News
Apple removes App Store reviews from non-customers
By Charles Starrett
Contributing Editor
Published: Friday, February 27, 2009
News Categories: Apps + Games
Apple has quietly removed older App Store reviews from users who had not purchased the applications they were reviewing. Prior to last September, when Apple changed the App Store rules to require users to purchase or download an app prior to review, any user could leave a negative review on any application he/she wished, leading to developer complaints and reports of astroturfing. While the rule was changed, the older, possibly fraudulent reviews remained on the pages of the App Store until this week. Mac Rumors reports that several long-released apps have seen noticeable drops in the number of reviews; for example, Super Monkey Ball has dropped from 4197 reviews to 3714, while Pac-Man has gone from 395 to 122. Interestingly, the reviews for iPod Click Wheel Games continue to include numerous reviews from people who acknowledge that they have never played the games.
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1
A good move, imo. At least Devs and buyers will get a more balanced view now, especially for paid apps.
Posted by Gregz0r on February 27, 2009 at 7:19 AM (PST)
2
Obviously, this is good news, but I think it points to something that people have been wondering for a long time: How much is Apple listening to developer concerns?
Apparently, the answer is that they are listening. They are simply being VERY deliberate and cautious in making changes, perhaps wanting to make changes in the right way that would work logistically without compromising their own interests.
Posted by jasonact on February 27, 2009 at 8:07 AM (PST)
3
Interestingly, though, the first review listed for Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D says, “What should I get, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D or Cro mag rally? Please click yes for crash bandicoot or no for cro mag rally.”
Either Apple hasn’t cleaned out this app’s reviews yet, or we can assume this user eventually decided on Crash, bought it, and Apple left the “review”.
Posted by jasonact on February 27, 2009 at 8:12 AM (PST)
4
I’m glad they’re doing this.
I’m so tired of bogus and BS reviews - yeah, most stuff I buy is less than $4, but it adds up.
Legit reviews can be controlled for the most part this way, and I’m glad they’re doing this.
Posted by slb on February 27, 2009 at 11:09 AM (PST)
5
I’m so glad that they did this. We received so many bogus reviews for our FMTouch application and it was extremely frustrating.
People that had never used the app were saying things that simply were not true. Our app moved from 3.5 to 4 stars after the bogus feedback was removed.
Thanks for listening Apple.
Posted by SKnight on February 27, 2009 at 11:25 AM (PST)