Do you buy apps from Mac App Store that have 1 or 2 ratings?

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Emmett_1944 Author

Level 1

28 points

Do you buy apps from Mac App Store that have 1 or 2 ratings?

I was looking at a game on the Mac App Store called Simple Match 3 made by Mulberry Tree Games. It is one of those match 3 games but I was considering it because it costs $1.99 and has no in-app purchases. Their website says "Simple Match 3 is a relaxing puzzle game with absolutely no ads or in-app purchases. ". I also noticed they came out with a new version just 3 months ago that fixed some bugs and changed some functions. I have found from experience that games with in-app purchases seem more designed to get you to make purchases not play a fair fun game. The thing is the game has ONE rating and the person gave it 5 stars. Does anyone buy apps that have zero, one, or two ratings? If I buy an app with no or 1 rating am I volunteering to be a test pilot for an uncertain app? If an app has only one or two ratings does that mean it is necessarily not a good app?

Does anyone know if Apple does anything to verify the quality of these apps? If an app had some kind of problem could that potentially screw up my operating system, or other apps, or would the app itself just not work, like freezing, or having glitches or whatever?

iMac (M4)

Posted on May 25, 2025 10:00 AM

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Answer 1

jeremyw013

Level 4

1,409 points

May 25, 2025 10:25 AM in response to Emmett_1944

All apps on the App Store, as well as subsequent updates, have to be reviewed by Apple based on the App Store guidelines. If you'd like to take a look at these guidelines, they are available at App Review Guidelines - Apple Developer.

So, to answer your question, Apple does do something to verify the quality of these apps. A simple app like that shouldn't cause performance issues to you, and it definitely won't screw up your operating system.

Hope this helps!

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Answer 2

jeremyw013

Level 4

1,409 points

May 26, 2025 7:56 AM in response to Emmett_1944

If you want to look at how often it’s updated, being updated in the last few months is a good sign it’s still being actively developed.

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Answer 3

Emmett_1944 Author

Level 1

28 points

May 25, 2025 1:53 PM in response to jeremyw013

Thanks. I read some of that link. It was mostly beyond my technical understanding but it appears Apple does review the apps for quality and makes sure the app does not mess with your computer.

The game I was looking at "Simple Match 3" also shows the version history and I noticed the game was updated 3 months ago, whereas some apps have not been updated in 5 years. How would you interpret this? Part of me thinks if it was updated 3 months ago that shows someone is still steering the ship and paying attention. If it hasn't been updated in 5 years maybe that means nobody is steering the ship (I saw one that had not been updated in 8 years!).

On the other hand, I could guess if it has not been updated in 5 years maybe that is because it is working fine and does not need to be updated. But it would seem to me that every app has some bugs that need to be fixed and at the least, as MacOS is updated the app would need to be changed a bit. Am I somewhere near the truth? I guess if I looked at an app and it only had one review and had not been updated in 6 years I might be hesitant about buying it.

Thanks for your help.

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Answer 4

Emmett_1944 Author

Level 1

28 points

May 26, 2025 11:32 AM in response to jeremyw013

Thanks. That is what I thought.

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Do you buy apps from Mac App Store that have 1 or 2 ratings?

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