Developers Able to Respond to Customer Reviews in iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4 [Updated] - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Developers Able to Respond to Customer Reviews in iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4 [Updated]

by

App StoreAlongside iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4, Apple is introducing new App Store review features for developers.

Going forward, developers will be able to respond to customer reviews on the App Store "in a way that is available for all customers to see." This will allow developers to address negative reviews for the first time ever, something that has long been a point of contention in the iOS and Mac App Stores.

Previously, developers have had no way to respond to issues that customers report via an app review, or to further converse with a customer that has been having trouble with an app.

Developers are also able to ask customers to provide App Store ratings and reviews while using an app, allowing developers to get immediate feedback without requiring a customer to switch over to the App Store.

Apps are currently able to ask for reviews and ratings during usage, but doing so requires the App Store app to be opened up, interrupting an app or gameplay experience.

The new App Store ratings and reviews changes will be available to developers when iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4 are made available to the public.

Update: Apple also plans to limit the number of times developers can ask customers to write an App Store review for an app. Only three requests per year will be permitted.

Tag: App Store

Top Rated Comments

Corrode Avatar
Corrode
121 months ago
Glad they're improving this. Even when I've wanted to leave a review after being asked, I have to switch to the App Store, click reviews, click leave a review, then type my App Store password, then write it. Rarely do I make it through that process.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
A
andy.ringwood
121 months ago
This is good news. One thing I hope they change is, instead of inserting your Apple ID password EVERYTIME you want to submit a review, they allow Touch ID.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IGI2 Avatar
IGI2
121 months ago
This is good news. One thing I hope they change is, instead of inserting your Apple ID password EVERYTIME you want to submit a review, they allow Touch ID.
Exactly!

I can purchase (or my kid when I'm asleep by touching with my finger!) but I can't write a review? TouchID too insecure to validate COMMENTS?!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OldSchoolMacGuy Avatar
OldSchoolMacGuy
121 months ago
Great news. Though, hopefully people will also learn that reviews are NOT the spot to go for support. If you have an issue, take it to the support channels. In many cases the problem is easy to solve or caused by the user, rather than the app itself. Developers don't deserve to have their product rankings drop because of easily solved issues, yet few will go back and revise their review once the problem is resolved.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iDento Avatar
iDento
121 months ago
Brilliant!

I'm not a developer, but this will make me pay more for apps with better support, which is better for the AppStore ecosystem in general.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
otternonsense Avatar
otternonsense
121 months ago
Imagine if it was Apple's developers actually conversing with their disgruntled product users. Maybe macrumors would be pretty vanilla after all the frustration is vented where it should instead of complaining on a forum ;)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

iOS App Store General Feature Desaturated

Apple Removes Freecash App From App Store After Months of Data Harvesting

Tuesday April 14, 2026 3:54 pm PDT by
Apple removed scam app Freecash from the App Store this week after the app spent months harvesting data from iPhone users, reports TechCrunch. Freecash reached the number two spot on the U.S. App Store charts in January after being heavily marketed on TikTok. It promised users up to $35 per hour for watching TikTok content, but it was collecting swaths of user data. Back in January, Wired...
Read Full Article • 74 comments
grok logo purple gradient

Apple Threatened to Pull Grok From App Store Over Sexualized Images

Wednesday April 15, 2026 7:10 am PDT by
Apple privately warned Elon Musk's xAI company in January that it would remove the Grok app from the App Store unless the company put a stop to the chatbot's nude and sexualized deepfakes, according to a letter Apple sent to U.S. senators and obtained by NBC News ($). Earlier this year, Grok's AI capabilities came under scrutiny after X users shared nonconsensual sexualized images of women...
Read Full Article • 99 comments
iOS App Store General Feature Dock

Apple Quietly Tweaked the iOS App Store App – Here's What's Changed

Friday April 17, 2026 2:32 am PDT by
No, you aren't going crazy – Apple has quietly made a backend change to the App Store app in iOS that switches the location of the Updates tab and renames it to make it more prominent. In the App Store app, you can see the change by tapping your profile picture in the top-right corner. The "Apps & Purchase History" tab used to be at the top the list, but it has switched places with...
Read Full Article • 48 comments