Apple Inc. is gradually allowing iOS iPhone and iPadOS iPad owners to rate the company’s preinstalled apps. For a very long time, Apple Inc. simply didn’t allow the practice within the Apple App Store.
The iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 have brought with them several changes. One of them seems to be the ability to rate and review the preinstalled apps on an iPhone and iPad.
Apple Inc. is open to praise or criticism of its own apps within the Apple App Store:
For several years, Apple Inc. has allowed iPhone and iPad owners to uninstall and reinstall apps the company preinstalled on the devices. However, the official listings of these apps on the Apple App Store had a weird limitation.
Apple iOS and iPadOS users were never able to leave a rating or review the in-built apps. With the arrival of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, this limitation seems to have suddenly disappeared.
Simply put, iPhone and iPad owners can review Apple Inc.’s apps in the App Store, and even leave a rating.
Apple now lets you share how much you love or hate built-in apps via App Store reviews https://t.co/lHLSZIxk0R
— Livio Andrea Acerbo (@AcerboLivio) September 29, 2021
It is interesting to note that Apple Inc. has not announced this relaxation of its policies. Nonetheless, aggrieved or delighted users are gradually flocking to the listings of Apple’s apps, and eagerly leaving their opinions.
Perhaps because Apple Inc. so far restricted users, the majority of these ratings aren’t stellar or positive. This might not be concerning because none of the apps have received more than 1000 reviews, but still, several are either neutral or negative.
Stop deleting your reviews you on the app store! I took this screenshot yesterday and the number of reviews is decreasing instead of increasing! @apple you should be sued for this! pic.twitter.com/EI5MMKNtZo
— Fuck Mihoyo (@FUMihoyo) September 29, 2021
No app that Apple Inc. makes and ships with every iPhone and iPad has approached the perfect 5-star rating, yet. It is as if iPhone and iPad users are trying to tell something to Apple through their reviews and ratings.
Reports indicate iPhone and iPad users can rate and review only those Apple apps that users can delete and re-install via the App Store. This means users still cannot review or rate core system apps like Phone or Messages.
Did Apple suddenly become liberal owing to its own policies pertaining to all third-party apps?
There’s little doubt that Apple Inc. is currently fighting an uphill battle on multiple fronts. The company has always been against the Right to Repair movement.
And then there’s the argument about excessively controlling the App Store. Lawsuits, such as the one that EPIC Games and its Coalition for App Fairness have filed, amply indicate Apple Inc. is amidst some tough legal wrangles.
It's notable that eliminating the uncertainty of Apple app review is the major reason why teams ditch native apps and decide in favor of PWA. In reality, this path is also uncertain. Apple doesn't even recognize the term PWA, let alone support it.
See it for yourself: pic.twitter.com/j49aWmxb9Z— Mysk (@mysk_co) September 29, 2021
Apple Inc. is known to offer piecemeal solutions to placate some businesses that rely on the Apple App Store. Hence, the latest relaxation too could be a similar attempt.
No third-party apps are not allowed to hide their App Store ratings. Under such rules, it would seem quite odd that Apple Inc. shields its own apps from any review, positive or otherwise.