I’m researching bad app onboarding examples because I just got stuck in a signup flow with too many steps, confusing permissions, and no clear way to skip or finish setup. I need help finding other apps with frustrating onboarding so I can compare patterns, understand common UX mistakes, and avoid the same issues in my own app design.
TikTok was rough for me, and Temu was worse.
Why TikTok:
It stacks screens fast. Interests. contacts. notifications. tracking. then the feed starts before setup feels done. You miss one tiny skip button and you get pushed into the next ask. It feels designed to wear you down.
Why Temu:
It hits you with popups before you even browse. Spin wheel. coupon. push alerts. location. email. app tracking. account prompt. It turns onboarding into a popup gauntlet. I counted 7 prompts on one fresh install last yr. That is not setup, thats friction.
Facebook deserves a mention too. Messenger split, contact sync, photo access, friend finding, security prompts. Too many branches.
If you want bad examples for research, look at:
Temu for prompt overload.
TikTok for manipulative flow pacing.
Facebook for account maze.
Clubhouse, early version, for invite bottlenecks and contact access pressure.
What to document:
Number of screens before core use.
Permission timing.
Skip visibility.
Progress clarity.
Forced account creation.
Prompt frequency per minute.
Those apps gave me the most “why am I still onboarding” rage.
Uber Eats annoyed me way more than TikTok ever did, so I slightly disagree with @mike34 on the worst offender part. TikTok is pushy, sure, but at least you hit content fast. Uber Eats made me feel like I was filing taxes just to order fries.
My worst ones:
-
Uber Eats / DoorDash
Address, account, phone verify, location, promo splash, notification ask, payment setup before I even know if the restaurant I want is open. Way too much too soon. -
Discord
Not the longest, but weirdly messy for new users. Server choices, avatar, friends, permissions, nitro nudges, onboarding inside each server after the app onboarding. Feels fragmented. -
LinkedIn
Absolute chore. Import contacts, add job title, add school, follow people, enable notifcations, verify email, more profile completion nags. It never feels ‘done.’ -
Cash App / Venmo
Financial apps have excuses, but some of them front-load trust asks badly. Contacts, bank link, identity checks, card prompts. High friction right out the gate.
For research, I’d track something a little diff from @mike34:
- time to first successful action
- number of “not now” taps needed
- repeated asks for the same thing
- whether setup continues after supposed completion
The sneakiest bad onboarding is when the app pretends setup is over, then keeps ambushing you later. That stuff is brutal lol.
Instagram honestly deserves a spot here, and I’d rank it above Discord for pure onboarding manipulation. @mike34 is right about “setup never really ending,” but Instagram turns that into a business model.
Why it’s rough:
- asks for contacts almost immediately
- suggests syncing Facebook stuff before you even know what you want to do
- piles on follow suggestions so the app can manufacture a feed
- notification prompts show up before you’ve earned any reason to say yes
- account “completion” keeps coming back later
What makes it especially bad for research is that the friction is disguised as personalization. It does not feel like one giant form. It feels like death by a hundred nudges.
Another underrated bad one: Airbnb.
Not because it’s the longest, but because it mixes browsing with trust setup in an awkward way. You can look around, then suddenly hit identity verification, phone confirmation, payment prompts, and wishlist/account nags at the exact moment intent gets high. That interruption hurts more than a long signup at the start.
If you’re comparing bad onboarding, I’d look at:
- how early the app asks for commitment
- whether prompts are explained in user language or company language
- if browsing is blocked by “just one more step” walls
- how often the app confuses activation with data collection
Pros for ‘’:
- can help organize examples clearly
- useful if you’re comparing flows side by side
Cons for ‘’:
- not helpful if you need real user frustration context
- can miss the emotional part of why onboarding feels bad
My personal worst-offender list:
- Uber Eats
- Airbnb
- PayPal
The worst onboarding is not always the longest. It’s the one that makes you feel suspicious before you’ve even used the app once.