How to Manage App Store and Google Play Reviews and Ratings
App store reviews and ratings management: how to reply to reviews, when to ask for a rating, how bad reviews help and what to avoid doing.
rabbitclip teamPublished: 6 min read
Short answer
Managing reviews and ratings in an app store means reading the feedback users leave on a regular basis, replying to the reviews that can be answered, and asking satisfied users for a rating at the right moment and within the rules. The rating is the first signal a user sees in search results and on your product page. Reviews also show how seriously the product is taken: a complaint that has been answered tells a new user the team pays attention.
Most businesses handle this at one of two extremes: they either never look, or they try to push the rating up by artificial means. Both are wrong. The right way is calm and steady: sort the reviews, feed what you learn back into the product and let the rating rise as the natural result of real satisfaction.
Why does the store rating matter so much?
Think about what a person looks at first when deciding whether to download an app: the icon, the rating and the latest reviews. If the rating is low, they may never stay long enough to read your screenshots. The stores may also use ratings as a ranking and recommendation signal, but exactly how much weight they carry is not disclosed and it changes, so do not build a strategy around a single number.
The point is that the rating is not a goal in itself. It is the outcome of product quality, crash rate and how well the reality matches the expectation. The lasting way to raise a rating is to fix whatever is lowering it.
How do you reply to reviews?
Both stores let the developer reply to a review in public. The reply is written not only for the person who left the review but for everyone who reads the page, so think about the tone as much for the newcomer as for the reviewer.
A good reply is short and concrete. It acknowledges the problem, says what will be done and, where needed, moves the conversation out of the store to a support address. Personal information, account details and lengthy descriptions of the fault stay out of the reply, because it is visible to everyone.
- Thank the user and restate the problem in your own words
- Say what has been or will be done, and only promise a date you can keep
- Point to a support address if detail is needed
- Do not get defensive and never blame the user
When and how should you ask for a rating?
The best moment to ask is just after the user has felt the app deliver value: an order completed without trouble, a goal reached, a problem solved. Asking at first launch, or straight after an error screen, is both ineffective and needlessly irritating.
On both platforms there is a built-in way to show the system's own rating prompt from inside the app, so the user can rate without going to the store. The system may limit how often that prompt appears, so do not assume it will show on every call, and do not tie it to a button.
Asking users first whether they are happy and sending only the happy ones to the store, while steering unhappy ones elsewhere, is a common practice, but the stores' rules may be against it. Check the current store guidelines and avoid this kind of filtering.
How can negative reviews be useful?
Negative reviews are a free source of product feedback. The same complaint from three different users is a design or bug problem, and read alongside crash data it gives a strong signal of priority. Sort reviews once a month: bug, missing feature, mismatched expectation, price and support.
A review you replied to and then fixed often prompts the user to update their rating, but do not ask for it and do not press. Politely letting them know the issue is resolved is enough; the user decides.
- Sort reviews into bug, missing feature, mismatched expectation, price and support
- Carry repeated complaints into the product roadmap
- Cross-read with crash data: if a review describes a bug, it should show in the logs too
- Mention resolved issues in the release notes
What mistakes are common in managing reviews and ratings?
The gravest mistake is fake or incentivised reviews. Offering rewards for ratings, having acquaintances post reviews in bulk or buying reviews breaks store rules and can lead to consequences up to removal of the app. Do not treat it as a shortcut that works in the short run.
Other common mistakes are never replying, pasting the same template into every reply and getting into a public argument with the reviewer. A template reply shows at once that the user's problem was not read.
- Offering rewards for ratings or buying reviews
- Pasting the same ready-made text into every reply
- Getting into a public argument with a user
- Putting personal data or account detail in a reply
When is review management unnecessary or not enough?
For an app that has not launched or is downloaded very little, a separate review process is premature; looking at the reviews once a week is enough. The process grows heavier as the number of reviews rises.
On the other hand, review management does not replace fixing product problems. If the underlying cause of a low rating is an unstable app or a misleading store page, replies and rating prompts will not make up for it. Fix the problem first, then manage the visibility.
Store reviews are a feedback line as much as a shop window. Read them regularly, reply briefly and concretely, ask for a rating when the user has just had value and within the rules, and carry repeated complaints into the product. If you would like to talk through how to build a review and rating routine around your app, you are welcome to arrange a discovery conversation with rabbitclip.
FAQ
Do I have to reply to every review?
No. It makes sense to reply first to low-rated reviews that report a concrete problem. A smaller number of replies that have clearly been read is better than the same template pasted everywhere.
Can I reward users for giving a rating?
No. Giving rewards in return for ratings or reviews breaks store rules and can lead to consequences up to removal of the app. Check the current guidelines on the stores' own pages.
Can I have an unfair or rule-breaking review removed?
The stores offer a way to report reviews that break their policies. A review is not removed just for being negative; rule violations such as abuse, spam or off-topic content can be reported. The outcome is up to the store.
When should the app show the rating prompt?
Right after a moment in which the user has got value from the app, such as a successfully completed action. Showing it at first launch or after an error screen annoys the user and raises the risk of a poor rating.
