Apple has begun rolling out its new ‘Ratings and Photos’ feature, which allows users to rate points of interest, business locations and more within Apple Maps.
The Cupertino-based company hopes to replace third party review and rating service Yelp by giving users the ability to see and leave reviews for establishments and stores within its app.
Apple Maps users can either put a ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ sign across categories, such as overall experience, customer service and product ratings, as well as upload photos that may be viewed alongside the rating. For restaurants and dining spots, the category could be atmosphere, food quality and customer service.
Apple Maps features an informational section for opening hours, distance and other helpful points. The ratings will show prominently within the app’s Maps cards.
Apple says that the new feature is used for improving the overall experience of the app, with data being leveraged for high quality results on Siri recommendations and searches, among others.