It seems that Apple is bringing back the star rating system after its reintroduction in the new iOS 10.2 beta build, which rolled out on Oct. 31.
The star rating system was booted out when iOS 10 was publicly released. This move was met with dismay by some users who have been using the feature not just to provide feedback on the quality of music but also as a way to organize their purchased tracks. Apple Music allows the entire music library to get sorted according to song ratings.
The big comeback was first spotted by iTunes expert Kirk McElhearn. He also claimed to have first discovered the removal of the ability to rate tracks.
Now, while some users who have been used to the star ratings might be celebrating the news, there is just one caveat: it is now a bit more complex, with a few steps added to the process.
The star ratings menu of old was previously accessible by simply tapping the album artwork to reveal the ratings screen. For this update, users will have to tap the ellipsis menu at the bottom right portion of the screen, which triggers the action sheet. They will have to scroll down to the Rate Song option. Once tapped, it will reveal the rating screen, where they can rate specific tracks. That is quite a roundabout way, one that would certainly try one's patience.
Fortunately, the ratings information is much simpler to find. One only needs to go to the Apple Music Settings menu and toggle the Show Star Rating option. The new iOS 10.2 beta also introduces new ways to sort playlists, and these include classification according to type of tracks, title and tracks recently added.
It is interesting to note how the star rating system does not affect Apple Music's track recommendations. What this means is that the streaming service is probably not designed to learn from user input of preferences.
Aside from the star rating system, the iOS 10.2 beta build also came with other features. These include a new camera function called Preserve Camera Settings, which effectively retains the camera mode, setting, filters or custom adjustments that were last used. The settings will be available when the user opens the camera again.
It is important to remember that the iOS 10.2 build is still in beta and, like other OS builds at this stage, all the changes introduced are still getting tested. A few or even all features might not even get implemented once the official build is released. Presently, Apple has not yet issued any statement confirming an official iOS 10 update schedule.
