Apple finally flips the switch on review responses

Along with the other slate of improvements that are in iOS 10.3, maybe one that'll make a real change (at least in terms of the App Store) in the ecosystem is the ability to converse with app developers. We knew that the feature was coming way back in January, but now it's actually here. Previously, as sister site TechCrunch notes, a developer would have to reverse engineer someone's UserID to get to their email if they wanted to ask about a bug the user experienced. Not anymore.

Google has had this sort of functionality for around five years, which makes Apple's reluctance to add it all the more curious. Anyhow, next time an app isn't working exactly as advertised on iOS or OSX, if you leave a comment about it in the App Store there's a chance you'll hear from the developer. If you're a fan of trolling though, that snarky comment might come back to bite you.

Once you submit a review, should a developer respond, you'll get an email that offers a chance to update your original review or contact the developer directly. On the developer side, Apple's outlined how app-makers should use the feature, too. Basically, respond swiftly and follow Wheaton's Law. And really, that's it. Maybe this two-way communication will result in developers being more communicative and result in faster updates.

Seeing my review replies from ~8hrs ago hit public. I kinda like how this looks. pic.twitter.com/DbtsoXTuyF

— Curtis Herbert (@parrots) March 28, 2017