macOS Experience with Apple Feedback Assistant – Any Response from Apple, ever?

[learjet]

Hello everyone,

does anyone have experience submitting bug reports via Apple’s Feedback Assistant? I’ve reported several issues with detailed and reproducible descriptions, but weeks later, they all remain unchanged in the “open” status without any response from Apple.

From your experience, does Apple ever acknowledge or address reported bugs? Do they fix bugs in minor macOS or iOS updates, or are fixes typically reserved for major releases? Has anyone ever received feedback on their submitted reports?

Looking forward to your insights!

Best regards,
learjet

 

[casperes1996]

Depends a lot. I've had issues in there that silently get marked as resolved, issues where they ask follow up questions and then things move quickly after that, and things that lie there for years and just never change.

For the ones that either get resolved silently or where I get follow up comments, the timeframe can be anything from hours to 2 years

 

[f54da]

If you know you found a bug in a framework or library, you can try creating a DTS/TSI ticket with code that reproduces the issue. You are guaranteed to get a reply from an apple engineer, and they may be able to let you know of a workaround. Never tried it though, but you do get free 2 tickets per you if you're paying for their developer program

 

[Rock_Artist]

we did have some reports that eventually got updated saying they were fixed. (And then we had to manually figure out which release fixed the issue)

For most cases, reporting on the Apple forums in addition to the feedback would be helpful.

 

[topdrawer]

i've had really hard time communicating issues with them as if we aren't even speaking the same language.

 

[lloyddean]

Completely dissatisfied with Apple's paid support since '87

 

[GregoryPeckEPA]

99.9% of the time they don’t respond. If they do it’s usually to let you know that a new build was released that fixed the problem, which rarely does. All you can do from there is refile and they may look at it again.

Don’t expect an engineer to actually follow up. I’ve only ever had one do that over a very specific bug and they said they could not reproduce it.

Filing bugs works in aggregate. More people that file, the better chance of getting it fixed. Think of it like a voting system.

 

[dyllisphiller]

Apple does not respond to feedback in the vast majority of cases; I don’t believe it’s ever happened to me. I’ve always had to update the status of reports myself when (if) something is ever fixed. The feedback system carries on a long tradition of Radar (their internal tracking system) being called a black hole.

For example, in March of this year:

Why does every MacRumors post have a flood of negative comments or rants? Are people genuinely this unhappy?

Because Apple feedback is a complete black hole. So people post here to let others know they aren't the only one with these issues, and in the hope against hope that someone at Apple that can do something about it may somehow see it.

Or in 2025:

Filing Feedback with Apple is sort of like tossing a shiny new quarter into a well and making a wish. You can always hope that your wish will come true, but most likely you just wasted $.25 […] It's like a black hole where nothing returns.

Or in 2024:

Apple Feedback seems to be a black hole and I've never heard ANYONE get feedback through that, let alone a resolution. Heck even Radar is a crap shoot...

Or in 2022:

[…] Radar (Apple’s bug reporting system) is the first man made black hole. But sometimes we get Hawking radiation in the form of actual responses.

Or in this comment from 2021 (sorry, it’s Hacker News):

Radar is a black hole that is indistinguishable from submitting bug reports to /dev/null unless you have a backchannel contact who can ensure that the right person sees the report.

If we keep going back, there’s this 2008 comment:

Why do you think that all of us third-party guys think Radar is a black hole? Well, it's probably because Apple provides no evidence otherwise.

Essentially, you may be one of the lucky, blessèd few who get a response. Or you may be part of the majority who are left frustrated and wondering if anyone has seen their feedback. If you’re only somewhat lucky, your problem may be addressed a year or two later, and the ticket will still be open.