If you used to grade your music library with star ratings, the iOS 10 update brought an unwelcome surprise: the little row of stars under each track in the Music app is simply gone. You are not missing a hidden setting — Apple really did take the rating interface out of the app. The good news is that your ratings are still there in the background, and there is a voice-powered way to keep handing them out. Here is how it works.
Where did the star ratings go?
In earlier iOS versions you could tap the stars on the Now Playing screen to rate a song from one to five. With the big Music app redesign in iOS 10, Apple dropped that control from the iPhone and iPad interface entirely. The rating option survived only in iTunes on a Mac or PC — the phone’s Music app no longer has any button or gesture for assigning stars. MacRumors covered the removal when iOS 10 first shipped, and the reaction from long-time collectors was loud.
How to rate a song in iOS 10: the Siri method
Siri is the back door that Apple left open. The star data still exists behind the scenes, and Siri can write to it even though the on-screen control is missing. Follow these steps:
- Open the Music app and start playing the song you want to rate.
- While the track is playing, hold down the Home button to summon Siri (or press and hold the side button on devices without a Home button).
- Say your rating out loud, for example: “Rate five stars” — or substitute four, three, two, or one depending on how you feel about the track.
- Wait for Siri’s confirmation. Siri will repeat the track name and tell you the rating has been applied.
- Check your work. The stars will not appear on the iPhone screen in iOS 10, but if you sync your library with iTunes on a desktop, the rating shows up there.
A few things worth knowing
Give the Siri command in the same language your device is set to — if Siri is listening in another language, it may not parse the rating command correctly. Also, the rating sticks to the track itself, so it applies across your Apple Music library and synced collections. For more Music-app tricks, see our guide on identifying songs playing nearby on your iPhone, and if you are customizing your device further, our article on changing the iPhone startup sound.
If it still doesn’t work
If Siri responds with confusion instead of a confirmation, make sure music is actually playing when you issue the command — Siri rates the currently playing track, so a paused or stopped app leaves it nothing to rate. If it still fails, restart the Music app and try again with the exact phrasing “rate five stars”.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see star ratings in the iOS 10 Music app after using Siri?
No — iOS 10 does not display them on the phone at all. The ratings are stored and visible in desktop iTunes, which is also where you can view and edit them in bulk.
Will star ratings ever come back to the Music app?
They did, eventually: in later iOS versions Apple added an optional “Show Star Ratings” toggle under Settings > Music, letting you bring the stars back to the Now Playing screen. In iOS 10 itself, though, Siri is the only route.
Conclusion
Losing the star-rating button in iOS 10 felt like a step backward for anyone who curates a music collection, but the feature is only hidden, not deleted. Summon Siri while a song plays, say “rate five stars”, and your library stays organized exactly the way you like it.
