In recent weeks we have seen the App Store undergo some significant changes, many of which were in the background as Apple looked to settle over how it handles payment options and its treatment of developers.

Now a more superficial change is coming to the marketplace, with ratings for Apple’s built-in apps available, with 9to5Mac being one of the first to spot this.

Previously all third-party apps could be given ratings based on user experience, but a privileged few Apple-made apps were exempt from this. As for why things have changed is unclear, with the company not making the usual fanfare over its marketplace this time around, as it does with other announcements.

While we await official word on the reason for the change, it looks like the community of Apple fans are letting their feelings be known. The Podcasts app, for example, is sitting on a rating of two out of five for example, and Apple News is currently rated 2.3.

Another application that has come in for middling ratings is Maps at 3, which isn’t all that surprising as the iOS version of the app in years gone by has proved less than satisfactory.

Whether any feedback or improvements will result from user feedback like this remains to be seen but, for now, it looks like Apple is doing its best to make it look like it treats all apps equal within its marketplace, which is something that has come into question on more than one occasion in recent years.

As such, it will be interesting to see whether this will have any impact on the lawsuit Apple is still fighting with Epic Games. Either way, users can now have their say on the company’s built-in apps, offering praise or rebuke alike.