MyFitnessPal regressive upgrade: Difference between revisions

← Older edit Newer edit →

VisualWikitext

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 |Description=MyFitnessPal forced an unannounced update on it's paid subscribers that retracted functionality and is unusable due to performance issues.
 }}
+{{IncidentCargo
+|Company=MyFitnessPal
+|Product=MyFitnessPal app
+|StartDate=~2025-08-27
+|Status=Ongoing
+|Type=Digital restrictions
+|Description=MyFitnessPal rolled out a mandatory update to its mobile application that removed core features, worsened the user interface, and moved a previously free feature behind a paywall, despite overwhelmingly negative feedback during a public test phase.
+}}
+{{IncidentCargo
+|Company=MyFitnessPal
+|Product=MyFitnessPal app
+|StartDate=~2025-08-27
+|Status=Ongoing
+|Type=Digital restrictions
+|Description=MyFitnessPal rolled out a mandatory update to its mobile application that removed core features, worsened the user interface, and moved a previously free feature behind a paywall, despite overwhelmingly negative feedback during a public test phase.
+}}
 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>
@@ Line 48: / Line 66: @@
 ====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.
+==== 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>
+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.
+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.
+This is a specific juxtoaposition MyFitnessPal is making when consumers have complained about loss of functionality critical to them, instead reframing the issue as one of user preference rather than necessity: "we understand that not all changes will resonate with every user"<ref name="report"/>
+The effect of the way MyFitnessPal applied it's update - not tied to an app update process, but quietly loading the new functionality into the app and then unexpectedly activating it from the server side, created a situation where users suddenly and abruptly found themselves unable to use a tool interwoven into their health management, creating stress and impacting user mental health, as well as having practical impact on their ability to manage their health.<ref name="report"/>
 ==Consumer Response==
 During the test phase, users expressed frustration that their feedback was being ignored, with one user asking, "Why go ahead with this change when you've had quite literally no positive feedback so far?"<ref name="forum-announcement-test"/> Another noted that the company had attempted a similar unpopular redesign in the past and had to revert it, asking, "Did they not read the forum from the last time they tried to change it and had to change it back because it was so bad??!!"<ref name="forum-announcement-test"/>
-Following the mandatory rollout, the consumer backlash intensified on social media platforms. Many users, some of whom have used the app for several years, feel that critical functionality was removed without warning, disrupting their health management routines. The company's response has been described by some as "gaslighting," as support channels allegedly blame user devices or deflect criticism by creating support tickets that go unresolved.<ref name="report">{{cite web |title=User Report on MyFitnessPal Update | url=https://mdbin.pages.dev/2hkttm |website=MdBin |date=2025-11-03 |access-date=2025-11-03}}</ref>
+Following the mandatory rollout, the consumer backlash intensified on social media platforms. Many users, some of whom have used the app for several years, feel that critical functionality was removed without warning, disrupting their health management routines. The company's response has been described by some as "gaslighting," as support channels allegedly blame user devices or deflect criticism by creating support tickets that go unresolved.<ref name="report">{{cite web |title=User Report on MyFitnessPal Update | url=https://mdbin.pages.dev/rexsqb |website=MdBin |date=2025-11-03 |access-date=2025-11-03}}</ref>
+Users drew parallels between the MyFitnessPal update and other controversial software rollouts, such as a recent botched update by Sonos that also resulted in a significant loss of functionality for its users.<ref name="reddit-sonos">{{cite web |title=Just like the Sonos update: everything's broken now |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o6ps97/just_like_the_sonos_update_everythings_broken_now/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-14 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref>
 Users on the company's official subreddit challenged the claim that the update was a "long standing feature request," with one asking, "Who, exactly, asked for all these changes?"<ref name="reddit-announcement-rollout"/> Another user criticized the decision to release an incomplete product: "If features that people use aren't ready for your upgrade, then the upgrade isn't ready."<ref name="reddit-announcement-rollout"/> One commenter stated, "MyFitnessPal needs to literally revert to the old build before all this new crap happened. Exactly zero people asked for any of this."<ref name="reddit-revert-build">{{cite web |title=Chronometer is… |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1oeddh7/chronometer_is/nl3ld4g/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-22 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref> The update's negative reputation was so widespread that users who had not yet received it posted screenshots of the old interface, asking if they had the "version everyone hates." Other users would confirm they were still on the old version and warn them not to update, with one commenting, "I wish I could go back."<ref name="reddit-version-hate">{{cite web |title=Is this the version everyone hates? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1occygz/is_this_the_version_everyone_hates/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-21 |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> Another long-time user 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>
-One long-term user of 15 years noted that "simple tasks like copying and pasting" and "viewing all meals" were now problematic, and that the graph on the home screen was gone.<ref name="reddit-goodbye">{{cite web |title=Goodbye myfitness Pal |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7haul/goodbye_myfitness_pal/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-15 |access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref>
+One long-term user of 15 years noted that "simple tasks like copying and pasting" and "viewing all meals" were now problematic, and that the graph on the home screen was gone.<ref name="reddit-goodbye">{{cite web |title=Goodbye myfitness Pal |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Myfitnesspal/comments/1o7haul/goodbye_myfitness_pal/ |website=Reddit |date=2025-10-15 |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>
+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> 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>