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Apple Disables App Store Reviews From Devices Running iOS 9
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Whoever writes Apple's pop-up prompts these days needs to get a sideways promotion. Why not give the user some guidance instead of a stonewall that will be interpreted as "some error"? Some of these reviewer dopes would probably just blame the app again when they saw this.
Wouldn't it be better to say...
"Beta software may operate incorrectly at times. Users running iOS 9 Beta should not submit app reviews. Please contact the app developers to provide feedback."
Wouldn't it be better to say...
"Beta software may operate incorrectly at times. Users running iOS 9 Beta should not submit app reviews. Please contact the app developers to provide feedback."
Shhh!!!
C DM will come to haunt you down, he will probably say this only affects minimal amount of users.
And this prompt won't affect your overall user experience.
So it's a-ok!
Once they have time? A quick, reactive fix? Interesting. Hasn't this always been an issue for developers - or is this something new? If it's "always" been like this - then Apple has had years to fix and implement correctly. I'm glad they've made progress here...
Actually, in an ideal Apple logic, this prompt should appear when you tap Write a Review,
"Since you're using a pre-release version of iOS, your review will not be displayed publicly
but will be forwarded to the developer for their reference."
and magic should happen from there.
"Since you're using a pre-release version of iOS, your review will not be displayed publicly
but will be forwarded to the developer for their reference."
and magic should happen from there.
I'm so glad to see this. Too many dumb people who are not developers and don't know what a developer preview is get ahold of the new OS's and hurt the developers with these reviews. When called out on it they usually say stupid things like "Well I was helping them." No, you weren't. This is why non-devs rarely get things like developer previews.
Apple is being "generous" in just locking the ability to leave reviews. It should block user trying to post a review from participating in any of the company's future beta releases. (I know in my Apple beta TOS my discussing the respective OS outside sanctioned forums is forbidden).
Clearly if one has a temper tantrum because an app doesn't work on a beta OS the user has no understanding what a beta is and have no business running it on their machine. It's like giving a 5 y.o. a lighter to play with. Worst part is I bet these people probably have the beta installed on their main device w/ no backup and would scream bloody hell if they encountered a major bug even though, yeah, it's beta.
Clearly if one has a temper tantrum because an app doesn't work on a beta OS the user has no understanding what a beta is and have no business running it on their machine. It's like giving a 5 y.o. a lighter to play with. Worst part is I bet these people probably have the beta installed on their main device w/ no backup and would scream bloody hell if they encountered a major bug even though, yeah, it's beta.
Now that the rules have changed and Apple is releasing betas to the public, it isn't in a developer's best interest to let their apps go unfixed for months. It isn't the users that have to change, its the developers.
And if Apple didn't want people to complain that apps weren't working on betas, then they shouldn't release betas to the public.
And if Apple didn't want people to complain that apps weren't working on betas, then they shouldn't release betas to the public.
Or they could educate before the download button appears. Perhaps a pop up followed by an email? It's amazing to me sometimes how Apple "dumbs things down" on some levels at the same time assuming (some) of their user base it technically savvy
I think Apple this time does the right thing.
I have several music apps installed. Some of them ceases working, even in iOS 9 beta 4, while others work incorrectly (longer than normal load/refresh delay, respond slowly, etc). I never say "This app is crap" simply because it doesn't work under beta iOS.
Now one of my actively playing game has portrait mode issue. I would also not send feedback to company blaming "This app is crap".
I think understanding others is a really tough work to do, but such base line should be well-known by everyone eager to test this brand new, under-the-hood optimised, representing the future of iOS development, "the world's most advanced operating system", mobile OS "iOS 9. (Sorry for such a long sentence. I just want to try to use it.
)Could this be treated as "common sense" when using beta software?
I have several music apps installed. Some of them ceases working, even in iOS 9 beta 4, while others work incorrectly (longer than normal load/refresh delay, respond slowly, etc). I never say "This app is crap" simply because it doesn't work under beta iOS.
Now one of my actively playing game has portrait mode issue. I would also not send feedback to company blaming "This app is crap".
I think understanding others is a really tough work to do, but such base line should be well-known by everyone eager to test this brand new, under-the-hood optimised, representing the future of iOS development, "the world's most advanced operating system", mobile OS "iOS 9. (Sorry for such a long sentence. I just want to try to use it.
)Could this be treated as "common sense" when using beta software?To be honest, I think you shouldn't be able to leave 1-2-3 star reviews or mention the word crash. I download new Apps all the time while testing an App. To be honest though, I have enough sense that if it's crashing, it's likely due to the beta iOS on my phone. Instead, I wait for the full release to mention that if needed. Then again, I very rarely even review an app unless I am giving them 4 or 5 star reviews. I do agree with other areas to release "beta" reviews that may be in a different sections. Not sure how plausible this is, but maybe it would give a medium for the developer to post that they are aware of x bug and y bug and working on it.
the stupid person using that beta leaving reviews should not be allowed to use the beta software
But it doesn't matter what education or warnings they give. People will still do it and Apple has to deal with the reality of their decision to release public betas, not the way they think it should work.
Besides, developers will have to fix their apps anyways, so the sooner the better. Its better to do it now instead of scrambling at the last second to make their apps compatible.
Developers shouldn't be penalized for Apple releasing public betas and their apps not working until the full rollout of the new OS. Whether or not they should update as soon as possible isn't part of my discussion. It's always good for developers to be as current as possible. But there's no reason to punish them for not BEFORE a full release.
But it isn't developer bugs that are the issue. It's bugs and changes in Apple's beta OS that are causing working apps to suddenly stop working. And nothing about that situation should be a surprise or concern to anyone. The people posting these reviews were idiots.
This is madness. Do you know how hard it can be to detect and work around a bug in the operating system? Do you think developers should spend a whole week working around a bug, then a week waiting for Apple to approve their app update only to find the OS bug fixed in the beta drop the next day? It's a complete waste of time and still wouldn't stop morons from tanking their rating over the course of those two weeks.
Why not just accept that a beta is a beta? If you're using a beta you're a beta tester and you are suppose to file bugs not bitch about them on public forums.
This doesn't seem like the right decision to me. There should be a way of leaving feedback that an app doesn't work on a beta version of iOS, because there's a decent chance that the app won't work on the release version of iOS, either.
I would say that when you post a beta review, the developer and other beta users should see it, but no one else would see it. Stars would be disabled.
I would say that when you post a beta review, the developer and other beta users should see it, but no one else would see it. Stars would be disabled.