More than week ago, I got codes for the PlayStation Now beta and the Destiny Alpha. So, I opened up the PlayStation app on my iPhone to redeem them, only to be quickly reminded how bad the app is.
It may sound weird but code redemption is the main reason I installed the PlayStation iOS app. I like to redeem codes for games that I’m reviewing or checking out as soon as possible, in case the code doesn’t work or there’s some other problem I need to resolve. Months ago, it seemed like the app would be a better way to enter text, as opposed to fiddling with the terrible typing that happens when using the PS4 controller. But the annoyance of doing such a simple thing like redeeming a code eliminates any convenience the PlayStation app offers.
The design of the in-app dashboard promises to let you connect to various aspects of PlayStation online services easily. But it’s at least three clicks to redeem a code, a number that’s just way too many. What winds up happening is that you get shunted to the mobile version of Apple’s Safari browser. A lot.
Want to sign in? The app opens a Safari window.
Need to go to the store? Opens another Safari window.
Checking your account details? Yes, a new browser window. And you probably have to sign in again, even if you’ve just done so.
These quirks presumably exist to avoid being routed through another company’s marketplace infrastructure — and any transaction tariffs that might entail — and to maintain password security. But the same goes for watching PS4 live-streaming on the app, which you don’t have to pay for. Tap on one of the streams inside the Live from PlayStation box and you’ll get booted back to Safari again, with an option to open the stream in a specific Twitch or Ustream app.
Yes, the messaging elements work as advertised. And being able to see activity feeds and manage friend requests on the go is fine, too. But overall, the experience continues to feel half-baked, as if Sony knows the iOS space is too important to ignore but really couldn’t be bothered to put a real effort. It’d be nice if I could open the PlayStation app one day and be impressed more at what it actually does, instead of being reminded of what I wished it could do.
Comments
11 responses to “I Hate The PlayStation IOS App”
As a new PS4 owner (less than a week) if its anywhere near as bad as there PSstore dear god what were they thinking, its laggy, it crashes, its ugly and its search features just plain suck.
The issue would be your internet connection. The PS4 Store is smooth as silk and functions really well.
No it wouldnt, nothing else has any issues, my line tests are clean, speed tests are great, its a wired connection.
Its possible its the PS4 itself, but i have the same issues on the Vita store from every connection i’ve used.
That’s weird, the ps store on mine never lags and hasn’t crashed once. The search function is bit strange at times though.
The only crashes I have had we’re a few games and the chat on rare occasions
Is the Android app any better? Or just as bad?
It’s pretty much the same, any PSN interactions happen through your browser. I’d like to hope they integrate the store into the app, I imagine it might be a security thing and also an Apple store thing that stops them doing this (Apple seem to hate people selling their own products through apps). Other than that its has a couple of nice functions in the app, if you have a lot of interactions with your friends on PSN.
I doubt it’s an Apple thing – the Android app is the same, really just a launcher for the website.
Well yeah I just said the Android app is the same, seeing as everything Android is just an after thought or directly ported they wouldn’t spend the considerable effort to make it work like that on Android if they couldn’t do it on iOS too.
Given Sony make Android phones and market them as “Playstation certified” (you can play PS1 games on them) you would expect that they’d make the Android app better since it ships on their own hardware.
However I imagine that this being Sony, the phone guys have no way of talking to the PS guys anyway.
i agree with this 100%. the entire ap is basically a html5 site encased in a container app… i too was hoping a company like sont would invest a little bit of time and money to develop a 100% native app
I had the same reaction to Origin when trying to get support from EA. For a proprietary games “portal” which should have everything a gamer could want within the app, it’s incredible how half-baked and lazy that thing is. Almost every action related to support brings up a browser window, because why? Oh, just reasons. And I won’t even get into how unreliable their system is… suffice it to say I never got through to support.
The PS app is the same, it’s just pure and lazy and thoughtless design and development, that’s why. It’s a ‘let’s just get it out there for everyone ASAP and we’ll improve it later on’ approach, which simply results in blatant half-assery. For big companies like Sony and EA, it’s simply not good enough.
All I’ve ever wanted from a playstation app is to use my phone as a bluetooth keyboard for text entry. Seemingly so simple, don’t know why there isnt one out there.
Not really a user of this but I detest iOS apps flicking me to Safari when I use Chrome as my browser – what a pain