Days of Annoying, Endless App Review Requests Are Finally Over

The days of endless requests for app reviews and ratings might finally be over, thanks to a subtle change made this week in Apple’s App Store Review guidelines.

The relevant change is the addition of section 1.1.7, which requires developers to use Apple’s own app rating API and user interface going forward. This updated App Store rating API was first introduced in the iOS 10.3 beta, and alongside a slightly different UI, it also limits the number of times that apps can ask users to review them. Previously, using Apple’s official API was optional, but this guideline change makes it mandatory and disallows “custom review prompts.” iOS 10.3 also brought certain other App Store changes, such as the ability to rate reviews and a feature that would allow developers to respond directly user comments.

Developers will now only be able to prompt users to review their apps three times a year, according to Mashable. Additionally, once an app has been reviewed, it can’t display the review request message again — even after major app updates and overhauls. Notably, for users who want to forego the app reviewing experience entirely, there will be a new option to shut off the prompts altogether in Settings.

But while this updated API will limit how and how often apps can ask for reviews, the change might actually make it easier for users to rate their favorite (or least favorite) apps. Unlike the old system, which redirected users to an app’s App Store page, Apple’s new UI allows users to give a star rating to apps without ever leaving the app itself. You can see an example of the new UI in the tweet below.