Anyone else think some apps get worse with every update?

[TommyB_20]

Apps are constantly being updated, whether it's to introduce new features, improve performance or change the overall design. While updates are usually meant to make things better, sometimes it feels like they do the complete opposite. Features that people have used for years suddenly disappear, simple layouts become more complicated, and apps that once worked perfectly start feeling slower or harder to navigate.

I think developers sometimes focus too much on adding new things rather than listening to what existing users actually want. Not every change is necessarily an improvement, and sometimes the original version was better in the first place.

Has there been an app you've noticed getting worse with every update? What changed, and do you think developers should listen more to user feedback?

[Q]

Makes sense to me. Been following this thread and that seems right.

Good stuff

[Matticus]

I would push back on that hard. The table does not lie over a full season, whatever people say about individual games.

Still think I am right on this

[KnotKnull]

Makes sense to me. Been following this thread and that seems right. Good stuff.

Worth checking the small print before committing. Most people just accept the standard rate and wonder why they are not getting ahead.

Worth a look if you have not already.

[DotEXE]

I wonder if that is the whole story or just the most obvious part of it. I tend to notice the things that seem almost accidental but probably are not.

Happy to keep discussing this

[Jan79]

That is the sensible approach. I will keep an eye on it

[Zach91]

For some reason that framing works well. It is the kind of thing that rewards sitting with it rather than reacting immediately.

There is a lot more to say about this

[MrRicardo]

That matches what the more reliable sources are saying. Worth keeping an eye on

[error.404]

That is exactly the lesson I learned. Worth doing it properly rather than rushing it

[Warden]

Ended up in the same place, yeah. I ended up learning the hard way that the simple route is often better.

Post a photo when it is done

[NightOwl]

That was not my experience at all. For me it came down to whether I kept going back to it after the first week.

Can't really go wrong with it.

[CMPunk_Fan]

That is one way of looking at it. Classic.

Nice one

[QuantumDay]

There is definitely a point where updates stop being about improvement and start being about control.

Once you're locked into an ecosystem, they can afford to make things slightly worse as long as you don't leave

[Hannah56]

I don't mind updates in theory, but I hate when they remove simple features for no reason.

Like, why take away a perfectly good option just because "usage was low"? Maybe it was low because it was quietly useful and nobody complained

[EventHorizon25]

The worst is when they change the UI but don't update the help section.

So you're stuck guessing where everything went, while the official guide still shows screenshots from a version that hasn't existed since 2019

[QuantumLeap53]

I think a lot of this comes down to companies chasing growth forever.

Eventually they run out of meaningful improvements, so they start redesigning things that were already fine just to show investors "progress"

[Marcus11]

I swear some apps genuinely peak at version 2.3 and then slowly descend into chaos with every update after that.

They start off clean and fast, then suddenly you need 8 menus and a tutorial just to find the thing that used to be one tap away

[Slay]

I actually like when apps stay boring.

If an app does one job well and doesn't constantly reinvent itself, that's honestly a blessing in 2026

[Solo Buffer]

I think part of the problem is A/B testing gone wild.

They optimize tiny engagement metrics while ignoring overall usability, so you end up with an app that's technically "performing better" but feels worse to actually use

[RandyOrton26]

Sometimes I just miss when software felt like tools instead of experiences.

A hammer doesn't need a new "engagement strategy" every six months. It just hits nails. And that's enough

[PhilippeMercadal]

The funniest part is when they say "we listened to feedback" and then proceed to ignore every comment in existence.

You just know somewhere in a meeting someone said "users will adapt" and everyone nodded like that's a valid strategy

[ProperMadlad20]

It's not even a feeling anymore, it's a pattern.

They add "improvements" that nobody asked for, move buttons around, and then act surprised when users complain that basic functionality feels buried under design experiments

[Carol15]

My conspiracy theory is that some product managers don't actually use the apps they ship updates for.

Because there is no way someone who uses the app daily would think "yeah, let's move this button to a completely different galaxy" is a good idea

[Shane95]

A lot of it is just feature creep.

They keep adding things to justify updates, but instead of improving the core experience, they just stack new layers on top of a perfectly fine foundation until everything feels sluggish

[Hitman99]

I still remember when messaging apps were just messaging apps.

Now they want to be payment systems, social networks, content platforms, and probably your morning alarm clock if they could get away with it

[Rhys]

Hot take: some apps get worse because they optimize for new users over existing users.

They forget that people who already know the app exist, so they end up designing onboarding experiences that annoy everyone else

[Brittle Coder]

At some point it feels like every app tries to become a "platform" instead of just doing one thing well.

And in the process they lose the simplicity that made them popular in the first place

[WildManCena23]

This is basically enshittification in real time.

Start with a great user experience to attract people, then slowly shift toward monetization and engagement metrics until the original product is barely recognizable

[Ann]

Some updates feel like they were designed for screenshots, not real usage.

Everything looks cleaner in a press release but takes three extra taps in real life

[Pale Connor]

To be fair, sometimes people overreact to UI changes.

You get used to muscle memory and any change feels like betrayal, even if the new layout is technically more efficient

[DecentBloke]

The worst offenders are apps that add "AI features" to everything.

Suddenly you're opening a calculator and it's suggesting inspirational quotes instead of doing math

[WhatUQuant]

Feels like a cycle at this point: app launches simple and great, gains popularity, then slowly turns into a bloated "platform" trying to do everything at once.

At first the updates are exciting. New features, better design, actual improvements.

Then somewhere along the line it tips over into clutter. Menus inside menus, features you never asked for, and suddenly the original purpose gets buried.

The AI thing is just the latest version of that. Not against it in principle, but it gets shoved into places where it adds zero value.

A calculator suggesting life advice is exactly the kind of thing that makes people roll their eyes

Performance usually takes a hit too. Apps that used to open instantly now take a second or two, which sounds minor until you use them dozens of times a day.

And the worst part? You cannot go back. Once it updates, you are stuck unless you jump through hoops.

There is something weirdly nostalgic about older versions of apps just doing their job and getting out of the way.

Progress is great, but not every app needs to evolve into a "super app." Sometimes simple was already perfect.

[Phil80]

Part of the problem is that success changes priorities. Early on, apps compete on usability. Later, they compete on engagement, data, and monetization.

That shift shows up in updates. Features start serving the company more than the user.

Extra tabs, recommended content, notifications that feel a bit too eager.

None of it is broken, but it feels heavier.

The AI additions fit right into that pattern. They sound impressive in release notes, but in practice they often feel like filler.

There are good implementations out there, just not in everything.

It is also interesting how redesigns happen so frequently now. Sometimes it feels like change for the sake of looking "fresh" rather than improving usability.

People relearn the same app every year, which is a bit exhausting

A quiet, stable app that barely changes starts to feel like a luxury.

[Rustic Stuart]

Going to push back slightly: some updates that feel worse at first actually age well.

A new layout or feature can be annoying initially, but after a week it starts to make sense.

There is a bit of resistance to change built into all of us.

That said, not all changes deserve that benefit of the doubt.

When an app adds three new layers to do something that used to take one tap, that is not "adjustment," that is regression.

The AI overload definitely falls into the questionable category right now.

It reminds me of when everything had to be "social" a few years back. Suddenly every app wanted a feed

Some of those features disappeared quietly later on.

Would not be surprised if a lot of current AI fluff gets trimmed down once the novelty wears off.

[Ava_75]

One underrated issue is consistency. Updates often break the mental model people have built over time.

Buttons move, gestures change, workflows shift.

Even small changes can throw you off when muscle memory is involved.

That friction adds up, especially in apps used daily.

The irony is that many updates are meant to improve usability, but end up doing the opposite for existing users.

New users might benefit, while long-time users feel like things got worse.

There is also the performance angle. New features demand more resources, and older devices start to struggle.

So an update that is "better" on paper can feel worse in practice depending on your hardware

A bit more restraint from developers would go a long way. Not every version needs to reinvent the wheel.

[CacheLayerSquid]

The AI feature trend is getting a bit silly in some places. Not every app needs to become a personal assistant that knows my coffee order and gives me motivational speeches before opening a spreadsheet.

There are apps where AI makes sense, like editing photos or helping with writing. That feels like adding a useful tool.

But when a simple app gains three extra buttons, five menus and a chatbot nobody asked for, it starts feeling like progress went backwards.

The funny part is that the app store description will call it a "simpler experience" while users are searching for the old settings menu like they are hunting for buried treasure.

Still, some updates are good. Developers do need to improve things, fix bugs and adapt to new devices.

The problem is when updates are designed around showing off features instead of making the original purpose better.

A calculator that calculates is already doing a pretty impressive job. No need for it to become my life coach

Maybe the best update would be one that removes things for once.

A little "we made it faster and less annoying" release would get a lot of love.

Simplicity has become a premium feature nowadays.

[Jan79]

The biggest offenders for me are apps that slowly turn into something completely different. You download a lightweight note app and a year later it has social feeds, subscriptions and a marketplace attached.

At some point you start wondering whether the notes are still the main feature or just an excuse to keep you inside the ecosystem.

That said, updates are not automatically bad. Some of my favourite apps today are much better than they were a few years ago.

The difference is usually whether the developers are improving the core experience or just adding things for a feature checklist.

A cleaner interface and better performance will beat a flashy new gimmick most of the time.

There is also a bit of nostalgia involved. People remember the old version because it did exactly what they needed.

Sometimes the new version really is better, but the adjustment period makes everyone complain for a while.

The real crime is removing useful features without warning.

Give us options, let people choose, and everyone wins.

Forced changes are where the frustration starts

[Iconic52]

The "AI in everything" complaints are fair, but there is a danger of dismissing all of it. Some features that looked pointless at first have become normal parts of software.

Autocorrect, search suggestions and spam filtering all started as things people could ignore.

The issue is that companies sometimes rush unfinished ideas into every product because they do not want to miss a trend.

That creates a lot of noise.

An app should earn the right to add complexity. If a new feature saves time, great. If it just creates another notification, maybe leave it alone.

The best software is usually the stuff you barely notice because it simply works.

Nobody wakes up excited that their file manager received a major update. They just want it to open files quickly and not surprise them.

Maybe the next big innovation should be restraint. Revolutionary concept, I know

Less clutter, fewer interruptions and more control would probably make a lot of users happier.

Not every update needs to feel like a new product launch.

[Daedalus84]

There is a weird cycle with apps now. They start simple, become popular, then the company tries to turn them into a platform.

The original users usually end up asking, "Why did you change the thing that was already working?"

I have seen this happen with messaging apps, music players and even weather apps.

A weather app showing the forecast is useful. A weather app showing videos, shopping suggestions and random news stories is a different beast.

It feels like every empty space on the screen is being sold to someone.

The counterpoint is that development costs money and companies need ways to support their products.

I understand why they add subscriptions, premium features or new services.

But there is a balance between making money and making users feel like they are renting a billboard instead of using an app.

The best developers seem to understand that loyal users come from trust.

Keep the useful stuff, make optional features optional, and people are much more forgiving.

[Chloe48]

Disagree. Developers have to charge for premium features to keep the lights on. If they kept the old free version, they'd go out of business. It's a tough spot for indie devs, not just big tech.