Apple
Reviews and Complaints

The Apple TV iOS app has led to frustrations and lost money inadvertently spent on SD content. I wanted to warn the community about a poor user experience, described below:

Im a longtime Apple user and movie buff.

Have enjoyed using iTunes for 10+ years without issue. Purchasing HD movies there was always easy would get a verification Buy HD Movie on every purchase click of the button.

But when Apple pushed us all to the Apple TV app late last Fall, one of my devices (unknown to me) defaulted to SD content for purchases. I was completely unaware of this until recently. I would not have made this choice.

I only buy HD. I often buy on iPhone or iPad and watch on Apple TV devices later.

There appear to be no visual indications within Apple TV app that one is purchasing lower quality SD content. The pages for each movie display 4k etc. even if buried somewhere in Settings one has SD as a default.

I tested this. A person could assume they were always getting HD content and not notice it until later (blurry picture, no extras).

Check your settings! I didnt even know it was there, at the bottom, and it was just one device that was SD my iphone. If a single device is SD and you make purchases there, that is what you will get across the Apple ecosystem.

To me, this has left some of us legacy itunes store users with a poor user experience.

Unfortunately, my support requests to Apple went nowhere. I requested refunds for the SD versions simply so I could re-purchase the exact same content at HD. Apple would lose no money. After hours on chat and phone with Apple, my refunds were flatly denied across the board.

The support people were all very nice and understood where I was coming from. They encouraged me to seek the refunds. But different departments I guess. Denied.

Not eligible. I dont get it. I cited the support ticket in each refund request.

I pre-ordered recent releases like Dune II and Civil War at full price and got SD. Whats even sillier is, there is no clear path for me to upgrade to HD now in the Apple TV app.

The option Im given now for Dune II and Civil War is simply Play because it sees Ive already purchased the content (I have, at SD). If I want to re-buy at HD I have to whip out my 12 year old ipad, which still runs the good ol itunes store (barely):

At a minimum I wanted to share this as a cautionary tale. Settings, settings, settings.

Dont be me. And Im starting to understand why devotees of physical media feel the way they do.

I do miss iTunes.

I ordered an iPhone 16 Pro Max on the 2nd of October, 2024, and waited for 22 days until it was supposed to be delivered on the 24th of October, 2024. I opted for a trade-in deal which granted me an INR 20,400 discount. The condition of the old phone was intended to be verified by a BlueDart delivery person. I was skeptical about how a delivery person could evaluate the condition of the traded-in mobile. My concern was addressed when he took over an hour to operate the diagnostic app called 'Verify' on my phone, failing repeatedly because of his unfamiliarity with the application. Given that he was wasting my time, I proposed paying him the outstanding balance of INR 20,400 in cash. I also asked for a signed acknowledgment on plain paper, verifying receipt of the payment to avert potential complications in the future. However, he flatly refused to provide this.

By this point, I had already paid INR 1,24,500 to Apple nearly three weeks earlier and was left to grapple with this predicament on my own. I called Apple support, requesting the cancellation of the order with a full refund. Subsequently, I received an email from Apple stating that the order was cancelled due to damage detected on the trade-in phone—quite amusing, considering I initiated the cancellation myself to mitigate the trouble. What further piqued my interest was finding that the status of the waybill on BlueDart's website read 'Consignee Refused to Accept!'

Both BlueDart and Apple manipulated the situation to indict me, despite the fact that I had paid over 85% of the product's value in advance, patiently waited three weeks for delivery, attempted to teach the BlueDart delivery person how to operate the Verify app, and even strove to resolve the issue through Apple support. The blame was wholly cast upon me.

In retrospect, it was my initial error to order the overhyped iPhone and endure all the resultant dilemmas. I approached Apple support again, this time asking for an apology, only to receive a curt email response stating they would investigate further and hold my advance payment for another 5-6 days before processing the refund.

Today, exactly 14 days since they promised to issue the refund, I called Apple support again, only to be bluntly told that the product was still tied up in their return supply chain. The refund would only be processed once they receive the product at their Mumbai warehouse. It's unreasonable that I should be beholden to the logistics between BlueDart and Apple. I believe Apple has grossly mishandled the situation, and I fear they may indefinitely delay the resolution or contrive a petty excuse to defraud me of my INR 1,24,500. I urge everyone to beware of this overrated phone, their trade-in offer, and the consequential psychological strain. To avoid these predicaments, I suggest you reconsider purchasing an iPhone.

I have been a victim of extensive, elaborate and relentless hacking and stalking via Apple products and services - specifically, Apple business/enterprise, education, developer and iAd platforms - since 2013. By that, I mean that my current iPhone and iPad are illegally enrolled in Apple's Mobile Device Management (MDM) program by an Apple developer/hacker, and both devices as well as their apps, my cellular and wifi service (including my hacked Bluetooth), and my AppleIDs have been reconfigured, linked, synced, and shared with remote devices and third-party services, and are monitored and controlled remotely at the kernel level.

The end results?

Hacked/swapped apps with injected javascript and that make apps and websites either unusable or dysfunctional, i.e., missing buttons, settings and menus, or links that open error pages; 33 Apple iPhone apps with long lists of unrelated, overly permissive entitlements; my inability to opt-out of privacy-intrusive, fraudulent US and foreign ads; my inability to disable or delete persistent cookies; my inability to backup my Apple devices to my iCloud accounts; having my exact location tracked and shared 24/7/365 via their constant use of GPS/GNSS, geofencing, and microlocation services; and traced, tracked and recorded, and often blocked, intercepted or redirected incoming and outgoing calls, texts and emails.

I tried several times to get help from local law enforcement, who dismissed me, and the FBI, who ignored me. I have also filed several online complaints with the FCC and the FTC. And I've tried for several years to get some form of help from Apple, but they have done nothing except tell me that mine is the worst case of hacking that they've ever seen and that I should seek help from law enforcement and hire an attorney. Here is my response to that...

It is nothing short of UNETHICAL and PROFESSIONALLY IRRESPONSIBLE for Apple to do absolutely nothing to help me when it is an Apple developer (confirmed in my iPhone's system logs and files) using Apple's products and services - including Apple Support!

- as the means and methods of committing their crimes against me. This is not MY fault. CLEARLY, this is an Apple security issue, and it is Apple's RESPONSIBILITY to help me, as a customer who has paid Apple for its devices and services with the understanding that they would actually FUNCTION, OPERATE SECURELY, AND BE SAFE TO USE, AS PROMISED.

Further, it is Apple's RESPONSIBILITY to, at the very least, investigate this to see where its security loopholes exist so that it can make the appropriate changes to prevent this from happening to more of its customers.

I certainly don't expect Apple to

investigate every hacked account or device, but when it goes on for 11 years, spans several Apple devices, involves several Apple services, and is as extensive and elaborate as this complete invasion of my privacy is, I don't know how, in good conscience, Apple can do nothing except advise me to get an attorney or contact local law enforcement, who, by and large, aren't even qualified to identify, let alone investigate, these kinds of crimes.

APPLE, YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF. I regret being a loyal customer for so many years, especially since it makes no difference to you.