How app user reviews work? iOS vs Android vs Windows Phone

Petteri Pyyny
11 Feb 2015 11:17

As we launched our first mobile app this year, it has been interesting to observe the small, but very important differences there are between the three major mobile app markets: Apple iOS (iTunes App Store), Android (Google Play) and Microsoft's Windows Phone (Windows Phone Store).
All three markets allow users to review the apps they have downloaded and all three stores emphasize the importance of user reviews, to the point where it is almost impossible to rank well in app charts if your app doesn't have good user reviews.

So, we feel that it is important to understand those little differences between the three stores and what is important for you, as a developer, when you plan your app strategies.

Ability to respond to reviews


One of the key differences is the developer's (in-)ability to respond to the reviews the app gathers. Both, negative and positive feedback often require some level of reply from the developer – if for nothing else, for common courtesy.

iOS

Android


replying to an Android app review

Windows Phone


replying to a Windows Phone app review

Localization


Sometimes people react to apps very differently depending on which country they live in, what language they use, etc.

iOS

Android



Android app reviews; Italy vs Finland

Windows Phone


Average rating for the same app, in Finland and in United States

Version-specific rating


When you launch your app, it is likely to be somewhat buggy at first, no matter how much effort you put into your testing process. When real users start using your app, you'll learn how to improve your app's visuals, fix the bugs, etc.
Thus, it is extremely important to know whether the reviews you got in your early days will affect your average rating later.

iOS

Android & Windows Phone

Summary


To wrap it up: iOS is bit more forgiving than its rivals, as your old mistakes can get wiped away with a proper new version. Furthermore, with Windows Phone and iOS, bad translations and some other localization issues affect only users of one specific country/language in terms of bad reviews. Google doesn't forgive you any of those issues: all reviews count, forever and for all regions.

iOS' good aspects get somewhat diminished with the fact that on iOS, you, as a developer, cannot communicate back to the reviewers. On Android and WP, you can reply to bad reviews and ask for new chance, which is important especially if you have fixed the issues the user addressed in his/her review.

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Tags
Apple Microsoft Google Android apps App Store iOS Windows Phone google play store
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