Sophie Blake
Apple is bringing a new, AI-driven feature to the App Store in its latest iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 beta releases, which will generate concise summaries of user reviews. The summaries, powered by large language models, are designed to help users quickly grasp the main points from a wide range of customer feedback on apps and games.
This feature can be found just above the traditional user review section on app listings. Initially available only for English-language reviews in the U.S. and limited to a select group of apps, Apple has emphasized that this is a gradual rollout. The company plans to expand this feature to support more languages and regions throughout the year. Not every app will have a review summary at launch; Apple stipulates that apps need a sufficient volume of reviews to generate meaningful summaries. However, the exact number of reviews required has not yet been disclosed.
Apple is taking steps to ensure the accuracy of these summaries. Both app developers and users will be able to report any issues with the AI-generated content. Developers can flag problems directly through App Store Connect, while users can tap and hold on the summaries to highlight inaccuracies. Apple also assures that these summaries will be refreshed at least weekly to reflect any recent feedback, keeping them current and relevant.
It’s important to note that the AI processing appears to be cloud-based rather than handled locally on devices, as identical summaries appear across various Apple products. There has been no confirmation yet on whether devices with Apple Intelligence will be necessary for this feature.
Beyond the AI review summaries, iOS 18.4 beta 2 brings a variety of other exciting updates, including Priority Notifications, Visual Intelligence for iPhone 15 Pro, new Shortcuts actions, and a standalone Apple Vision Pro app. The full update, expected to reach all users in April, will include a variety of enhancements, further detailed in Apple’s iOS 18.4 feature guide.
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