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TurboTax has 4.8 stars on the App Store?
Is Apple allowing fake reviews on the App Store? I find it very unlikely that TurboTax is beloved enough to merit 4.8 stars.

I know this isn’t scientific, but take a scroll through the most recent reviews. They are made up of 1-3 star reviews with complaints of the customer experience.

I may be jumping the gun here, but can we trust no one? Fraudulent reviews are rampant on the internet, but I assumed Apples App Store would be somewhat walled off through the requirement for an Apple ID.

Please share any information HN may have on how reviews work on the App Store and if anyone knows of ways they are being manipulated (like Yelp, Amazon, and Google Maps do).

People can leave star ratings without leaving reviews. It is not uncommon that satisfied users leave 5-star ratings (prompted by the app), but dissatisfied users leave 1-star reviews, and that's what you see.

Still, I would not discount the possibility of fake ratings and reviews. It's a rampant problem in app stores.

This is a good point I had not considered. I suppose these ratings are hidden from us, besides being folded into the overall rating?
  • jjice
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  • 10 hours ago
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> I find it very unlikely that TurboTax is beloved enough to merit 4.8 stars.

TurboTax is the most popular tax software in the US, and I imagine iOS is one of their larger platforms. I bet the majority of Americans who use it just punch in their W2(s) and 1099(s) and it just worked and they were happy with it.

I think the disdain for Intuit (which I share) is a niche concern, relative to the number of people who file their taxes. Mix that with a 5-star rating prompt after they show you that you're getting a refund (unlikely due to some tax optimization they did specifically) and you have a bunch of 5-star reviews.