How to get more app ratings and reviews
October 1, 2026 · 6 min read
A new app with no ratings looks risky next to leaders with thousands. Ratings help an app rank and help people decide to install, and most happy users never leave one unless asked at the right moment.
In short
- Use the stores' own rating prompts; they get far more responses than a link to the store.
- Ask after a moment of success — never at first launch, mid-task or after an error.
- Never reward ratings or steer unhappy users away: both stores forbid it.
- Reply to low-star reviews; users can change their rating afterwards.
On this page5 sections
01Use the built-in prompts
Both stores give apps a native rating prompt: Apple's review request and Google Play's in-app review. Users can rate without leaving the app, which is why they get far more responses than a link to the store.
The stores limit how often the prompt actually appears. On iOS, the system shows it at most three times in a year per user, whatever the app asks. Treat each chance as scarce.
- the most times iOS shows the prompt to one user
- 3 a year
- the most times iOS shows the prompt to one user
- rewards allowed for a rating, on either store
- 0
- rewards allowed for a rating, on either store
02Ask at a moment of success
| A good moment | A bad moment |
|---|---|
| After an export or a finished task | On first launch |
| After a streak or a goal reached | Right after an error or a crash |
| After several sessions | In the middle of a task |
03What the stores forbid
- Rewards for ratings — coins, features, discounts.
- Asking only happy users to rate while sending unhappy ones elsewhere (“review gating”).
- Custom pop-ups that imitate the system prompt on iOS.
- Fake or purchased reviews, which can get an app removed.
04Reply to reviews
Both stores let developers reply publicly, and users can update their rating afterwards. A short, specific reply to a one-star review — “fixed in version 2.3, thank you” — often turns it into four or five stars, and shows future users that someone is listening.
| The review says | A reply that works |
|---|---|
| “Crashes when I export” | “Thank you — fixed in 2.3, out today. Tell us if it still happens.” |
| “Charged after the trial” | “Sorry about that. Apple handles refunds at reportaproblem.apple.com, and we now remind you before a trial ends.” |
| “No dark mode” | “Dark mode ships next week in 2.4. Thanks for asking for it.” |
05Fix what the reviews say
The fastest way to a better average is to solve the most repeated complaint. Group your low-star reviews by theme, fix the biggest one, mention the fix in the release notes and in your replies.
Free toolApp Review AnalyzerWhat an app's unhappy users complain about, with real quotes.OpenQuestions people ask
- How many ratings does a new app need?
- There is no fixed number, but compare yourself with the top results for your main search phrase. Being far below them on both count and average makes installing you look risky.
- Can I reset my App Store rating?
- Yes. When you release a new version on the App Store you can choose to reset the summary rating. It removes old complaints and old praise alike.
- Should I ask users for a review by email?
- You can link to your store page, but the in-app prompt works far better because users rate without leaving the app.
The free app review analyzer groups any app's recent low-star reviews into themes with real quotes — useful for your own app and for the leaders you compete with. How we score