Krizoitz
macrumors 68000
Design an idiot proof mousetrap they'll find a bigger idiot. Sometimes you can't out engineer stupid.
New Apple Podcasts Rating Prompt Artificially Boosts App Store Score
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nortonandreev
Contributor
The Music app is not any better. If they have them separate and still can't make them work properly, a combination will only increase complexity and lower the quality even more.
boss.king
Suspended
So because there will always be at least one misunderstanding, we shouldn’t try to mitigate any of them?
ericwn
macrumors G5
Maybe let’s just skip ratings without reviews completely going forward. And reviews should only be allowed to be published after a human read them and figured out wether or not the reviewer knew what they were doing.
People are oblivious.
The Music app is also garbage.
The music app removed support for playlists so they could sell it back to you for a monthly subscription.
So the functionality still exists, but is paywalled. With the Podcasts app the functionality is just killed off entirely.
So what’s worse; the blatant profiteering of the Music app, or the immense incompetence of the Podcasts app?
In other words, is deliberate evil better or worse than mindless evil?
nortonandreev
Contributor
I sometimes get upset when I read comments such as this one. I also used to be quite naive as a child, it's good that things have changed.
Night Spring
macrumors P6
Huh? I'm still using playlists, and I'm not subbed to Apple Music.
TracesOfArsenic
macrumors 65816
Timmy is rot. How about we bring some integrity back to Apple?
Is that just a bunch of yada-yada?
Or will you be voting with your wallet purchasing competing products from other manufacturers, to send a real message to Apple?
I honestly don’t understand why people always claim that other podcast apps are so much better. I got caught up in the hype too and tried several others, but honestly, they’re not better. Some are basically the same, and a few have gimmicky ways to manage podcasts that seem good initially but annoying over time.
Honestly don’t get so worked up over the podcasts app. Just subscribe to some stuff and listen to it when you feel like it. It does the job basically the same as any other podcast app.
And yea, I do feel like all of them should be a bit better. A bit clearer; quicker to manage downloaded/watched episodes and your library. But honestly they’re all roughly equally mediocre.
Honestly don’t get so worked up over the podcasts app. Just subscribe to some stuff and listen to it when you feel like it. It does the job basically the same as any other podcast app.
And yea, I do feel like all of them should be a bit better. A bit clearer; quicker to manage downloaded/watched episodes and your library. But honestly they’re all roughly equally mediocre.
Kierkegaarden
Cancelled
I use it frequently and have had absolutely no issues. It plays podcasts. Some may not like it, but others may. If you don’t like it, it’s just not for you — don’t pretend you’re the arbiter of mobile app quality. Find something you like. Don’t get worked up over an app.
VintageDude
macrumors newbie
It does all I need from a podcast app so I use it. Are there better apps? Probably. If it didn't do what I needed it to do, I'd happily change to another app. Would seriously love to hear what the other apps do that it doesn't.
I only play podcasts on my iMac while working or with Carplay, so maybe my needs are not very demanding.
I only play podcasts on my iMac while working or with Carplay, so maybe my needs are not very demanding.
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MacAddict1978
macrumors 68000
A fan boy post if ever there were one.
Why do you think Apple started offering ratings on their own apps? Do you think it was out of the goodness of their heart? Because they have "courage" to hear user feedback? (The company that removed reviews from apple.com apple?).
It doesn't strike you odd that they enabled that when they started getting antitrust mud tossed at them for prioritizing their own apps above others and ripping off developers apps with Apple versions? Because that would be the why.
I love Apple products but not their corporate BS they do. The "You're holding it wrong" company.... is not doing this because they want to, just like they aren't doing self-repair because they want to or adjusted app store commissions and rules because they want to....
When Apple does something because it's the right thing to do without a political gun to their head, then let's pat them on the back and give them an atta boy.
MacAddict1978
macrumors 68000
Kind of a big difference. I never get a "rate us" pop up in the middle of playing a game or interacting with content or something substantial. I always get them when I log in or return to a home screen.
Apple is popping up in the middle of content interactions. Never before has there been this type of confusion if you were rating the content or the app because NO ONE ELSE pops these up in this place.
It's kind of the difference between giving a lit match when they aren't holding gasoline in their hand and when they are. Maybe a bad analogy but other developers aren't throwing matches in that moment and Apple is.
wanha
macrumors 68020
As a species, humans are particularly susceptible to calls to action. That's why marketers put them everywhere they can - they work.
wanha
macrumors 68020
I agree with the sentiment of your post, it's just that a lot of what you say hinges on knowing Apple's true motivations but we don't actually have any access to them.
So we can sit here and say "imo, it's obvious that Apple is doing this because X-Y-Z reasons". But we can't actually know if we are right or not.
That’s where you need a “-1 overrated” and “+1 underrated” vote like slashdot used to have.
ericwn
macrumors G5
Unregistered 4U
macrumors G4
Free is a very strong motivator!
How is the sketchy? They're simply using the "rate my app" functionality that's available to all developers. You get more, and perhaps better, reviews if you ask more people. The only people who take the time to go rate an app unsolicited are the people who are unhappy with it. The people who are happy or just neutral about it won't take the time to go rate the app -- that is unless they're asked and given a convenient way to do so.
As far as the reviews themselves go. That's just because the majority of people are stupid and can't differentiate content from functionality... and in their defense (sort of), the rating prompt doesn't tell you to make any distinction.
As far as the reviews themselves go. That's just because the majority of people are stupid and can't differentiate content from functionality... and in their defense (sort of), the rating prompt doesn't tell you to make any distinction.
Whatever Apple's motivations - which, as others have pointed out, we will never know - at least they do ALLOW 1 start ratings...unlike an increasing number of websites (MacRumors and YouTube being just two) that have removed the "downvote"/dislike option...to protect feelings no doubt.......