How to Improve Android App Ratings and Reviews

Read your one-star reviews and patterns appear: "crashes when I open the camera", "lost my data after the update", "too many ads", "can't log in". Most low ratings come from a few fixable problems. Fixing those does more than any prompt strategy.

What drives ratings

1. Fix what reviews and vitals tell you

• Filter reviews by keyword (crash, login, ads, slow) and by app version, and turn patterns into tickets.
• Cross-check with Android vitals and crash reports. See Analytics and Crash Reporting.
• Prioritise data loss and crashes, then performance, then annoyances.

2. Ask at the right moment with the In-App Review API

// implementation("com.google.android.play:review-ktx:<version>")
class ReviewPrompter(private val activity: Activity, private val prefs: ReviewPrefs) {
    private val manager = ReviewManagerFactory.create(activity)

    /** Call after a clear success moment, e.g. the 3rd completed order or a finished workout. */
    suspend fun maybeAsk() {
        if (!prefs.shouldAsk()) return                      // your own frequency rules (e.g. once per 90 days)
        runCatching {
            val info = manager.requestReview()              // ktx suspend
            manager.launchReview(activity, info)            // Play decides whether to show it (quotas)
            prefs.markAsked()
        }
    }
}

• Ask after positive moments, never on launch, during a task, or after an error.
• Play enforces quotas, so the dialog may not appear. Don't build a UI that depends on it showing.
• Don't ask "Do you like the app?" first and send only happy users to Play. Review gating like that is against Play policy.

3. Give unhappy users a better channel

Add an always-available "Send feedback" or "Report a problem" option in settings, with device info attached (with consent). Users who can reach you easily are less likely to vent in a one-star review, and you get actionable details.

4. Reply to reviews well

• Reply quickly, personally and specifically. Avoid copy-paste templates.
• Acknowledge the problem, give a workaround if one exists, and say when a fix ships.
• After fixing, reply again. Users can update their rating.

Thanks for reporting this, and sorry about the crash when opening the camera on Android 15.
We've fixed it in version 3.4.2, rolling out this week. If it still happens after updating,
please write to support@yourapp.com with your device model so we can look into it.

What not to do

• Offer incentives for ratings, or buy reviews: prohibited, and risky for your account.
• Gate review prompts by sentiment.
• Ask repeatedly or in disruptive moments.

Examples

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

Better ratings come from fixing crashes, data loss and annoyances, asking satisfied users at the right moment with the In-App Review API, offering an easy feedback channel, and replying helpfully, all within Play policy.

Next step: convert listing visitors into installs with App Store Listing Optimization for Android.