First, let me apologize, as this post is a bit of a rant about WordPress.
Prior to downloading what was then, in November 2020, the latest update (version 16.0) to the WordPress iOS app, I never had a problem liking and leaving comments on other bloggers’ posts. That was almost two years ago and, despite dozens of exchanges with numerous Happiness Engineers, the issue still persists. It’s got me, like the guy in the iStockphoto picture above, pulling my hair out…what little of it I have left, anyway.
What is the specific issue? Well, I’ve posted about this numerous times, including here, here, here, and here. But as a quick recap, I noticed that I could no longer, from either my Reader or my Notifications, “like” some other bloggers’ posts nor could I leave a comment on them. It was as if, even though I was logged on to WordPress via the app, the app didn’t recognize me as a logged-on WordPress user when I went to those sites.
After doing a lot of troubleshooting on my own, I realized that I could like and leave comments on posts where the blogger’s address had “.wordpress.com” in it. But for those blogs that didn’t have “.wordpress.com” in the blog address — even my own blog, which is “fivedotoh.com” — I could not like or comment on them when I visited them.
In my back and forth with various Happiness Engineers, I was told that the bug had been identified and replicated and that the app development team was working on a fix. I was also told that the issue was complicated by some security changes that Apple made when it launched iOS 14.0.
In order to leave a comment on blogs that don’t have “wordpress.com” in the address, I need to enter in my name, my email address, and my blog’s URL, after which I’m taken to the WordPress iOS app login screen to enter my password. Only then will my comment be posted. On other blogs I’m told I must log on in order to leave a comment, even though I already am logged on to WordPress. And when I try to log back in, it still won’t let me leave a comment. Very frustrating.
Flash forward to today. The iOS app from WordPress I have installed on my iPhone is version 20.5.01 and the Apple iOS app is version 15.6.1. I have eagerly awaited each of the updated releases to the WordPress app in the hope that the bug will have been fixed, only to be disappointed when I discover that it’s still there.
So, after nearly two frustrating years, and countless assurances by Happiness Engineers that the issue will be fixed, it still hasn’t been fixed. WordPress has a very large presence on the internet. Apple is one of the major technology (both hardware and application) providers in the world. You would think that, between WordPress and Apple, they would be able to figure out a way to fix this very annoying bug so that the WordPress app could work just as it did prior to release of version 16.0 in November 2020.
I’m not holding my breath.
This, That, and the Other 
When I had some trouble with having to log in to comment I asked WP and found out it was a box I somehow ticked in my Firefox browser setting.
Untick and all is good. Sometimes I have to click on the WP icon in the comments section and it lets me post like an auto log in.
Apple like to make things difficult as I found out with my besties phone and iPad
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t use Firefox or any browser for my blog. I use the WordPress app for iOS on my iPhone
LikeLiked by 1 person
Can you use a browser? Maybe that could help?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Even using Safari or Firefox, when I try to comment on your post, I have to type my name, email address, and blog URL. But I don’t have to do that in the Reader.
LikeLike
That’s so dumb. I have taken to doing everything through reader now
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have this exact problem and it is not fixed, wastes so much time and is frustrating. I have complained and ranted and feel m readers think I haven’t take the time to comment on their writing. 🙄🤯
Sent from my iPhone
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wonder if people using Android phones have this same issue.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When I had an android phone I was always using my iPad for WordPress so I don’t know.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have this problem randomly, but not as often as you do. It’s so weird and frustrating! Also, blogger is totally upfucked from my phone even though I have deleted all my cookies etc. several times, logged out of everything, and re-signed in. I simply can’t leave comments as “me” on blogger sites 🙄😫😡
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think WP has something personal against you Fan…..have you upset it at some stage?…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
I must have complained one too many times, Don.
LikeLike
Do you tack a smile on to the complaint? Happiness Engineer girls like this…….
LikeLiked by 1 person
I only follow a few bloggers that don’t have a wordpress.com site, but I never seem to have that login problem that you do except for one blogger who posts in Song Lyric Sunday.
LikeLiked by 1 person
But you’re not using an iPhone and the iOS app.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is true.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I only use my desktop, but I’ve had the same problem with liking and commenting and logging in every time on most sites and even my own. I’ve contacted WP with no help that worked. It is so frustrating!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Extremely frustrating.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My current WP problem is that several bloggers told me that Askimet thinks I am a spam bot and that my non-spammy (read: no references to porn, vapes, or magical herpes-curing herbs), link-free comments keep landing in spam. This is my first time contacting the Happiness Engineers – wish me luck!!
LikeLike
This comment of yours landed in my trash folder because the word “porn” has been set to send comments with that word to my trash. I did that because for a while I was getting a lot of comments wanting me to visit porn sites. But at least I can review the items in trash before permanently deleting them, as I did with your comment.
In the meantime, I hope your first interaction with the Happiness Engineers fully resolves your problem. Ha! Ha! Ha! Like that’s gonna happen. 🤣
LikeLike
Same issue, whether on desktop or mobile. I’m paying for a site, but still have to use Reader to communicate with other sites . . . unless I sign in with my email, which I don’t necessarily do only because I am already signed in so it feels tricky. So I go BACK to reader to find the people again perform the actions.
And, I’ve submitted an issue for Likes that I leave which engage on page but then I watch them disappear a few seconds later. I feel like the separation of the reader is an unnecessary one that causes too many issues…just take us to the sites so we can communicate without having to sign in at each visit. Somehow they’ve worked this email signup into a benefit of having a site, but it’s counterproductive.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s all very frustrating.
LikeLike
The WP has lots of issues going on.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes it does.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😱
LikeLiked by 1 person
I received a bill from WP in excess of $60.00 …. Shocked. Does everyone pay for WP?
LikeLiked by 2 people
WordPress has a free plan, but I am enrolled in the Personal plan, which is $48 per year plus $18 for a domain name.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My sympathies; it is aggravating and I empathize. I’ve said before we all at some point or another have a love/hate relationship with WP. Please excuse my butting into your post but my little story bears repeating. I recently had a frustrating issue with WP – when I tried to reply to certain posts I would get an error notification. The ‘Happiness Engineers’ at WP offered little advice and kept sending me links which did nothing. I emailed WP every day for at least two weeks trying to resolve this issue. At times I felt like we weren’t even speaking the same language. I happened to be having an unrelated problem with my Mac and was talking with an Apple Tech support guy. He helped me with that issue and asked if there was anything else he could help me with. I jokingly responded “Only if you can fix my problem with WP” to which he replied “Well, as long as I’m here, let me take a look”. I was floored. He suggested I try a few steps WP never suggested to me and then try to leave a reply on one of the problematic posts. Guess what. I was able to leave a reply without getting an error notification all because the guy at Apple took the time to work with me instead of sending me nonsense emails and useless links. And I haven’t had an error notification since! I know my prob is minor compared to yours. Just saying – I feel your pain, man.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My experience so far is that WordPress blames Apple and Apple blames WordPress.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess I just got lucky. The Apple Technician didn’t say anything derogatory about WP and I still haven’t heard back from WP when I told them the Apple guy fixed the problem!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have that problem on and off and it is maddening. When you take the time to read someone’s post you want to be able to comment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly. It’s very frustrating.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wish I could walk you through it like the Apple Tech guy did for me. Good luck!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve had similar problems, among others, that I started writing about. But they didn’t pass the “I’m too bored to continue” test.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I keep saying it: THEY NEVER FIX ANYTHING. They just add more new stuff leaving the old issues buried so actually, problems simply get worse. Owen can’t comment on his iPhone anymore, either, so it isn’t just you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🤨 Enduring that technical issue for two years requires patience (Which you seem to have a lot of).
If I were an iPhone user, I would have removed the WordPress Mobile App from my phone and done all of my blogging via the Safari web browser.
Apparently, nothing is being done while WordPress engineers and Apple engineers have a catfight (Come on WordPress and Apple, work together to solve the damn technical issue).
Fandango, there is always the option of switching to Android.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d hate to go through the hassle of learning and mastering a whole different smartphone OS solely for WordPress. I’m very used to and comfortable with iOS and it works great…except for with WordPress.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is ridiculous that you are still having the same problem after two years. But obviously neither WP or Apple care.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry, that should have been neither WP nor Apple care shouldn’t it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have the same problem whether using my iPhone or PC (using both Edge and Google Chrome browsers)—having to fill out crap before I can comment, and even then, the comment sometimes not going through. It’s so time consuming and frustrating that I often skip commenting. I think it’s a WordPress problem.
Someone in the comments above mentioned Blogger being screwed up now. I deleted my blog there a while back because of the mess there.
It looks like these two platforms would get off their asses and straighten things out, but it seems like they’re in no hurry to do so.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are too busy dreaming up new features that nobody wants or needs, except maybe for business or commercial blogs, to fix bugs for us casual, hobby bloggers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
True, that, Fandango.
How do you like the Block Editor we have to use now? I’m not a fan of it, and wish we still had the choice of using the Classic Editor. It’s not that I hate change; I just liked the simplicity of the older one better.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I resisted the block editor for a long, long time because it was different and, in my opinion, difficult. But ultimately I gave in when WordPress took the classic editor away. I decided that I either had to embrace the block editor or leave WordPress (or stop blogging altogether). And once I made that decision, I found that it wasn’t so bad and now I can’t imagine going back to the classic editor again. Who knew?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Once I got used to using the block editor, I was okay with it. Mainly, I didn’t like not having the choice of using it or the classic editor, which, for me, worked better on long posts, such as a short story. But lo and behold, today, I stumbled across a block titled “classic.” I am now a happy camper. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I use my iPhone and the WordPress app for iOS for my blog, and there is no “classic” block in the iOS version of the block editor.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I usually post from my pc, and that’s where I found it. Just now, I checked out the blocks available via my iPad WP app, and I see there aren’t as many listed as there are on my pc. Sometimes, I use my iPad to post, but not often. There is more customization available using my pc.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m having the same issue, I just suck it up and keep logging in. At least it’s made me remember my password
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m having the same issue, and I’m not even using the app. Just one more point of frustration after the recent wordpress changes, which were supposed to make using it easier, smoother, etc. I’m just glad I’m not paying them for the crapy service.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah. I just tried to leave some comments on a SEO post and couldn’t. So frustrating.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Unbelievable… you would think two years would be enough time to fix that problem. If it was an issue in a business platform they would have had it corrected in less than a week I am sure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
that’s so irritating! I’m sorry you are still experiencing this problem after almost 2 years!
xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have this same problem with some, not all blogs..one that I could comment on yesterday, I can’t today even if I enter my info.. It just keeps saying I’m not logged in. Sorry, Jez. If you’re reading this, I did try to comment on your blog!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You succeeded. I don’t understand why crap like this keeps happening. If I come across a post that says “log in to comment,” even though I already am logged into WordPress via the iOS app, when I try to log in and leave a comment, it still won’t let me. I still get the “log in to comment” message. 😠
LikeLike
No.. I didn’t with two of my comments. They never let me in.. sometimes on blogs I’ve commented on hundreds of times in the past.
LikeLiked by 1 person