iOS 11 Requires Developers to Use Apple's New In-App Ratings API, Lets Users Turn Them Off Completely

Friday June 9, 2017 10:10 AM PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Earlier this year, Apple announced a few App Store review policy changes, which included the reveal of an official API for in-app review and rating requests that developers had the option to put in their apps beginning with iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4. Additionally, Apple limited how often app developers can push out such prompts to just three times each year.

Today, 9to5Mac spotted a new section in the App Store Review Guidelines, pointing towards the launch of the new policy changes coming to iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra this fall. Specifically, in section 1.1.7 of the App Store Review guidelines, Apple states that it will "disallow custom review prompts" in all apps on the App Store.

Image via 9to5Mac

The update also allows developers to respond to customer reviews for the first time.
1.1.7 App Store Reviews:
- App Store customer reviews can be an integral part of the app experience, so you should treat customers with respect when responding to their comments. Keep your responses targeted to the user’s comments and do not include personal information, spam, or marketing in your response.
- Use the provided API to prompt users to review your app; this functionality allows customers to provide an App Store rating and review without the inconvenience of leaving your app, and we will disallow custom review prompts.
The new user interface includes the App Store's traditional 5-star rating system in a pop-up box, allowing users to enter their opinion of the app without needing to leave it and visit the App Store to submit a review, as was previously the case. In addition to Apple limiting these pop-up boxes to only appear three times per year, if a user actually submits a review for the app, the developer can never request an in-app pop-up review from that user again.

The new App Store in iOS 11

Adding to the strain on in-app review prompts, users can now also turn off these requests completely with a new "In-App Ratings & Reviews" toggle found in the iTunes and App Store section of Settings on iOS 11.

When the updates take full effect, it means that developers won't be able to ask a user for another review of an app after the same user submits a rating using Apple's in-app prompt, even if the app has recently received a huge update. On the plus side, star ratings can now carry over across updates -- if the developer chooses -- so that the App Store rating system is a true overall aggregate of an app and not just user opinions on the app's current iteration.

Tag: App Store
22 comments

Top Rated Comments

(View all)
Avatar
Mad Mac Maniac
32 months ago
All sounds like good news to me.
Rating: 14 Votes
Avatar
longofest
32 months ago
Thank god! Those have been such a pain.
Rating: 8 Votes
Avatar
M_Json
32 months ago
Tinder is one of those apps which keeps asking me to give it a positive review. I just want to swipe through all the girls without being disturbed..
Rating: 7 Votes
Avatar
BWhaler
32 months ago
This is why I love Apple.
Rating: 5 Votes
Avatar
earthTOmitchel
32 months ago

Tinder is one of those apps which keeps asking me to give it a positive review. I just want to swipe through all the girls without being disturbed..

Okay I'm glad someone else brought this up so I don't have to.
Rating: 5 Votes
Avatar
jlc1978
32 months ago
I liked the separation of reviews by major upgrade. That made it easy to see if a developer somehow messed up the app. One app I used a lot got a complete UI overhaul which ruined the previous workflow and resulted in a lot of 1 star reviews. The author brought back the old UI and the 1 stars went back to five since it was a great app once the poorly thought out UI change was rescinded.

The new system means:

1. Apps with lots of reviews that undergo significant changes that users don't like will still have nearly 5 stars simply from sheer numbers; unless Apple weights newer reviews more heavily.

2. Developers of new apps, who fix serious problems with an update will still be poorly rated due to a previous version.

Given that people most likely simply look at stars when deciding at what apps to look closer this skews what they see.
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
co.ag.2005
32 months ago
Very good news. I have one app, that I paid for, that reminds me to rate it like once a week. I go through the motions of doing a review but don't just to shut it up. But doesn't always work.
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
Brien
32 months ago

Yeeeeesssssss!
[doublepost=1497033865][/doublepost]
That's exactly what Phill Schiller said on The Talk Show podcast (John Gruber). It was something to the effect of "developers have the option of resetting ratings on a release if they want to." He preceded that statement with a story on thinking it was dumb in its current reset every release implementation as it can screw the reviews up. They do listen to valid complaints.

I'm sure Facebook and others will reset every release like before since reviews are always low.


Suuuuper happy to have a way to turn off these nags. Now just let me turn off the app redirects for Yelp/Pinterest/etc. and I'm good.
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
al256
32 months ago
Oh thank god, I hate IMDB for this.
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
jarman92
32 months ago

I liked the separation of reviews by major upgrade. That made it easy to see if a developer somehow messed up the app. One app I used a lot got a complete UI overhaul which ruined the previous workflow and resulted in a lot of 1 star reviews. The author brought back the old UI and the 1 stars went back to five since it was a great app once the poorly thought out UI change was rescinded.

The new system means:

1. Apps with lots of reviews that undergo significant changes that users don't like will still have nearly 5 stars simply from sheer numbers; unless Apple weights newer reviews more heavily.

2. Developers of new apps, who fix serious problems with an update will still be poorly rated due to a previous version.

Given that people most likely simply look at stars when deciding at what apps to look closer this skews what they see.


Not sure how to mitigate the former but as for the latter, Apple will allow developers to choose to reset app ratings when they release an update. At least from what I've read on the subject so far.
Rating: 1 Votes
[ Read All Comments ]