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TextNow: Call + Text Unlimited
TextNow, Inc. · Social

What’s the catch? Multiple ad networks bundled — measured, backed by SDKs in the app package.

Analyzed automatically from 6 independent signals that had to agree — not a hands-on test, and not human-reviewed.

2 on the catch list · analyzedConfidence: High6 signal sources2,148 reviews scannedNot human-reviewedas of 2026-10-06
 Which version this describes

App Store

This analysis describes version 26.40.0 of the app, analyzed 2026-10-06 . The app may have changed since.

The store currently lists version 26.40.0, updated 2026-10-05.

Google Play

This analysis describes version 26.8.0.0 of the app (the version number recorded inside the package we inspected), analyzed 2026-10-05 . The app may have changed since.

The store currently lists version 26.39.0.0, updated 2026-09-28.

What the analysis found

Each finding shows what agreed and how strongly. Automated analysis

The catch list 2

Charges we publish at a strength we stand behind: measured from an artefact, agreed by independent sources, or reported by enough users to clear that charge's own published bar.

Multiple ad networks bundled
Measuredfrom SDKs in the app packageartefact c59e0bff278a…
The package embeds several distinct advertising or mediation SDKs — a stack built for ad volume, not for a single house ad.
What we saw: Bundles 7 distinct ad networks / mediation SDKs: Amazon Publisher Services, AppLovin MAX, Fyber / Digital Turbine Exchange, Google Mobile Ads (AdMob / Ad Manager) and 3 more
Aggressive ad load
2 independent sources agreefrom user reviews and the app's own on-screen textartefact c59e0bff278a…
Advertising volume or placement that interrupts normal use: ads between every action, unskippable or forced full-screen ads.
What we saw: Progress is gated behind watching an ad: "Not enough credits. Watch a video ad to earn more credits for this reward"

Positive evidence 2

Things this app does right, published at the same strengths as the catch list.

States a price, or offers a one-time purchase
Measuredfrom the app's own on-screen textartefact c59e0bff278a…
The app's own text offers a one-time or lifetime purchase, or reviewers report that the price is stated clearly.
What we saw: Offers a one-time or lifetime purchase: "One-Time Purchase"
Developer says data deletion can be requested
Measuredfrom the store listingview evidence
The developer's data-safety disclosure on the store states that users can request deletion of their data, or the app's own text offers a way to delete the account. This restates what the developer declares; it is not a test of whether deletion works. Apple publishes no equivalent disclosure, so on an Apple-only listing only the app's own text can support it.
What we saw: The developer's store data-safety disclosure states that data deletion can be requested; we have not seen a deletion control in the app's own text

One source only — shown, not confirmed 3

A single kind of evidence. We publish these because withholding them would be the bigger distortion, and we do not treat any of them as a finding we stand behind.

In the app's own text: Tracking and data collection concerns
One source onlyShown, not confirmed — the only source is SDKs in the app package.artefact c59e0bff278a…
The app ships session-recording or a wide tracking stack, holds permissions that read personal data, or is reported by users to sell, leak or over-collect it. The evidence line says which of those was observed.
What we saw: Ships 5 distinct tracking/analytics SDKs: Braze, Datadog RUM, Firebase Analytics, Leanplum and 1 more
Reported by users: Paywall blocks the basics
One source onlyShown, not confirmed — the only source is user reviews.view evidence
The core of the app — not extras — sits behind payment, or previously-free function moved behind a paywall.
What we saw: Paywall blocks the basics: raised by 5 distinct reviewers (0.7% of 674 reviews scanned)
In the app's own text: Countdown-timer purchase pressure
One source onlyShown, not confirmed — the only source is the app's own on-screen text.artefact c59e0bff278a…
The app's own purchase copy attaches a deadline to buying — a countdown, 'offer ends in', 'limited time' — or ships a countdown view on a purchase-screen layout.
What we saw: Deadline pressure in the app's own copy: "Limited Time Offer"

What reviewers said

Verbatim excerpts from public store reviews, shown as corroborating user reports. They are not Appworthy audit evidence, and a quotation is not proof of the finding it sits under.

Aggressive ad load

There’s too many commercials in between calls there’s Emergency and these commercial keep it takes t — Too long to get to the keypad with these commercial, keep popping up it is ridiculous and calls. Keep dropping like crazy. It should be…

2★ · App Store · 2026-09-27

Ads are too long — The Ads continue to pop up over and over again can’t even hang the phone up really can’t use it until the ad is done. Sometimes I played 3 times.

2★ · App Store · 2026-09-25

My nice review — I love TextNow because I can find images really like fast and also I can do voice record. I’m new to using phones so this is actually kind of cool. I just wish the ads weren’t here, but I actually still like it. I it…

5★ · App Store · 2026-09-19

Paywall blocks the basics

Buns — You have to pay for everything, the app is not worth it just get a free one.

1★ · App Store · 2026-09-21

✌🏾 — I mean it is good but text now have change text now is money hungry everything you have to pay to get a code

3★ · App Store · 2026-09-06

Slowly declining — After years of using this app, whenever I’m unable to have or afford my own phone number, they’re slowly locking everything behind subscriptions or pay walls. I used to be able to do my two factor authentication with…

1★ · App Store · 2026-08-09

What this app sells

Every purchase the store discloses. Store listing
 What this app sells
Google Play doesn’t publish per-purchase prices, so this list covers the other store only.

How the automated analysis works

Automated, corroborated, and never human-reviewed without a person.

This assessment is produced automatically. Six independent signals are read — user reviews, SDKs in the app package, the app's own on-screen text, the app manifest, the store listing and the store privacy disclosure — and each candidate finding is filed under the sources that support it.

No charge stands on one kind of evidence — with one published exception. A finding is either a measured fact that anyone can reproduce (an ad SDK is in the package; every subscription bills weekly; the privacy label omits a tracker we can see), or it is an interpretation — and an interpretation needs independent sources to agree before it reaches the catch list. The exception is a harm only users can see: a charge may publish from reviews alone, as “Reported by N users”, once enough reviewers raise it to clear that charge’s own published bar. That agreement rule is what replaced the human reviewer, not a model’s confidence.

There is no overall score, on purpose. A 0–99 number was published here until 2026-09-15. It was withdrawn because it discriminated too weakly to be the instrument — 44.7% of every pair of apps tied — and because a single number is a verdict where a count is an observation. What publishes instead is a row of measurements, each of which says what was counted and, where we could not look, says that instead.

Findings under One source only are real reports we do not stand behind as findings. They are shown because withholding them entirely would hide a genuine complaint, and labelled because publishing them as charges would be an accusation off a single source.

 Not yet human-reviewed

Several measurements above say “Not assessed” because no artefact we hold can answer them. A human review is what resolves those — and it can remove a favourable band as easily as add one.

Hands-on inspections are not yet open.

 How this page was produced
Analyzed 2026-10-06 Version analyzed: 26.40.0 (App Store), 26.8.0.0 (Google Play)6 independent signals2,148 reviews scannedConfidence: HighNot human-reviewedVocabulary v1.13Methodology v1.3
Signals run: user reviews, SDKs in the app package, the app's own on-screen text, the app manifest, the store listing and the store privacy disclosure.