Realm Connect - For Our Church 4+

Mostly There

I really enjoy the Realm ecosystem and I’m so thankful that there’s an app like this that helps build and maintain a community.

A few meaningful updates would be INCREDIBLE:
- Better local database storage of posts and events: the app continuously needing to reach APIs for data that’s easily stored for rapid recall is frustrating

- Include admin functions in this app instead of deferring to the web app. This would be HUGE for helping community members without having to switch between the app and a browser

-The chat functionality seems flip-flopped. I might be the only one, but the I rarely get updates to my Inbox but always have chats updating. Even just having the option to specify tab order in the chat section would be helpful.

I LOVE Realm and think it’s a wonderful resource. Thank you for everything you’ve done thus far! I’m excited to see what else you all implement in the future!

Developer Response ,

Hello! These are all great ideas! Thank you for sharing, I will pass these on to our development team I hope you have a great day!

Convenient and easy to use

I appreciate the convenience of Realm access on my phone. I use it every week to mark worship attendance, and our small group leaders mark weekly group attendance as well. The app is also great when I want to get a quick word out to the community, and I like having the ability to post a photo with the announcement. It helps a lot when it comes to lost & found items!

My only gripe is that occasionally I have to delete and re-download the app before changes made in the system will register in the app. And also sometimes the notifications badge stays on after I’ve opened and read all messages. No big deal! Overall, Realm Connect is a great app and ACSTechnologies is a wonderful partner in ministry.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for this amazing review! We are happy to be a partner in your church's ministry!

Poorly designed and hard to use

One of the least intuitive apps I’ve ever used on desktop and mobile. Given that the audience of church members includes people who may not be comfortable with technology, this company should invest in product design. Right now, it’s not meeting the needs of its users, which really slows adoption and creates challenges for the customers who are forced to purchase it as one of the only solutions on the market.

Product flows don’t make sense (just one example, why are photo posts different from regular posts?) and permissions are hard to understand or don’t make a lot of sense (e.g. you can’t leave a group yourself, you have to email the leader to be removed).

The documentation is nearly un-googleable, not designed around user needs, and doesn’t include common information people need. Another area that is really important to invest in given the audience.