https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/19/22791968/apple-podcasts-...
> I wondered if maybe this was a common confusion with podcast apps, where listeners think they’re reviewing a podcast instead of the app itself. But no, I didn’t see that obvious pattern when I checked reviews for other top podcast apps in the App Store. Almost every review on competing apps was a review of the apps themselves.
> Apple confirmed to The Verge that it’s using a new prompt but claims it’s nothing out of the ordinary. “With iOS 15.1 released last month, Apple Podcasts began prompting listeners to leave a rating and review just like most third-party apps — using the standard Rating & Review prompt available to all developers,” wrote an Apple spokesperson who only agreed to comment if they were not named.
This seems very likely.
There are a lot of dark patterns about Apple's app store review process. Users get a "thank you we'll look at it" but never get a way to check the status of the review submission. It's like a slapping a "feedback receptacle" label on the side of a shredder.