Starting in late September, Apple began letting users rate pre-installed first-party apps in the App Store, putting them on par with third-party apps. Apple did not previously allow its own apps to be rated, even though the apps were listed in the App Store.
At the time, Apple implemented the star ratings for a limited number of its apps like Mail, Podcasts, and Maps, and now Apple is allowing additional iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch apps to be rated. As noted by developer Kosta Eleftheriou, Apple is allowing ratings for Phone, Photos, Messages, Safari, Clock, Camera, Apple Health, World Clock, Workout, Heart Rate, and more.
Ratings for Apple’s own apps let users provide feedback on pre-installed apps, and there are reviews available in addition to the one to five star options. Some Apple apps that have had reviews available for some time, such as Podcasts and Mail, have garnered negative reviews.
Phone, Messages, Photos, Safari, and others have only been ratable since October 25, so there are few ratings to analyze at this time. Eleftheriou pointed out a curiosity with Safari — it has an age rating of 4+, but other browsers are listed at 17+.
Apple may use these ratings to gather more targeted feedback for app improvements going forward, but many of these apps are only updated and tweaked as part of major software updates as they do not function like standard third-party apps.
