Apple Quietly Begins Allowing Users to Review Built-In Apps on App Store

Apple has quietly begun allowing users to review its built-in apps for iOS and iPad OS on the App Store.

For years, Apple has let users delete and re-download many of its built-in apps from the App Store, but those apps’ listings have been distinctive from their third-party equivalents in that there was no way to leave a rating or a review. Now, it seems like the Cupertino company has changed its mind regarding the policy, suddenly allowing users to rate its standard apps in the App Store.

It’s the first time Apple has let you rate its own apps and appears to have coincided with the release of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 earlier this month, reports 9to5Mac.

The volume of reviews is relatively low compared to equivalent third-party apps that have been around for years, like Gmail or Google Maps, however, it might not be a surprise to hear that the ratings are relatively low.

Apple’s Podcasts client is sitting at two stars as of this writing, while Apple News is sitting at 2.3 stars. Maps has only partly mended its early reputation with a three-star rating. Like with third-party software, some customers are using the ratings and reviews to gripe about technical issues instead of design. Of course, reviews have only started coming in so expect them to stabilize within a few days.