eSign App

The Setup: What Happens When You Open It

The app opens to a document list. Empty at first. No tutorial. No welcome screen. Just a plus button to import a file. You tap it, and you can choose from your device storage, Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive. The app does not ask for permissions upfront. It does not request access to your contacts or camera. It does not push notifications. The interface is clean, almost too clean. There are no ads, no banners, no upsells. The only hint that this is a freemium app is a small counter showing how many sign requests you have left this month. Three. That is the limit. After that, you either wait or pay. The app does not explain this clearly. It does not warn you before you hit the limit. It just stops letting you send documents for signature. The offline storage is a key feature. All documents are stored locally on your device. This means you can open the app without an internet connection, browse your documents, and prepare them for signing. But here is the catch: you cannot actually sign without an internet connection. The app requires internet to process the signature. This is a contradiction that users have noticed. It stores locally but signs online. For someone in a basement or on a plane, the app is half-useful. You can prepare, but you cannot finish.

Offline Storage and Online Signing: Two Features That Don't Align

The app offers offline storage as a selling point. It stores all documents locally on your device. This is great for privacy and accessibility. You can view your documents anywhere. But the signing process requires an internet connection. This is not clearly stated in the app description. Users have reported being frustrated when they try to sign a document offline and get an error. The app does not have a clear offline mode. It does not queue signatures for later. It does not sync when you reconnect. The signing process is strictly online. This means the offline storage is only useful for viewing and preparing documents, not for completing them. For a user who frequently travels or works in areas with poor connectivity, this is a significant limitation. The app's description says "you don't need an internet connection because all documents are stored locally on your device," but this is misleading. You don't need internet to store, but you do need it to sign. This disconnect between the promise and the reality is a recurring theme in user complaints.

Real-World Performance: Bugs, Crashes, and Billing Issues

The app has a mixed track record. Some users report that it works great and saves time. Others report frequent crashes, login problems, and billing errors. The app has been updated several times to fix bugs. Version 1.2.5 fixed some crash bugs. Version 2.0.6 fixed a Facebook login issue. Version 2.0.7 added a template feature. Version 2.0.8 fixed minor bugs. Version 2.0.9 fixed crash bugs. Version 2.0.11 added exception handling for the payment field. The updates are frequent, but the bugs persist. Users have reported that the app is slow and buggy, that documents don't create a new signed version despite a success message, and that the app crashes on startup. The developer has responded to some complaints, asking users to update to the latest version. But for some users, the updates have not solved the problems. The billing issues are particularly concerning. Several users have reported that they were charged after a free trial without clear notification, and that they had difficulty getting refunds. This has led some users to call the app a scam.

The Permission Model: What It Means to Have No Permissions

The app requests no permissions on Android. Zero. This is rare for a document signing app. Most similar apps ask for at least storage access. This one does not. It does not need storage because it uses the system's file picker to import documents. It does not need camera because it does not scan documents directly. It does not need location or contacts. The app's data safety section confirms that data is encrypted in transit. The app does not share data with third parties. This is a strong privacy advantage. For users who are concerned about data security, this is a positive. However, the app does collect some data, including personal information, photos, and videos, according to the Play Store's data safety section. This is a contradiction. The app says it does not collect data, but the data safety section says it does. This inconsistency is confusing and may erode trust. The app's privacy policy is available at esign.com/privacy-policy, but it is not clear from the app itself what data is collected and how it is used. The app's iOS version collects location, contact info, user content, identifiers, and diagnostics, according to the App Store. This is more extensive than the Android version. The discrepancy between platforms is notable.