MacOS has an updated App Store on the way, complete with a new review API

Apple is bringing an updated App Store to MacOS, similar in many ways to the one it launched for iOS devices last year.

The refreshed App Store shuffles applications into categories for create, work, play, and discover. Each then offers a curated selection of new or useful apps, similar to the editorialized pages on iOS, followed by the typical best selling lists already featured on the store.

Individual app pages are also getting a makeover. App Store pages for games and apps now offer video previews front and center, along with information on individual app rankings and if it’s received an editor’s choice award at any point. The new page layout also makes ratings and reviews easier to find on the page.

Along with that, Apple is rolling out a review API for Mac apps that, again like with iOS, allows developers to build a review prompt directly into their games. This allows players to publish star rankings and a brief text review without leaving the app, something that, in theory, should boost the number of reviews a title receives by taking unnecessary friction out of the process.