugs (59% of complaining reviews), and the top specific issue was “soften the redesign backlash” (29 reviews).
How many Day One reviews are negative?
102 of 300 recent reviews (34%) contained a complaint. Average rating in this sample: 3.84★. Its all-time US App Store rating is 4.8★ from 119K ratings.
Can I get the same report for my own app?
Yes. Paste your App Store or Google Play link at revunda.xyz/apps/ and you get the full PDF (up to 300 recent reviews, 7 categories, 18 specific issues, version trend, 10 ranked fixes) within 24–48 hours. A free mini check shows the top 3 themes in seconds.
How to read this
Apple's public feed only shows recent reviews, so this is a snapshot of the last weeks or months, not the app's full history. Popular apps attract complaints in proportion to their size; the useful part is which issues repeat. Generated 20 October 2026. We have no relationship with Bloom Built Inc.
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