Apple requires app download before allowing App Store review

Apple has quietly changed the App Store’s review policy, now requiring users to have actually downloaded or purchased an application before they are allowed to review it. This improvement has been long-requested by developers, who at times saw the ratings on their apps drop due to negative reviews from users who had never even used the application. Now, if a user attempts to review an application that they haven’t used, they are greeted by an alert explaining, “In order to write a Customer Review for this item you must have purchased or downloaded it.” [via TUAW]