MyFitnessPal regressive upgrade: Difference between revisions
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{{IncidentCargo | {{IncidentCargo | ||
|StartDate=2025- | |Company=MyFitnessPal | ||
|EndDate= | |StartDate=2025-08-27 | ||
|EndDate= | |||
|Status=Active | |Status=Active | ||
| | |ProductLine=MyFitnessPal mobile app | ||
|Product=MyFitnessPal mobile app | |||
|ArticleType=Incident | |||
|Product=MyFitnessPal | |||
| | |||
|Type=Digital restrictions | |Type=Digital restrictions | ||
|Description=MyFitnessPal | |Description=MyFitnessPal updated its app, removing core features and paywalling others in spite of poor feedback during beta. | ||
}} | }} | ||
In October 2025, MyFitnessPal began rolling out a mandatory update for its mobile application, marketed as the "brand new Today tab."<ref name="help-article-intro">{{cite web |title=Introducing the brand new Today tab! |url=https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/39985611667341-Introducing-the-brand-new-Today-tab |website=MyFitnessPal Help |date=2025-10-03 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> The update was met with widespread criticism from users, who reported that the new version was slow, difficult to use, and missing core functionality. The company also used the update to move a previously free feature behind its Premium subscription tier.<ref name="forum-announcement-test">{{cite web |title=Exciting News: A New Food Diary is Coming Soon! |url=https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10945729/exciting-news-a-new-food-diary-is-coming-soon |website=MyFitnessPal Community |date=2025-08-27 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | In October 2025, MyFitnessPal began rolling out a mandatory update for its mobile application, marketed as the "brand new Today tab."<ref name="help-article-intro">{{cite web |title=Introducing the brand new Today tab! |url=https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/39985611667341-Introducing-the-brand-new-Today-tab |website=MyFitnessPal Help |date=2025-10-03 |access-date=2025-11-05 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260212155121/https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/39985611667341-Introducing-the-brand-new-Today-tab |archive-date=12 Feb 2026}}</ref> The update was met with widespread criticism from users, who reported that the new version was slow, difficult to use, and missing core functionality. The company also used the update to move a previously free feature behind its Premium subscription tier.<ref name="forum-announcement-test">{{cite web |title=Exciting News: A New Food Diary is Coming Soon! |url=https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10945729/exciting-news-a-new-food-diary-is-coming-soon |website=MyFitnessPal Community |date=2025-08-27 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | ||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
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==Incident== | ==Incident== | ||
Starting around October 3, 2025, MyFitnessPal began forcing the update on its user base.<ref name="help-article-intro"/> The official announcement on October 15 described the update as a "thoughtfully reorganized for a better user experience" and a response to a "long standing feature request."<ref name="forum-announcement-rollout">{{cite web |title=Introducing the Brand New _Today_ Tab! |url=https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10950333/introducing-the-brand-new-today-tab |website=MyFitnessPal Community |date=2025-10-15 |access-date=2025-11-05}</ref> The comments section for this announcement was closed, preventing public discussion.<ref name="forum-announcement-rollout"/> | Starting around October 3, 2025, MyFitnessPal began forcing the update on its user base.<ref name="help-article-intro"/> The official announcement on October 15 described the update as a "thoughtfully reorganized for a better user experience" and a response to a "long standing feature request."<ref name="forum-announcement-rollout">{{cite web |title=Introducing the Brand New _Today_ Tab! |url=https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10950333/introducing-the-brand-new-today-tab |website=MyFitnessPal Community |date=2025-10-15 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> The comments section for this announcement was closed, preventing public discussion.<ref name="forum-announcement-rollout"/> | ||
The announcement, also posted to the official subreddit, stated that the update "brings a redesigned interface to help you navigate your daily health journey more seamlessly."<ref name="reddit-announcement-rollout">{{cite web |title=Introducing the Brand New "Today" Tab! |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7l6iz/introducing_the_brand_new_today_tab/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-15 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | The announcement, also posted to the official subreddit, stated that the update "brings a redesigned interface to help you navigate your daily health journey more seamlessly."<ref name="reddit-announcement-rollout">{{cite web |title=Introducing the Brand New "Today" Tab! |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7l6iz/introducing_the_brand_new_today_tab/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-15 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | ||
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====Refusal to Refund==== | ====Refusal to Refund==== | ||
MyFitnessPal has offered refunds to some recently subscribed users but has denied them to long-term annual subscribers, citing a policy that limits refunds to the current billing period.<ref name="premium-plus-article">{{cite web |title=Premium + |url=https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/34347930588557-Premium |website=MyFitnessPal Help |date=2025-10-30 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> This has left many users who paid for a year of service with a product that no longer meets their needs and no recourse for a refund for the remaining subscription period. However, some users have reported successfully obtaining refunds by circumventing MyFitnessPal's support and requesting them directly through their device's app store, such as Google Play.<ref name="reddit-refund">{{cite web |title=I got a refund |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7qhj3/i_got_a_refund/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-16 |access-date=2025-11-03}}</ref> | MyFitnessPal has offered refunds to some recently subscribed users but has denied them to long-term annual subscribers, citing a policy that limits refunds to the current billing period.<ref name="premium-plus-article">{{cite web |title=Premium + |url=https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/34347930588557-Premium |website=MyFitnessPal Help |date=2025-10-30 |access-date=2025-11-05 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250810221600/https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/34347930588557-Premium |archive-date=10 Aug 2025}}</ref> This has left many users who paid for a year of service with a product that no longer meets their needs and no recourse for a refund for the remaining subscription period. However, some users have reported successfully obtaining refunds by circumventing MyFitnessPal's support and requesting them directly through their device's app store, such as Google Play.<ref name="reddit-refund">{{cite web |title=I got a refund |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7qhj3/i_got_a_refund/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-16 |access-date=2025-11-03}}</ref> | ||
====Misleading Communications==== | ====Misleading Communications==== | ||
Contradicting the significance of the changes, the official App Store release notes for the update (version 25.10.2) stated, "No big fixes or changes to report!" This led users to question the company's transparency regarding the disruptive rollout.<ref name="reddit-explain">{{cite web |title=Explain This |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o8mfev/explain_this/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-17 |access-date=2025-11-03}}</ref> The company's official "Known Issues" pages for its Android and iOS apps also make no mention of the widespread complaints regarding removed features or poor usability.<ref name="known-issues-android">{{cite web |title=Known Issues: Android App |url=https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032274332-Known-Issues-Android-App |website=MyFitnessPal Help |date=2025-11-01 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref><ref name="known-issues-ios">{{cite web |title=Known Issues: iOS App |url=https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032274552-Known-Issues-iOS-App |website=MyFitnessPal Help |date=2025-11-01 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | Contradicting the significance of the changes, the official App Store release notes for the update (version 25.10.2) stated, "No big fixes or changes to report!" This led users to question the company's transparency regarding the disruptive rollout.<ref name="reddit-explain">{{cite web |title=Explain This |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o8mfev/explain_this/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-17 |access-date=2025-11-03}}</ref> The company's official "Known Issues" pages for its Android and iOS apps also make no mention of the widespread complaints regarding removed features or poor usability.<ref name="known-issues-android">{{cite web |title=Known Issues: Android App |url=https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032274332-Known-Issues-Android-App |website=MyFitnessPal Help |date=2025-11-01 |access-date=2025-11-05 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251203072703/https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032274332-Known-Issues-Android-App |archive-date=3 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref name="known-issues-ios">{{cite web |title=Known Issues: iOS App |url=https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032274552-Known-Issues-iOS-App |website=MyFitnessPal Help |date=2025-11-01 |access-date=2025-11-05 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250712073957/https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032274552-Known-Issues-iOS-App |archive-date=12 Jul 2025}}</ref> | ||
====Prepaid Subscribers Left with No Recourse==== | ====Prepaid Subscribers Left with No Recourse==== | ||
The combination of the policies and choices outlined above unexpectedly left prepaid subscribers with no recourse, having already paid for a service which now did not perform the function they subscribed for, with MyFitnessPal refusing to provide an immediate technical remedy, and also refusing to refund consumers for the loss of functionality they had prepaid for. | The combination of the policies and choices outlined above unexpectedly left prepaid subscribers with no recourse, having already paid for a service which now did not perform the function they subscribed for, with MyFitnessPal refusing to provide an immediate technical remedy, and also refusing to refund consumers for the loss of functionality they had prepaid for. | ||
==== Impact on User Health and Well-being ==== | ==== Impact on User Health and Well-being ==== | ||
It is noteworthy that MyFitnessPal is an app/service which exists within the health space, specifically described on their Google Play page as "the leading health and nutrition app" <ref name="google-play-listing">{{cite web |title=MyFitnessPal: Calorie Counter – Apps on Google Play |url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myfitnesspal.android&hl=en_NZ |website=Google Play |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | It is noteworthy that MyFitnessPal is an app/service which exists within the health space, specifically described on their Google Play page as "the leading health and nutrition app" <ref name="google-play-listing">{{cite web |title=MyFitnessPal: Calorie Counter – Apps on Google Play |url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myfitnesspal.android&hl=en_NZ |website=Google Play |access-date=2025-11-05 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241228023608/https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myfitnesspal.android&hl=en_NZ |archive-date=28 Dec 2024}}</ref> | ||
This app allows not only tracking of food and calories, but fasting, food diary/notes, water intake, physical activity, and links to other health based apps. | This app allows not only tracking of food and calories, but fasting, food diary/notes, water intake, physical activity, and links to other health based apps. | ||
For this reason it is reasonable to consider that a portion of MyFitnessPal users deal with day to day health challenges and stresses, examples being diabetes,<ref name="health-diabetes-hf">{{cite web |title=Patient Stories _ Diabetes |url=https://www.henryford.com/services/diabetes/education/stories |website=Henry Ford Health |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref><ref name="health-diabetes-medium">{{cite web |title=How Continuous Glucose Monitoring and MyFitnessPal Transformed My Type 2 Diabetes Remission Journey |url=https://medium.com/%40smudnaney/how-chat-gpt-and-continuous-glucose-monitoring-transformed-my-type-2-diabetes-remission-483d8b97d273 |website=Medium |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> PCOS,<ref name="health-pcos">{{cite web |title=Weight loss with PCOS |url=https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10328717/weight-loss-with-pcos |website=MyFitnessPal Community |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> insulin resistance,<ref name="health-pcos"/> hypothyroidism,<ref name="health-hypothyroidism">{{cite web |title=Hypothyroidism weight loss success stories |url=https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10202011/hypothyroidism-weight-loss-success-stories |website=MyFitnessPal Community |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> hypertension,<ref name="health-hypertension">{{cite web |title=Blood pressure success stories |url=https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1272468/blood-pressure-success-stories |website=MyFitnessPal Community |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> cholesterol,<ref name="health-gerd-etc">{{cite web |title=Hunger Question |url=https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10743035/hunger-question |website=MyFitnessPal Community |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> pre-diabetes,<ref name="health-gerd-etc"/> and GERD<ref name="health-gerd-etc"/> just to name a few. | For this reason it is reasonable to consider that a portion of MyFitnessPal users deal with day to day health challenges and stresses, examples being diabetes,<ref name="health-diabetes-hf">{{cite web |title=Patient Stories _ Diabetes |url=https://www.henryford.com/services/diabetes/education/stories |website=Henry Ford Health |access-date=2025-11-05 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251011035909/https://www.henryford.com/services/diabetes/education/stories |archive-date=11 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref name="health-diabetes-medium">{{cite web |title=How Continuous Glucose Monitoring and MyFitnessPal Transformed My Type 2 Diabetes Remission Journey |url=https://medium.com/%40smudnaney/how-chat-gpt-and-continuous-glucose-monitoring-transformed-my-type-2-diabetes-remission-483d8b97d273 |website=Medium |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> PCOS,<ref name="health-pcos">{{cite web |title=Weight loss with PCOS |url=https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10328717/weight-loss-with-pcos |website=MyFitnessPal Community |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> insulin resistance,<ref name="health-pcos"/> hypothyroidism,<ref name="health-hypothyroidism">{{cite web |title=Hypothyroidism weight loss success stories |url=https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10202011/hypothyroidism-weight-loss-success-stories |website=MyFitnessPal Community |access-date=2025-11-05 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20160601195705/http://community.myfitnesspal.com:80/en/discussion/10202011/hypothyroidism-weight-loss-success-stories |archive-date=1 Jun 2016}}</ref> hypertension,<ref name="health-hypertension">{{cite web |title=Blood pressure success stories |url=https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1272468/blood-pressure-success-stories |website=MyFitnessPal Community |access-date=2025-11-05 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20160417180042/http://community.myfitnesspal.com:80/en/discussion/1272468/blood-pressure-success-stories |archive-date=17 Apr 2016}}</ref> cholesterol,<ref name="health-gerd-etc">{{cite web |title=Hunger Question |url=https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10743035/hunger-question |website=MyFitnessPal Community |access-date=2025-11-05 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251119021745/https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10743035/hunger-question |archive-date=19 Nov 2025}}</ref> pre-diabetes,<ref name="health-gerd-etc"/> and GERD<ref name="health-gerd-etc"/> just to name a few. | ||
The purpose of this section is to illustarate the difference between this incident and something like the Sonos app incident. Both share the feature of sudden significant loss of consumer functionality - the difference here is that the Sonos situation is a matter of consumer enjoyment and preference, but the MyFitnessPal incident carries additional consumer responsibility due to it being an app/service marketed as supporting consumer health. | The purpose of this section is to illustarate the difference between this incident and something like the Sonos app incident. Both share the feature of sudden significant loss of consumer functionality - the difference here is that the Sonos situation is a matter of consumer enjoyment and preference, but the MyFitnessPal incident carries additional consumer responsibility due to it being an app/service marketed as supporting consumer health. | ||
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A user with a 13-year history with the app stated, "MFP used to be so engaging and inspiring when I started... It feels so empty and broken."<ref name="reddit-13-years">{{cite web |title=Deleted my account |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7oo09/deleted_my_account/njq5t47/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-16 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | A user with a 13-year history with the app stated, "MFP used to be so engaging and inspiring when I started... It feels so empty and broken."<ref name="reddit-13-years">{{cite web |title=Deleted my account |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7oo09/deleted_my_account/njq5t47/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-16 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | ||
A long-time user of 15 years said, "I have used this app for 15 years and I'm seriously contemplating switching to something else."<ref name="reddit-hate-it">{{cite web |title=I hate it |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o6q3qx/i_hate_it/njitt8b/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-14 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | |||
Another user with a 14-year history with the app announced they were also leaving.<ref name="reddit-14-years">{{cite web |title=Deleted my account |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7oo09/deleted_my_account/nk4eox2/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-18 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | Another user with a 14-year history with the app announced they were also leaving.<ref name="reddit-14-years">{{cite web |title=Deleted my account |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7oo09/deleted_my_account/nk4eox2/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-18 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | ||
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Another user echoed this, stating, "The new UI is awful. I cannot copy meals from previous days. I have having to click on a day of the week or (worse) if it is a Sunday, click to get to the previous week and then click again. I am now forever clicking on this new UI."<ref name="reddit-awful-ui">{{cite web |title=Introducing the Brand New "Today" Tab! |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7l6iz/introducing_the_brand_new_today_tab/nkbk8wk/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-19 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | Another user echoed this, stating, "The new UI is awful. I cannot copy meals from previous days. I have having to click on a day of the week or (worse) if it is a Sunday, click to get to the previous week and then click again. I am now forever clicking on this new UI."<ref name="reddit-awful-ui">{{cite web |title=Introducing the Brand New "Today" Tab! |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7l6iz/introducing_the_brand_new_today_tab/nkbk8wk/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-19 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | ||
Another user described the experience as "Practically unusable. Just took me the same amount of time to enter my lunch as it did to eat it and i eat the same thing every day."<ref name="reddit-unusable">{{cite web |title=I hate it |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o6q3qx/i_hate_it/njigtr9/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-14 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | |||
A consistent complaint was the loss of the "copy meal" feature, which was critical for users who eat similar meals daily. One user stated, "I NEED to be able to copy my meals from one day to another. HOW??? HELP!!!"<ref name="reddit-need-copy">{{cite web |title=Introducing the Brand New "Today" Tab! |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7l6iz/introducing_the_brand_new_today_tab/njprlwm/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-16 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> Another explained, "I plan my meals for the whole week in advance and make small tweaks based on what’s on that day and now it’s become super hard to be able to do that without the copy feature."<ref name="reddit-plan-meals">{{cite web |title=New MyFitnessPal layout sucks — can’t copy meals anymore?? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o6ntd5/new_myfitnesspal_layout_sucks_cant_copy_meals/njs36bw/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-16 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | |||
One user who had just subscribed days before the update compared the new version to running Windows in "Safe Mode" due to its "limited functionality." They noted that the layout "sucks" and that it now takes "multiple clicks to get to one screen."<ref name="reddit-safe-mode">{{cite web |title=New MyFitnessPal layout sucks — can’t copy meals anymore?? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o6ntd5/new_myfitnesspal_layout_sucks_cant_copy_meals/njht7es/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-14 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | One user who had just subscribed days before the update compared the new version to running Windows in "Safe Mode" due to its "limited functionality." They noted that the layout "sucks" and that it now takes "multiple clicks to get to one screen."<ref name="reddit-safe-mode">{{cite web |title=New MyFitnessPal layout sucks — can’t copy meals anymore?? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o6ntd5/new_myfitnesspal_layout_sucks_cant_copy_meals/njht7es/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-14 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | ||
Due to the perceived decline in usability and the company's refusal to roll back the update, users began actively seeking and recommending alternative food tracking applications. One user, after receiving a refund, noted the end of their "700+ day logging streak" and recommended "Chronometer" as a free alternative.<ref name="reddit-refund"/> Another user, who had used the app for over ten years, announced they were deleting their account and moving to "LoseIt," describing the MyFitnessPal app as an "abusive partner."<ref name="reddit-deleted-account">{{cite web |title=Deleted my account |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7oo09/deleted_my_account/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-16 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | Due to the perceived decline in usability and the company's refusal to roll back the update, users began actively seeking and recommending alternative food tracking applications. One user, after receiving a refund, noted the end of their "700+ day logging streak" and recommended "Chronometer" as a free alternative.<ref name="reddit-refund"/> Another user, who had used the app for over ten years, announced they were deleting their account and moving to "LoseIt," describing the MyFitnessPal app as an "abusive partner."<ref name="reddit-deleted-account">{{cite web |title=Deleted my account |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7oo09/deleted_my_account/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-16 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> Another user who switched to LoseIt commented that it had a "MUCH better interface and half the cost."<ref name="reddit-loseit-better">{{cite web |title=Left for LoseIt |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1ok1bfd/left_for_loseit/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-30 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | ||
Another user who switched to LoseIt commented that it had a "MUCH better interface and half the cost."<ref name="reddit-loseit-better">{{cite web |title=Left for LoseIt |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1ok1bfd/left_for_loseit/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-30 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||