This Week's Sponsor:

Incogni

Put an End to Spam, Scams, and Robocalls on Your iPhone


14 Hours Later, Ratings and Reviews Still Gone From The App Store

We noticed this last night and we thought it might be a temporary glitch, but 14 hours later reviews and ratings are still nowhere to be found in the App Store.

If you try to open an App Store app page, in fact, you’ll notice that ratings and user reviews have simply disappeared. The “Customers also bought” section is in there, and reviews are accessible through Apple’s web view for iTunes pages, but you can’t find them in the App Store.

We don’t think Apple “removed” reviews, as you can still read them from the browser and you can manage them in your Account section. Still, it’s interesting that 14 hours after we noticed the issue Apple still hasn’t fixed it. Many users on Twitter were disappointed by the lack of ratings, as they’ve become a fundamental way for customers to check on other people’s opinions about an app. (and we can argue on the reliability of certain reviews, but we’ll pass for this time)

Ratings and reviews will likely show up again in the next hours. Earlier this week we heard a rumor about Apple willing to “lock down” the App Store for developers during the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We also heard iTunes Connect went down for maintenance last night.

Access Extra Content and Perks

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for nearly a decade.

What started with weekly and monthly email newsletters has blossomed into a family of memberships designed every MacStories fan.

Learn more here and from our Club FAQs.

Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with apps, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, early access to the MacStories Unwind podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;

Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus an active Discord community, advanced search and custom RSS features for exploring the Club’s entire back catalog, bonus columns, and dozens of app discounts;

Club Premier: All of the above and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.