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How replying works in each store
| Google Play | App Store | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can reply | People with the Reply to reviews permission in Play Console. | Account Holder, Admin or Customer Support roles. |
| How many replies | One public reply per user review. | One response appears per review on your product page. |
| Editing | You can edit your reply at any time. | You can edit and delete responses. Edited responses show a notation. |
| When it shows | Not stated on the help page. | Can take up to 24 hours. It shows as pending in App Store Connect until then. |
| Notifying the reviewer | Google says the user gets a push and an email notification. | Not stated on the help page. |
Rules Google states
Google says replies should address the user's comment clearly and truthfully. They should not be abusive, hateful or dismissive, should not solicit or promote, and should be free of profanity and sexually explicit content. Breaking these guidelines can lead to suspension of your app or developer account.
A simple structure for a reply
This is advice, not a store rule. Four short parts are enough.
- Acknowledge the specific thing the person said, not just the star rating.
- Say what you know or have done, in plain words, without excuses.
- Give the next step: a fix in a coming version, or where to get help.
- Keep personal details out of a public reply and invite them to contact you instead.
“Thanks for telling us. Syncing stopping after the update is a real problem and we are looking into it. Please update to the latest version and contact us with your device model if it keeps happening.”
“We hear you. Dark mode is not available yet. We have noted your request and we will say in the release notes if that changes.”
Use reviews as evidence, not just as a to-do list
Read reviews for patterns before you decide what to fix or what to say on your listing. One review is an anecdote. The same complaint across many reviews is a signal worth checking against your app and your listing text.
- Group reviews by what the person is describing, such as setup, speed or a missing feature.
- Check whether your listing promises something the app does not do.
- Edit a reply when the situation changes, since both stores let you.
Before you post
- The reply answers what this person actually wrote.
- It is truthful and does not argue or promote anything.
- It contains no personal data or private details.
- It fits the length the reply box allows.
Sources
Keep reading
- Google Play
Google Play store listing: what to write in each field
The Google Play listing fields that matter, their character limits, and plain advice for writing the title, short description and full description without keyword stuffing.
2 min read- App Store
App Store product page: name, subtitle, keywords and description
The App Store product page text fields, their limits as stated by Apple, and plain advice for the name, subtitle, promotional text, keywords and description.
2 min read