Like the subject line says, I’m wondering if there are any options to whining or ranting when there is a tiny issue with my Apple tech. The internet has become useless when seeking solutions thanks to AI slop but enough clicking occasionally convinces me that I am not alone. Very often there is an Apple discussion thread with multiple “Me too” responses and I feel less alone while still annoyed.
Before I share an issue here in TidBits–knowing full well it is tiny compared to the much bigger issues users post here)–I’d like to ask if are there other avenues besides Apple Discussions (does Apple pay attention to the forum trends?) or TidBits for collecting issues and either finding a solution or getting Apple’s attention while communicating that yes, I am not a moron and I did make sure the power cord is plugged in and don’t condescend to me.*
Current tiny rant: Game Center. Turn it off. Really off. Stop with the notifications telling me to log into Game Center every single time I launch or reopen a game. Notifications are off and Game Center is off and yet… Just make it stop. What part of my gaming introvertism is not clear to you?
*Not referring to anyone here in Tidbits. You’re all lovely.
I don’t remember actually disabling it, but I must have done so some time ago, or perhaps it came that way.
Also, I may have disabled notifications regarding GC, but again, don’t remember.
If I were in your shoes (and I’m thankful that I’m not; that sounds awful), I would plan to visit an Apple Store some time when it was not too inconvenient. I wouldn’t hold much hope of that providing a solution, but I would give the Store a chance to surprise me.
From what I’ve experienced over the years, if one’s goal is to avoid being regarded as “a moron” by workers who “condescend”, the Apple Store often isn’t a great place to go.
:-(
In any case, TBT is a very unique forum. It is personally and regularly moderated by the site owner. The site owner is incredibly well-connected in the Apple universe…and not as an influencer. Ad banner clicks and affiliate commissions don’t play any role in how TBT operates. Troubleshooting and tinkering is valued and encouraged by many. A lot of participants have a direct connection to an era when Apple users were hobbyists and liked to help each other out.
So I don’t think there are other online places that can match TBT for its atmosphere and ethos.
No, sadly, Apple doesn’t pay attention to any user discussions on the open Internet as far as I’m aware. If something is interesting enough to generate media coverage, Apple will sometimes take notice. But that’s about it.
I never have gone to an Apple Store, primarily because of the frequent negative comments about them here. But I have found expert and friendly help at the local Apple Authorized Service Provider in my neighborhood, part of a three store “chain.” No Apple attitude to be found there. Try such a establishment before going to Apple Store.
I once (in the past 25 years) was contacted by someone from Apple in response to a problem reported via Feedback.
I assume this was the engineer’s own initiative and not company policy. He might’ve even gotten in trouble for it, for all I know. And it never happened a second time.
But it does tell me that people read the feedback, even if us on the outside have no way of knowing.
Same experience (I’ve gotten exactly 1 direct response from an Apple engineer - about an iTunes bug iIrc) but I keep sending in bug reports, crash reports, and Feedback like a good little Apple citizen. Some bugs do get addressed, eventually, but whether due to my reporting or dozens/hundreds of others, I’ll never know.
Occasional responses to bugs reported in Feedback Assistant do happen, though they’re very much the exception rather than the rule in my experience. That’s not to say that the reports there are not useful to Apple; just that they very seldom respond unless they need you to verify a fix in your particular situation afterward.
But complaints on Internet forums really don’t have any effect within Apple unless they get the media interested.
I was an early adopter of the grey flying saucer basestation (the first one with a modem inside). It failed quite quickly and I posted about it on Apple’s support forums, following which I was contacted by Apple. I was sent a new one and returned the failed unit in the same box. I think it was (isn’t it always?) a failed capacitor in the power supply. But otherwise, nothing.
We all probably have a list of problems with Apple products that have persisted for years and complaints about applications whose functionality seems to be reduced with each major release (for me it’s Books).
On the other hand, I have almost always had good experiences at my local Apple store, Quaker Bridge, NJ. The genius bar staff are usually knowledgeable and keen to help although they make a point of explaining that their focus is on hardware matters not software.
In my experience, most web forum/chat room discussions fall into the same categories:
Forum thread full of “me too” responses with no solutions other than to “file feedback with Apple.”
Forum thread that has one or two posts of possible solutions, followed by dozens upon dozens of people referring to those possible solutions as stupid, wrong, and “do your research” posts by people who just aren’t happy unless they show how much smarter they are than literally everyone else, with obscure descriptions of “why” instead of “how.” (see MacRumors tech forums for example). No solution of the problem in question is ever presented, just a back & forth between a few members trolling each other. The predictability of this situation is almost comical.
Forum thread where a question is asked, and a highly-technical solution IS provided, but leaves the OP with even more questions. For example, you get the solution, but have no idea how or why the problem occurred to begin with. For many this is enough, but for those like me, I want the full story. To make matters worse, the OP never replies so you have no idea if the solution worked or not.
Forum threads that devolve into nothing more than what you’ve found… whining and complaining… about Apple’s “poor Q&A,” Tim Cook sucks, “if Steve Jobs were still alive,” “Apple is greedy,” “Windows/Android this and that” and other pointless drivle.
Apple Store/Genius Bar:
If the problem is hardware-related, they’re great.
If the problem is something you could solve yourself with software, I’ve found them to be no better than a discussion forum.
There are pockets of hope here and there… we just have to work harder than we should have to in order to find them.
“TBT” I assume that refers to TidBITS Talk?
Or:
“TBT is an acronym for “Throwback Thursday” and is popularly used as a hashtag on social media.” OTOH (as long as we’re using abbreviations! ), I found no mentions of “Apple software” or even “Apple” in their search function.
Sadly, I was hoping for another useful forum for Apple-related help/support. TidBITS Talk remains my favorite!
Happens to me all the time I use Game Center. Only game I play is solitaire; several times/week it asks if I want to log in. I it turned off in settings years ago yet the notice shows up frequently. I’ve given up & always dismiss it.
I’ve owned one game that has Game Center support built in, with no ability to opt out, and anytime I played that game it always re-enabled Game Center on that device. I haven’t played it in a long time, and Game Center stays off for me now.
I don’t play many games, and I doubt I will play another that supports Game Center again.
I forgot the subject was options for finding answers: I can recommend Kagi search or the newcomer Marginalia Search. They try to filter out AI crap but I did have to block Grokipedia manually on Kagi.
), I found no mentions of “Apple software” or even “Apple” in their search function.