So I got my friend to download episode and I recommend her stories from the community. She told me she can only read the featured stories. She cannot search any stories. She is limited to featured stories. Has anyone stumbled upon this? Any opinions on this? I think this is an attempt to forced readers into reading the featured stories.
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I don’t have that update
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Same here, but I think this is only for people who recently downloaded the app
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It must be.
Nope mine isn’t doin that
I don’t remember how it was for me exactly but I’m pretty sure you are right here. Once your friend finished reading some featured stories, she should see the user stories as well.
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I think that’s a new update for new users. It was talked abotu ebfore im sure
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My friend said it unlocked a new featured story instead :’)
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I just downloaded the app on my iPad and this is what is going on, it is pretty annoying 
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I’ve heard that new users don’t get to see the user stories for a week or two? I’m not entirely sure.
If I just downloaded the app and was forced to read those featured stories, I’d be deleting the app pretty quickly.
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This is very sad to hear 
What if they’re not a fan of those genres?! Honestly, this is a very bad idea, they probably will end up disliking Episode and not recommend it to others.
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I remember something like this happening a while back (or maybe I’m just crazy). New readers had to finish 3 chapters of either Real Hollywood or one other (can’t remember). I think it’s used as a tutorial tool for recent joiners but I think that it was an extremely stupid implement. Personally, I’d rather just have a walkthrough tool showing each subsection of the app as it took me a while after downloading the app to even comprehend that users had published stories on it.
As for the current state, I’m even more against it. The stories provided don’t display the full capacity of Episode and it’s capabilities and misrepresent it! I wish, again, that there was a better tool to show the Episode platform to new users.
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This is fascism.
EDIT: I mean, I guess it isn’t super terrible…>.>
But like, come on, wtf?
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RIGHT?! Funny that you mentioned it, my friend asked me why all stories are only romance. She was looking forward to the comedy section of the app
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Exactly. Episode needs to feature stories that aren’t only romance and/or drama. I understand those genres are popular but everyone has different tastes so it would be nice if there’s something for everyone. Waiting to see a horror themed episode featured story…
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Um yikes if that’s really the case for new users. Their featured stories are fairly trash for the most part, and like @EliseC said, that’d make me delete the app asap.
In fact that’s why I deleted the app in the first place! I had no idea user stories were a thing. I didn’t get invested into the community until I read those - I didn’t fall in love w/ Episode because of featured stories.
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I really dislike that they’re forcing us to read stories that are made by them…
I’ve got a super annoying update, and now when I’m just using the app the random featured story comes up and Episode is telling me to read it 
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Are you serious? If this had happened to me when I first joined then I wouldn’t still be here today. I remember reading two chapters of (whatever old Episode story it was) and thinking, ‘Nope, not for me.’ Completely ridiculous and totally unfair.
Oh your poor friend… I still think she will have the user stories soon because I remember that first I only read featured stories and I was so annoyed by them that I almost deleted the app. But one day I somehow found the User Stories section. Maybe it was there the whole time and I was only blind, but it’s very possible that I unlocked it later. Anyways, as Elise mentioned, I’m pretty sure it took me at least a week to find it.
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why are they doing this ugh ://