LOVEFiLM (iPhone Application) > Reviews (1)

Details

Version 1.4, updated on January 11 2012
Available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, requires iOS 3.1 or later
Languages are English, Bokmål, Norwegian, Danish, German, and Swedish
Free to download from iTunes store

Good

You can access your list at the touch of a button and it is fully editable. The films are displayed in priority order and you can individually manage each title. It is possible to change the priority, completely delete it or transfer it between different lists (see picture a).

It is possible to add films to your list, either by typing in a search or by browsing. Lists of browsing sections are available; these are new releases, most popular, coming soon and genre. It also displays the titles currently at home. When choosing a film to add to your list, the app provides details about the film selected (see picture b). It details the director, release date, rating, genre etc.

Everything loads pretty much instantly; there is a very short wait (four seconds) when opening the application. When performing a search for films the results only take a second to show up, so it is very quick.

The setup is very easy, you just need to enter your own LOVEFiLM details into the app when it is first downloaded, then when confirmed it will be instantly linked. You can see all linked devices through your account on the LOVEFiLM website.

You can watch the official movie trailer for every film through the app i.e. it does not redirect you to a YouTube video. They load fast (depending on internet connection) and the videos can play in landscape or portrait mode. The ability to watch trailers is a very nice feature of this app.

User written reviews (although not always the best) can be read through this app.

It has a very simple design and is easy to navigate, the design is very easy on the eye.

Bad

The opening loading screen only displays one photo (Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network). It could easily change twice a week for example, or adapt to new cinema or DVD releases.

There is only really one reason for this app - to manage your list. You cannot use all the features of the desktop website in the app, which is a shame. It would be nice to submit film reviews, enter competitions, change your package and take payment holidays through your mobile phone. This is a very basic app really.

There is no ability to stream movies through this device. You can watch movies through a player on your PlayStation, on your computer and even on your iPad, but nothing here. This is a massive letdown for every single customer, movies on the go are the way forward and there is a gaping hole here, very disappointed.

Conclusion

Although this app is handy to have on the go, I must admit (as a LOVEFiLM user) that I could quite happily use the service without ever having to use this app. It may come in useful for people that don’t have regular access to the Internet website to manage their list but other than that there is no real demand for it. I have only really used it on the go to watch a film trailer or two and that is about as far as it goes. The app is designed and performs well but without a streaming service there is very little point in downloading it. I am disappointed.