As Africa’s largest mobile network operator, MTN serves over 288 million customers across 18 markets on the continent, and it stands as Nigeria’s No.1 5G provider.
While 5G coverage isn’t available in all regions yet, MTN is the preferred choice for many Nigerian users due to its reliable network and fast internet speeds.
MTN offers diverse services that cater to various needs—from high-speed internet connections to flexible data and airtime options for both prepaid and postpaid plans, plus broadband devices and specialized services.
Although MTN’s tariffs can be higher than other Nigerian networks like Airtel or Glo, users often find that the quality and speed they get from MTN are well worth the investment.
However, while MTN excels in network quality, its app—the myMTN NG app—has been a glaring weak point.
For many users, the app’s performance has been frustratingly inconsistent and unreliable. Although it has a good user interface (UI), the user experience (UX) on the other hand is falling far short of the standard set by the company’s other services.
Considering MTN’s scale and financial strength, it’s surprising that the app feels unstable and plagued by frequent glitches.
Issues range from daily forced logouts and laggy response times to frustrating error messages during basic functions, like data transfers or airtime purchases.
Given MTN’s extensive resources, this raises two questions about the app’s development process:
- Could it be that MTN outsources development to third-party contractors who make minor adjustments as needed?
- If the app is managed in-house, why hasn’t the development team addressed these persistent issues?
A major brand like MTN should be expected to prioritize a high-quality user experience, not only in-network service but also in the digital tools users rely on.
Users are left questioning MTN’s commitment to creating a stable, reliable app experience. Instead of seeing meaningful improvements with each update, many find that the app’s issues remain, causing inconvenience and frustration.
myMTN New Update – A Step Forward or a Step Back?
MTN’s recent version 2.0.1 update for the myMTN NG revamped app, released on November 6, 2024, promised enhanced features, streamlined login, an improved dashboard, and upgraded payment options.
While these updates sound promising on paper, many users have experienced the opposite in reality. Repeated issues with the app—daily logouts, sluggish processing, and frequent error messages—continue to plague users, despite previous updates that also claimed to bring improvements.
With every tap feeling like a test of patience, users are finding the app unreliable and frustratingly inconsistent. For example, a persistent “you can’t buy or transfer data” error has disrupted data transfers for some, something that worked perfectly before the recent updates.
Given the app’s history of instability and MTN’s track record of pushing out updates that don’t resolve these core problems, users have every reason to be skeptical.
In general, the app’s reliability is no where near stable. it’s functional today only to face constant crashes the next time you try to use the app again.
This inconsistency leaves users questioning if it’s worth the hassle, and for some, even considering switching providers entirely, alternatively – Airtel.
Most MTN customer don’t use myMTN app. Majority doesn’t even know it exists. Personally, I started using the app recently and not like I don’t know it exists, but then I never found the need to use it.
But when I finally decided to give it a try, just like many other users out there, the app has been nothing but horrible from the very first day of installation.
MTN users mostly rely on the traditional USSD method to check, buy and transfer data or airtime. In most cases they would use their banking app to perform this transactions which has proven to be more reliable than myMTN mobile app.
And for those like me who use myMTN, the app’s functionality issues has overshadowed its handy features, making it hard to depend on as a primary tool.
When I thought to myself, how bad could it get, it turns out that it’s worst than I’ve imagined. Google may have had its eyes on the app and have been monitoring it for a while.
With myMTN NG app on version 2.0.1, Google officially pulled the plug and flagged the app as potentially harmful to phones or data, urging caution before installation.
However, out of curiosity, I decided to install it anyway. It didn’t take long after the installation, my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra; App Protection, notified me of a new Threat Found.
Even with the new update, myMTN app still lags and occasionally crash. I had to clear the app data and cache.
Of course they made some visual changes that’s refreshing on the new app version but the the whole user experience is garbage!
The app is still slow, lags, and sometimes show me this ridiculous “No Internet Connection” that keeps popping up even when my Internet connection is fully functional – unbelievable!
This raises serious concerns about whether this new update is safe to use, considering hackers can do lots of damage if personal data are leaked.
Should you install this latest update?
Based on experience, it might be wiser to wait until MTN demonstrates genuine stability and reliability in future versions. Proceeding with the update could bring more frustration if not potential security risks.
For those who rely heavily on the app, consider holding off until user reviews indicate a truly improved experience—one that finally lives up to the promises MTN keeps making or simply use your banking app or USSD.
MTN, a telecom giant, surely has the resources to build an app that works seamlessly. A strong recommendation would be to focus on a complete overhaul of the codebase rather than pushing out updates that don’t address core issues.
For now, MTN’s network remains a top choice in Nigeria, but for an app as central to user engagement as myMTN NG, MTN must strive to match the app quality with its network reliability.
Otherwise, the gap between its excellent network services and its app’s terrible performance will only continue to grow, potentially affecting customer loyalty in the long run.
An app shouldn’t just look good; it should perform well, too. I just hope MTN listens to user feedback and rolls out genuine improvements in the next update.
