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Why is the United App such a disaster for international travel

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Why is the United App such a disaster for international travel

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Old Feb 12, 2026 | 6:40 pm
  #16  
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Originally Posted by uastarflyer
And everyone should have at least a Gen 15 iPhone or newer
No, everyone should have an Android phone.
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Old Feb 12, 2026 | 10:05 pm
  #17  
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The app is a disaster for more than just intl.
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Old Feb 13, 2026 | 3:48 am
  #18  
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Disaster is a huge overstatement, but it has gotten very buggy. As others have mentioned, lots of hangups and outright crashes of late.
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Old Feb 13, 2026 | 8:52 am
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Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
App would scan my new passport but wouldn’t stick last week. Couldn’t delete the old one attached to my reservation, so just planning on 5 extra minutes at airport to check in.
I had the same problem a few weeks ago. I ended up updating my passport on my laptop, and that solved the problem. My new passport was reflected in the reservation. Alas, I couldn’t complete online check-in because I had to present my ETA for Kenya at the airport.
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Old Feb 13, 2026 | 9:05 am
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Just returned from a. GSP-IAH-SFO-ADL-PERTH. trip with United and Virgin Australia and the app did everything just fine. Passports and boarding passes for both airlines and no need to go to ticket counter for anything.
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Old Feb 13, 2026 | 9:10 am
  #21  
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I used it twice this year for INTL trips and had no issues even though I was hoping to get an all-inclusive to Club Gitmo.
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Old Feb 13, 2026 | 9:27 am
  #22  
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Managing/changing International tickets involving non-UA segments is very challenging on the app AND website.
Almost always requiring calling res, then onto rate desk. Very tiring and time-consuming.
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Old Feb 13, 2026 | 9:47 am
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The Lufthansa app says: "Hold my beer".
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Old Feb 13, 2026 | 11:45 am
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Originally Posted by uastarflyer
The thread title is over the top but the anecdotes here definitely concern me. The app has been a very strong suit of UA the last several years.

Maybe they need to focus on strengthening what they have and lighten up on the feature expansion within the app for some time.

And everyone should have at least a Gen 15 iPhone or newer
My iPhone is a 16 and it's terrible with the UA app or holding the boarding pass on the screen. I'm seriously thinking about going back to my old reliable Android and writing-off this crap Apple product.
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Old Feb 13, 2026 | 1:36 pm
  #25  
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I have had no issues with our INTL trips and the app this year -- and very few in the past years...

I wonder if the latest system migration has affected the app? We travelled back from Paris just before the update with zero issues,.,
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Old Feb 13, 2026 | 11:03 pm
  #26  
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Why is the United App such a disaster for international travel?

Does any airline have an app to verify that one's passport is in one's actual, physical possession? Until then, there will always be need for in-person check-in of some sort.

When dealing with an itinerary involving partner carriers or other airlines (OAL), the data and its timeliness will never be as accurate as that of the airline which created the app.
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Old Feb 13, 2026 | 11:07 pm
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Hmm, Ive had no issue in 2026 heading to SG, CH on unique itineraries. I wonder if the UA usability team is paying attention 🤓
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Old Feb 14, 2026 | 3:47 am
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Historically I've had very good experiences with Travel-Ready-Center and the app in general when USA-originating international itineraries. Less good with non-USA-originating.

Agree there has been a real decline in reliability in the last 1-2 months, particularly with my iOS device. That said, it's still the best airline app - by far.

I do hope they address the reliability issues. I like bragging about the UA app with my AA and DL handcuffed friends, and it's better when there is no 'yeah, but...'
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Old Feb 14, 2026 | 8:46 am
  #29  
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Moin!

Originally Posted by IMissThe747
Agree there has been a real decline in reliability in the last 1-2 months, particularly with my iOS device. That said, it's still the best airline app - by far.
This could be because the lates Apple iOS updates have not been smooth and their re design caused lots of problems that developers were not able to fix as the bugs were in Apples library code. I do hope that Apple fixes these over time as I agree that the United app is way above what anyone else offers.

So long
-Ralf
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Old Feb 14, 2026 | 9:14 am
  #30  
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Had no issues using the app to complete preflight requirements and also checkin before a 2/13 flight IAH-LHR
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