What users hate. Clustered.

1- and 2-star reviews grouped into themes with verbatim examples. Each cluster is a wedge a competitor could exploit.

168 reviews·8 themes

False or misleading 'free' claims
Users repeatedly report being misled by the app's advertising and listing as 'free', only to be prompted to pay for a subscription immediately after download or sign-in.
32
reviews
- “It’s not free — It’s not even free like when people tell me it’s free. I check the app and it says 100% free and I downloaded it and it says try for free pay or do it on email and I’m like what the heck why would someone do that for a game like this so I d”
- “This app is listed in many places as a free coding game. It’s not free. You have to sign up to do anything in the app.”
- “First of all all the ads say that it’s free even all the requests and comments, but when I go onto the app, I put my account and everything and then it says to put my free trial when all the reviews say it’s free I just hate it🤬😡”
Subscription and billing issues (unauthorized charges, inability to cancel)
Multiple users report unauthorized or recurring charges, difficulty canceling subscriptions, and lack of refund policies despite never using the app.
28
reviews
- “Unsubscribed 2 months ago and the app keeps taking money! Please help!!!! I unsubscribed 2 months ago because I don’t need this app to turn into Roblox and allow online shareable content. But they keep taking money as if I’m subscribed.”
- “I did a free trail through Apple a year ago and it expired. Recently, 9 months later, Codespark started charging my credit card directly with no record of any account. Apple said they see nothing on their end.”
- “Paid for a full year subscription, but I am unable to access it. Sent pics of receipts to codes park but they are unable to help. Apple won’t assist with opening a ticket for this issue. So money gone to waste”
Login and account access failures
Users report persistent login problems, being locked out of accounts, receiving 'parse exception' errors, or being unable to recover access despite having valid credentials or paid subscriptions.
25
reviews
- “Locked out — I have an account of 5 years on here, and it suddenly locked me out for no reason and pretended that I’m new to the game. none of my passwords work and you guys won’t email me pls I want my account back”
- “I can’t log in — I try to log in it won’t work and my dad puts in the password and everything it still won’t work and I remember it because it’s written down so idk why please fix this”
- “Can't log in — App worked at one time. Now I get a server error when trying to log in using my Apple ID. Tech support says I don't have an account but the charge shows under subscriptions $99.99 for an app I can't use.”
Poor customer support and unresponsiveness
Users express frustration over unhelpful, slow, or non-existent customer service, especially when dealing with login, billing, or subscription issues.
20
reviews
- “Worst customer support! — Warning! DO NOT purchase plan through Apple ID!! I got a login error and customer support could not solve the problem: “The main challenge is that we’re still unable to locate your account—this may be due to Apple generating a private relay”
- “Great game, zero customer support! — Game is great. Login failed 2 months ago and there is zero customer support to correct it. Final email was ‘tech support is working on it’ So what is the point of a good game you can’t access.”
- “SLOW UNRESPONSIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE — If you lose your access after activating your subscription, be prepared to spend a lot of time resolving it if you even can.”
High pricing and perceived value mismatch
Users find the subscription cost excessive for a children's educational app, especially when compared to free alternatives like Scratch.
24
reviews
- “Why does code spark need a free trial when it’s literally a kids coding this is the dumbest thing that has ever existed!🤬😡”
- “You have to pay $100 for a year how rude! Do not download. I get it that you may need to make it cost some. But at least lower the price.”
- “Just use scratch — NOT WORTH $10 FOR LIMITE CODING JUST USE SCRATCH WHICH IS FREE AND HAS SUCH A GOOD COMMUNITY”
Bugs, glitches, and technical instability
Reports of frequent crashes, frozen screens, broken features (e.g., lost projects), and inconsistent behavior across devices.
16
reviews
- “SOOO glitchy!! — I don't like this game for many reasons. One of them being I can't even get in!!! Its saying I have to get a subscription but I don't want to and it's sooooo glitchy!! I really wanted to play this but now I'm having second thoughts.”
- “Crashes iPad — This is the 7th time I have had to hard reset shortly after my child opened the game because it froze. Cancelled subscription and deleted game.”
- “My projects are gone… — One day I checked my shared projects and they were gone! I shared another project, nothing!”
Inappropriate or harmful content concerns
Parents and users report inappropriate content such as violent prompts, unsuitable themes, or content moderation issues (e.g., false reports of violence).
10
reviews
- “TRASH — This app is so bad!! I can’t even name half of the bugs in it. My child came up to me the other day and showed me one of the stories in posted and it was telling her to DRINK BEACH!! I think that this is so inappropriate and something needs”
- “Teaching kids bad behavior — So the water on is teaching them to throw stuff at people well on level 10”
- “Pls report this person — Every time I try and publish a story it gets reported for a violent photo and it doesn’t even have a photo and it’s not violent pls fix this”
Lack of offline functionality
Users highlight that the app requires constant internet connectivity, making it unusable during travel or in low-connectivity environments.
6
reviews
- “No offline play — Kids love this game but since they primarily use the iPad during car and plane trips, when there isn’t internet (and this this doesn’t work offline) it’s unusable.”
- “I tried to sign in and it gave me a subscription that I had to pay”
- “I can’t log in — I try to log in it won’t work and my dad puts in the password and everything it still won’t work and I remember it because it’s written down so idk why please fix this”

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