Frequently Asked Questions

Scientific American is excited to announce that we will be consolidating our two existing apps, Scientific American and Scientific American Mind, into one app that will also include Space & Physics and Health & Medicine!

What This Means:

For subscribers to Scientific American, Scientific American Mind, Space & Physics and Health & Medicine, you can now access your subscription all in the same app. If you subscribed from Scientific American, your access will only include the magazine you have subscribed to, or all magazines for Unlimited subscribers.

For existing in-app subscribers to Scientific American, your subscription will renew automatically at the same price you paid for your app-only subscription. The only changes you will have is access to more content and magazines!

New in-app subscribers can purchase the new app-only subscription which includes Scientific American, Scientific American Mind, Space & Physics and Health & Medicine. We will offer all magazines in one subscription moving forward for app-only subscribers.  Customers interested in only subscribing to specific magazines and not others should consider subscribing via ScientificAmerican.com. In-app subscriptions will not separate these titles, and will entail new yearly subscription pricing reflecting the expanded subscription.  In-app subscribers will also have the option to subscribe on a monthly basis if they prefer.

Please note, Apple and Google Play subscribers ("in-app" subscribers) do not receive access to ScientificAmerican.com issues, nor will they receive the print edition of Scientific American. Apple and Google Play customers only receive access to the issues in the app.

Click here for more information and support for Apple customers.
Click here for more information and support for Google Play customers.

We will be retiring the separate Mind app on December 31, 2020. If you have an in-app subscription to Scientific American Mind, you will be able to continue to access your subscription in a separate app until that date.

You can also switch immediately to the new app which will include all our digital titles in one place. It is your choice which app to use until we retire the separate Mind app in December.

However, after December 31, 2020, all in-app subscriptions will include Scientific American, Scientific American Mind, Space & Physics and Health & Medicine. Your in-app Mind subscription will no longer renew after this date. Please contact Apple or Google Play for more information.

Please note, Apple and Google Play subscribers ("in-app" subscribers) do not receive access to ScientificAmerican.com issues. Apple and Google Play customers only receive access to the issues in the app.

To subscribe to only Scientific American Mind, or any of our digital magazines on their own, please subscribe here.

Subscriptions purchased in-app only include app issues.  Issues available from ScientificAmerican.com are not included in app-only subscriptions or app-only single-issue purchases.

If you purchased your subscription here on our website, your digital access was activated with your online purchase.  If you purchased your subscription over the phone or via an offer mailed to you, you can activate your access with the following instructions.  You will need your account number to complete these instructions; please call us at 800-333-1199 or email us if you do not have it handy:

If you do not have an account at ScientificAmerican.com already:
Go to www.ScientificAmerican.com, click on Sign In, then click on "Not yet registered?"
Click on the "I am already a subscriber" box.
Enter your account number.
Click on "Look up Account"
Complete the fields which were not populated by your account information.
Agree to our Terms of Use
Click Create My Account

You will need to verify your account with an email that will be automatically sent to you.  Check your spam folder for this email if you do not receive it right away.  When your account is verified, and you can see your subscription in My Account/Subscriptions, the same email and password you use for our website will now work in the app.

If you already have an account at ScientificAmerican.com, please sign in and then select My Subscriptions from the My Account menu.  If you do not see your subscription there, please click on "Don't see all your subscriptions?", enter your account number in the field that pops up, and click on Add.

When your subscription is visible in My Subscriptions, you can then sign into the App with the same email and password that you use to sign into ScientificAmerican.com.

If you purchased a subscription from within the app, you do not have to sign in.  In-app purchases are recognized by the GooglePlay or Apple account you used to purchase them.

Please make sure that you completed all necessary steps for activation. If your account number is already present in your account, you may receive an error message. 

If your account number is already present in your account, and you have access issues, we recommend clearing your browser's cache and history and restarting it before signing into ScientificAmerican.com again to refresh your entitlements.

If you still require assistance, please email or call us at 800-333-1199 during normal business hours. 

Customers that have purchased in-app subscriptions and issues do not need to sign into the app.  Customers who have made in-app purchases that need assistance should contact the support desk of iTunes or Google Play, depending on whom you purchased from.

For help with your iTunes in-app purchase or subscription, click here.

For help with your Google Play in-app purchase or subscription, click here.

Unfortunately, subscriptions purchased from iTunes will only work in Apple devices.  Similarly, if you purchased your subscription from GooglePlay, then your app will only work in Android devices.

Only subscriptions purchased from Scientific American directly will allow you to access content on our apps, no matter what device you are using.

If you buy a subscription through iTunes or Google Play, your subscription will automatically renew until you cancel it.

For assistance with an in-app purchase, please contact iTunes or Google Play.

Your subscription will automatically renew until you cancel it through your iTunes or GooglePlay account.

For assistance with your iTunes purchase click here.

For assistance with your GooglePlay purchase click here.