Photomath is an innovative new app but one riddled with flaws. The makers claim glitches are being worked out, but many users have already given up.

If the app were to work the way it was supposed to, it would make math a breeze. Simply by taking a picture of any of the listed types of math problems, the app will give the answer and any steps needed to do the problem. While the app says it is designed to be used by students as a learning tool, many fear it will be used as an easy way out, a way to get the answer without working.

Reviews of the app have so far been positive but worried. One review by Mileena Gomez said, “I love this app, it really helps a lot when doing equations, but I feel like it lacks something… I feel rather insecure about the answers sometimes because the steps [given] don’t add up to how to do a problem.”

The app’s software is limited to certain types of math problems. They must be typed, not handwritten, cannot be quadratics, and must not have multiple variables. The app also does not do word problems which many users find unhelpful and problematic. This makes the work it can do very limited, as a regular calculator can easily be used for simple things like multiplication, division, addition and subtraction.

The app can handle simple algebraic equations which is an advantage over a regular calculator, but many students are finding the downsides and limitations of the app to be more of a hassle than to just do the math themselves. Junior Adam Bruggers said, “I think the app is cool and useful but it doesn’t really work that great so I just stopped using it.”

Students are only one-half of the classroom and their take on the app is just as important as teachers. School officials around the country are becoming upset with the release of this app to students and even though there is nothing legally wrong with it, they say it is essentially a cheating tool. Many question the educational system and how it plans to deal with this new technology. CNN has deemed the app a teacher’s worst nightmare and many have followed the comment with the opinion that the app is also nightmare for society.

Micro blink the creator of the app said that its technology should be viewed as a teaching tool and it should force teachers to rethink the way they teach. The app is strongly backed up by a majority of the tech community and supporters say the app is far too limited to be used as a cheating tool. Senior Connor Anderson said, “I wish it worked better because if it worked better it would be really helpful.”

The software has obvious potential to grow and whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, the future is coming and new advances in technology, like Photomath, will have the potential to stunt learning and even numb the math world into a picture-taking, answer-getting system.