In iOS 10, Apple Music lost the star rating system that allowed users to personally rate a song on a scale of 1-5, which was then saved in their library so they could remember and later sort tracks via the ranking system. Following the release of the iOS 10.2 beta yesterday, iTunes expert Kirk McElhearn discovered that star ratings have returned to the Apple Music app on iOS, now appearing as a toggle option in Settings > Music.

apple-music-star-ratings
After turning on "Show Star Ratings," users will be able to once more give each track a personal rating, through a few added steps, however. The process required to get to the "Rate Song" menu is as follows: tap the ellipsis menu at the bottom right of the screen when a song is playing to bring up its action sheet, scroll down to "Rate Song," choose the star rating, then tap "Done." In prior versions of iOS, users simply tapped on the artwork of a song to bring up the star rating menu.

As the Settings submenu clarifies, "Star Ratings do not affect For You recommendations," so Apple Music's binary like/dislike system is still the only resource for subscribers to teach the streaming service which songs they enjoy, and which they don't. Besides Star Ratings, it was also discovered that within the beta of iOS 10.2, there's a new option to sort playlists by type, title, and recently added, as well as new options for sorting songs and albums by title or artist.

Top Rated Comments

2457282 Avatar
113 months ago
Glad they saw what a mistake that was. Nice to see ratings back. Maybe they will also see the mistake of treating music owners as second class citizens to music renters.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robantonelli Avatar
113 months ago
It's still weird that the like/dislike system is buried in the music player now. I miss the days where it was accessible in control center as well as the lock screen. The new version is a step backwards imo.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
seecoolguy Avatar
113 months ago
Seeing those screenshots from an iPod touch, it really looks like the current UI is designed primarily for the 4.7" and 5.5" screens.

Also, I wonder what made them change course and bring back star ratings..
I wouldn't stop submitting LetAppleKnow suggestions :P so glad to have the star ratings back!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DoctorKrabs Avatar
113 months ago
"Terrible, Apple is dead, Steve would never have removed star ratings and brought them back."
-MacRumors Forum
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smizzle Avatar
113 months ago
I'm so glad they listened to user feedback and added them back. I'm not even exaggerating when I say that this is the best Apple news I've read in years. Can't wait for the public beta so I can use them again.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Traverse Avatar
113 months ago
YES! I have years of smart playlists as well as new super sophisticated system I learned from the "Why Would I want to stream" thread that all rely on Star Ratings.

A simple "love" and "unlove" is not sufficient for any level of sophisitcaling. Star ratings can be used to adjust the frequency that certain songs play. Not having it available on iOS has just been annoying and requires 3 party apps. It's not like the interface can get any more cluttered. Just hide it in the more info sections or just above the lyrics when you scroll up.
[doublepost=1478010227][/doublepost]Also, I wish there was an option in settings to "Hide All Clutter."

Even if you hide Apple Music, the app is so packed full of crap that it's almost unusable on the iPhone. WHy do I have to select "Downladed Music" every time I want to switch between albums and playlists when Apple Music is disabled? Why is the bottom dock so limited when it used to have 5/6 items in iOS 6 and 7!?
[doublepost=1478010311][/doublepost]
iOS is slowly becoming a house full of switches. Not sure if that's good thing or a bad thing...
It's a good thing if the feature benefits you, a bad thing if it doesn't. ;)

All kidding aside, the allure of iOS was simplicity, but that's hard because people's are so different. THere needs to be a balance, but I fear that Apple is approaching too much.
[doublepost=1478010400][/doublepost]
Seeing those screenshots from an iPod touch, it really looks like the current UI is designed primarily for the 4.7" and 5.5" screens.

Also, I wonder what made them change course and bring back star ratings..
I can attest that Apple Music was made for large screens. I can tolerate it on my 9.7" iPad, but it's horrible on my iPhone SE. I jumped to Cesium. It's a shame though because I thought that the release of the SE would mean Apple would optimize for all sizes again.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...