If you searched for a way to buy reviews, the real question is: how do I get more honest ratings? Here is a plan. The short version of the rules is below; the longer one is in buy app reviews: risks, policy and what to do instead.
What the stores say (retrieved 2026-10-22)
- Google Play: "We prohibit any manipulation of ratings, reviews, or install counts." Its guidance also says: "Don't offer rewards or incentives for ratings or reviews" and "Don't use deceptive pop-ups or force users to rate your app."
- Apple: the introduction to section 3 of the App Review Guidelines says that if Apple finds you "attempted to manipulate reviews, inflate your chart rankings with paid, incentivized, filtered, or fake feedback, or engage with third-party services to do so on your behalf", it may take steps "which may include expelling 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."
Paying for, trading or rewarding reviews is not an option in this plan.
The plan
- Make the app better where it hurts. Read your first-session drop-off, crashes and one-star reviews. Fix the top cause first.
- Test before release. Early one-star reviews often come from bugs that a few outside testers would have found. See turn app reviews into a roadmap.
- Ask for private feedback first. An in-app "How is it going?" that leads to a form catches problems before they become public. See ask for feedback, not reviews.
- Ask for a rating at a good moment. After a success, rarely, with no reward and no pressure. See when to ask for app reviews and rating prompt design. Apple's guideline 5.6.1 says to use the provided API for the prompt and that custom review prompts are disallowed.
- Answer the reviews you have. Short, factual, no begging. See how to reply to app reviews.
- Support people quickly. A reachable support address turns some complaints into private messages.
- Keep shipping and keep the listing honest. Trust signals are covered in building trust when you have few reviews.
- Be patient. Honest ratings accumulate slowly. This page makes no promise about speed, rankings or installs.
How AppReviewX fits
AppReviewX gives you private, structured feedback from other developers. One accepted feedback is one credit, and new accounts start with 0 credits. Store ratings are voluntary, unpaid and never required, and nothing is traded for them. A developer review is published only with the tester's consent, and anonymously.
For Google Play apps there are also test groups (12 testers, 14 days in a row).
Related
General information, not legal advice. Policies change; re-check the sources.
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