Apple confirms return of 'Report a Problem' button in some international App Stores

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What you need to know

  • Apple has confirmed the return of the 'Report a Problem' button in some international App Stores.
  • The button has made a return across iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey.

Apple has today confirmed the return of the 'Report a Problem' button to the App Store, although it will only be available in select countries for the time being.

According to Apple, the button is back in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey App Stores in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States, while other countries will receive it "over time."

The App Store provides a safe and trusted place to discover apps that meet high standards for privacy, security, and content. Since its introduction, the App Store has supported a way for users to report problems with their apps and purchases, and to request refunds. Now App Store product pages on iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey display a "Report a Problem" link, so users can more easily report concerns with content they've purchased or downloaded. This feature is currently available for users in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States, and will expand to other regions over time.

People in other countries can also report issues via the reportaproblem.apple.com website, Apple notes. It says that its App Review, Discovery Fraud and Live Moderation, and Financial Fraud teams will then be investigated as needed.

Problematic apps diminish the App Store experience for users and developers, and we're constantly expanding techniques to identify even more types of problematic content for removal. If we suspect that a developer has engaged in purposeful manipulation, fraud or abuse, we will notify them and take action. Consequences may include removal of apps and may impact their Apple Developer Program membership, as described in App Store Review Guideline 5.6.

Apple has long had to deal with problematic apps in its App Store across iPhones, iPads, and Macs and while it's impossible for it to police every app all the time, leveraging the power of users and making it easier for them to report issues is a vital move forward. Apple's own App Store moderation is arguably one of the best iPhone features and as such it's why Apple wants to avoid allowing sideloading of apps. But some problems do still get through review and that's where the 'Report a Problem' button can be so useful.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.