Roger Fingas
Apple's iOS 10.3 update, now in beta, will eventually limit how often an app can harass users about leaving a review — and might also include a floating keyboard for smaller iPads, early adopters noted on Tuesday.
The update includes a new Reviews API that will limit pop-ups to three times per year, and give people the ability to turn off such pop-ups entirely, according to Recode. Users will also be able to submit reviews without leaving a host app.
The API will only eventually become the single way for developers to ask for reviews, presumably giving them time to strip out their existing systems.
Some iOS apps have become notoriously aggressive, popping up frequent messages regardless of how often a person dismisses them. For developers, better ratings on the App Store can increase exposure and hence sales or ad revenue.
The floating keyboard, noticed by developer Steve Troughton-Smith, is hidden from the public and must currently be enabled through code settings. It also appears to be limited to 7.9- or 9.7-inch iPads, and in finished form may ask people to flip a toggle located under the same menu as languages and emoji.
The keyboard is iPhone-sized, and can be dragged around much like Picture in Picture video windows. Together these suggest that the option is meant to offer easier one-handed typing.
Released earlier on Tuesday, iOS 10.3 also upgrades devices to the Apple File System — APFS — and includes a Find My AirPods app, addressing the complaints of some AirPods owners.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
8 Comments
How about Apple stop reminding us every single day to update iOS.
Yes, I know they have security updates and bug fixes but still no means no.
My approach is simple - I respond to every request for a rating -- with a single star and say the product sucks.
I really hate being pushed to review products. I may not be the smartest person, but I do know how to find and use the Apple review system.
It would be nice if this sort of thing would apply to Safari. With a few websites I'm plagued with a "do you want to resubmit this form again" or "do you want to leave this page" several times before I can leave it. Presumably the largest source of this is advertising.
Have they fixed it where you can close a tab when a javascript dialog is open? That sort of problem seems to affect Safari on MacOS also and I had heard rumors that it would be addressed.
I don't understand how Apple has not introduced a smaller keyboard for the plus model phones that can be pushed to the left or right hand side so that you can type with a single hand/thumb.