Release Notes
We've tinkered with the internal workings and polished some rough edges. The app is now better than it was.
How about actually telling us what changed? This is a common practice in already hostile iOS and macOS App stores.
One or more of the following is true:
- Developers who build these apps are lazy and negligent
- Lawyers have advised not to publish release notes with updates as a way to protect the company from liability
- We must hide "technical" information that might overwhelm our users
The first point, I do not believe can be true. Developers generally want to keep track of what they did and they would already have this information in their PRs/repos.
Second, I think this is plausible but then again, the EULA says you can't sue the company for breaking something.
Third - this is the most likely reason. Why are we treating the general public like they're too afraid of complexity? It's not like the release notes make people nervous or fatigued. It is optional to read. It's tucked away.
I've had a number of paid apps that have gone downhill since and are no longer usable. They've incrementally degraded the experience without informing the user. I am left with a tough choice - never update the app or take a chance.
This practice needs to stop, I don't see why release notes cannot be part of a massive publicly-traded company and the software being used by millions of people.