In this guide
A burst of low ratings in a short time has one of a few causes. Find out which before you do anything public.
Step 1: Work out the cause
Look at the new reviews of the last days and sort them:
- Real problem. Many reviews mention the same crash, login failure or changed feature, often after a release. This is not an attack, see your rating dropped after an update.
- Outside event. A news item, a post or a mention elsewhere sent people who dislike something about you or your topic.
- Abuse. Short or empty text, copied wording, off-topic content, insults, many reviews at once with no link to how the app works.
- Mixed. A real issue that others pile onto.
Check the dates against your release history, your support inbox and your crash data. If you cannot say which it is, treat it as a real problem first.
Step 2: Respond calmly
- Do not argue in public and do not accuse anyone of an attack.
- Answer real problems one by one, factually. See reply to app reviews and reply to a one-star review about a bug.
- Post one short public notice if many people hit the same issue (in your listing text, or as a pinned note in your channels), with what you know and when you will update.
- Keep a short log: date, count, what you did.
Step 3: Use the store's tools
For reviews that break the store's rules, report them. Steps and limits are in how to report a fake or abusive review. Report only those you can tie to a rule. Reviews that are merely negative stay.
What not to do
- No fake counter-reviews, no asking friends to "balance it out", no paid or rewarded ratings, no swaps. That is manipulation and puts your account at risk.
- Do not offer rewards for changed ratings. Google's policy says "Don't offer rewards or incentives for ratings or reviews." Apple's section 3 lists "incentivized" feedback as manipulation.
- Do not delete your own support trail or blame users.
After it settles
- Fix what was real, then say so in your replies.
- Ask private feedback from your users now. It shows what the wave missed. See ask for feedback, not reviews.
- Turn the themes into work: turn app reviews into a roadmap.
Back to the ratings and reviews guide. Related: reply to a review about too many ads.
Start free for private feedback that arrives before the one-star reviews do.
General information, not legal advice.