A recent bug in Apple's App Store has resulted in the removal of approximately 10 million user ratings in the United States and over 20 million user ratings worldwide.
Found by Appfigures, a New York-based app analytics company, and according to TechCrunch, this error affected apps like Google, Microsoft, Nike, and Disney, but also hit small developers.
According to Appfigures, more than 300 apps created by about 200 developers have been incinerated and 22 million user reviews have been erased in the last two days.
The company said, “On average, the rating of the app in that country has decreased by 50{7be40b84a6a43fc4fae13304fce9a2695859798abfc41afd127b9f8b21c5f9c5}.
Some apps struggled more than others. Take Hulu Video streaming sites lost 95{7be40b84a6a43fc4fae13304fce9a2695859798abfc41afd127b9f8b21c5f9c5} of their ratings in the United States, and Dropbox lost 85{7be40b84a6a43fc4fae13304fce9a2695859798abfc41afd127b9f8b21c5f9c5} of their US.
Why is rating important?
Ratings can affect the amount of impressions your app receives from the Apple App Store, which can increase or decrease your downloads. Of course, deleting ratings can work in two ways. For example, if most of the deleted ratings for an app are negative or have one or two stars, the app's profile can be improved, but if deleted reviews are mostly positive, the app's exposure is reduced, resulting in fewer downloads.
Apps affected by big companies like Starbucks, Amazon Prime Video, and Wallgreens can be hit, but small developers who are badly affected by bugs will definitely not be pleased with this incident. is.
The developer suggested to Appfigures that an incorrect deletion might have occurred when Apple attempted to remove a fake rated app store, but was eager to clarify that it never asked for its own rating or review.
In a post update to this issue, Appfigures said it confirmed that Apple is an error and is currently restoring the ratings of all affected apps.
We contacted Apple for more details on what went wrong, and we'll update this part again.
Anyway, how curious is the App Store rating? Digital Trends has found this out to some experts.
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