Getting App Ratings and Reviews the Right Way

Why ratings matter

Apple's Human Interface Guidelines put it simply: "People often view the ratings and reviews for an app or game before they download it." Apple's ratings and reviews page explains that individual star ratings make up a summary rating shown on your product page and in search results, and that this summary rating "is specific to each territory on the App Store". On Google Play, the Play Console help notes that the rating users see "is weighted towards more recent ratings to reflect changes and updates that you make to your app".

Both stores still say the same thing first: Apple calls a great overall experience "the best way to encourage positive ratings and reviews". The prompt only makes rating easy for people who already have an opinion.

Asking for a rating on iPhone

On Apple platforms you ask through StoreKit: RequestReviewAction in SwiftUI, or the older SKStoreReviewController. Your app only suggests a good moment; the system decides whether the prompt appears:

• if the person has not rated or reviewed your app on that device, the prompt shows "a maximum of three times within a 365-day period";
• if they already have, it can show again only when the app version is new and more than 365 days have passed since their last review;
• people can also turn these prompts off for every app on their device.

Because the call may show nothing, Apple says not to call it "in response to a button tap or other user action". If you want a permanent way to leave a review, for example in Settings, Apple suggests linking to your App Store product page with action=write-review added to the URL, which opens the page for writing a review.

Apple does not allow your own rating pop-ups. Guideline 5.6.1 of the App Review Guidelines says: "Use the provided API to prompt users to review your app", and adds "we will disallow custom review prompts". For testing, the prompt always appears while the app runs in development mode, but the call has no effect in TestFlight builds.

Asking for a rating on Android

Google's equivalent is the Play In-App Review API. It shows a card where people give one to five stars and an optional comment without leaving your app. It needs Android 5.0 or later (or ChromeOS) with the Play Store installed.

Play "enforces a time-bound quota on how often a user can be shown the review dialog", so calling it more than once in a short period, "for example, less than a month", might not show anything. The exact quota is "an implementation detail" that Google can change without notice. Like Apple, Google says not to put the review flow behind a button, because the user may already have used up their quota. Send people to your Play Store page instead.

The design rules are strict. You must show the card as it is, with no changes to its size, shape or opacity, nothing laid over it, and no closing it from code. And you must not ask questions first: your app "shouldn't ask the user any questions before or while presenting the rating button or card", including "Do you like the app?" or "Would you rate this app 5 stars".

The integration guide explains that the API does not tell your app whether the user left a review, or even whether the dialog appeared. Carry on the same way whatever happens. To test, Google's testing guide describes an internal test track, where quota limits are not enforced, and a FakeReviewManager for automated tests.

Choosing the right moment

With so few chances, timing matters. Apple's guidelines and its article on requesting reviews give consistent advice:

• Wait for real use. Ask "only after people have demonstrated engagement", for example after they finish a level or an important task. Not on first launch or during onboarding, when people have not formed an opinion yet.
• Ask at a natural pause. Ask at the end of something the person completed successfully, not in the middle of it.
• Do not pester. Apple suggests "at least a week or two between requests", and only after more engagement.
• Once per version. Apple's sample code skips the prompt if it was already shown for the current version.

Google's advice matches: ask "after a user has experienced enough of your app or game to provide useful feedback", and do not ask too often. In practice, pick one or two success moments, such as a booking confirmed, and prompt there after a few successful uses.

Give unhappy users somewhere to go as well: Apple recommends making support contact details easy to find, so people can reach you instead of leaving a poor review. A screen that asks "Are you happy?" and sends only happy people to the store is different: Google forbids questions before the card, and Apple forbids "filtered" feedback.

What both stores forbid

Both stores treat review manipulation as a serious breach. Apple's guidelines warn that if you "manipulate reviews, inflate your chart rankings with paid, incentivized, filtered, or fake feedback", Apple may expel you from the Apple Developer Program. Guideline 5.6.3 adds that manipulating "charts, search, reviews, or referrals to your app erodes customer trust and is not permitted".

Google's User Ratings, Reviews, and Installs policy states: "We prohibit any manipulation of ratings, reviews, or install counts. This includes incentivizing feedback, using forced pop-ups, or paying for fake reviews." Its examples include a notification offering a discount for a high rating. So no rewards for ratings, no reviews from staff, friends or paid services, and no prompts shown only to people who said they were happy.

Google also holds new ratings back for about 24 hours to spot suspicious activity. If it finds some, it pauses all new ratings for the app while it investigates and then removes the abusive ones.

Using your rating elsewhere has rules too. Apple says you may quote your app's rating in marketing "as long as it accurately reflects your app's current rating", and use customer reviews "only if permission from the reviewer is granted". The same care applies to testimonials on your website, which our guide to reviews and testimonials on websites covers.

Replying to reviews

Both stores let you reply publicly. On Google Play you need the "Reply to reviews" permission and can post "one public reply for each user review", which you can edit at any time. In App Store Connect, users with the Admin or Customer Support role can reply to any review, however old. The reviewer is notified and can update their review, and only your latest reply is shown.

The rules for replies are similar on both stores:

• Answer what they said. Guideline 5.6.1 says to keep replies "targeted to the user’s comments", without personal information, spam or marketing. Google's policy adds: "don’t ask for a higher rating."
• Be useful. Point to a support address or help page where it helps.
• Prioritise. If you cannot reply to everything, Apple suggests starting with the lowest ratings and reviews that mention technical problems in the current version.
• Close the loop. When an update fixes a reported problem, say so in the release notes and reply to the reviews that raised it.
• Report, do not argue. For offensive or spam reviews, use Report a Concern in App Store Connect or Google's reporting process instead of replying.

Learning from reviews

Reviews are free product feedback. Play Console breaks ratings down by country, language, app version, Android version and device, and shows top trends that users mention. A drop after one release or on one device often points to a bug. Our guides to mobile app analytics and app maintenance explain how to pair this with crash and usage data.

Apple lets you reset your summary rating with a new version, but recommends doing so "sparingly", since fewer ratings can put people off. For the rest of your store listing, see our guide to app store optimization.

A checklist

• The app uses the official prompt: RequestReviewAction or SKStoreReviewController on iPhone, the In-App Review API on Android.
• The prompt appears only after a completed task and some real use, never at launch, during onboarding or from a button.
• No question, filter or reward comes before or with the prompt.
• A permanent "Write a review" link in Settings opens the store page instead.
• Support contact details are easy to find in the app and on the store listing.
• Someone with the right role replies to low ratings and bug reports, and replies again when a fix ships.
• Rating trends are checked after every release.

Frequently asked questions

How often can an app ask for a rating?

On Apple devices the system shows the prompt at most three times in 365 days for someone who has not rated the app. Google Play uses a quota it does not publish and may change, so asking more than once in less than a month might show nothing. Ask rarely and only at good moments.

Can we design our own rating pop-up?

Not for the rating itself. Apple's App Review Guideline 5.6.1 says to use the provided API and disallows custom review prompts. Google requires its in-app review card to be shown as it is, with no changes and no questions before it.

Can we offer a reward for leaving a review?

No. Apple and Google both forbid incentivized ratings and reviews, including discounts, coins or extra features in return. Apple may expel developers who manipulate reviews, and Google lists incentives as a policy violation.

Should we reply to negative reviews?

Yes, where you can help. Keep the reply short, answer the actual problem, and point to support. Do not ask for a higher rating. When a later update fixes the issue, reply again to say so.

Can we reset our app's rating?

On the App Store you can reset the summary rating when you release a new version, but written reviews stay and fewer ratings can put people off. Google Play has no reset, but its displayed rating gives more weight to recent ratings.

Planning an app or improving one you already have? We build iPhone and Android apps together with the backend, API and admin dashboard behind them. See our mobile app development service and all our services, or email [email protected].