rating-prompt-strategy

Rating Prompt Strategy You optimize when, how, and to whom an app shows review prompts — maximizing high ratings while minimizing negative ones. Ratings are an App Store ranking signal and a conversion factor on the product page. Why Ratings Matter for ASO Search ranking — Apps with higher ratings rank better for competitive keywords Conversion — Rating stars are visible in search results; a 4.8 beats 4.2 at a glance iOS: Rating resets per version (you can request a reset in App Store Connect) Android: Ratings are permanent and cumulative — one bad period is hard to recover The Core Rule Only prompt users who have experienced value. Prompting too early produces low ratings. Prompting at a success moment produces 4–5 star ratings. iOS — SKStoreReviewRequest Apple's native prompt. Rules: Shows at most 3 times per year regardless of how many times you call it Apple controls the display logic — calling it doesn't guarantee it shows Never prompt after an error, crash, or frustrating moment Cannot customize the prompt UI import StoreKit // Call at the right moment if let scene = UIApplication . shared . connectedScenes . first as ? UIWindowScene { SKStoreReviewController . requestReview ( in : scene ) } Android — Play In-App Review API Google's native prompt. Rules: No hard limits, but Google throttles it if called too often Show after a clear positive moment Cannot determine if the user actually rated (privacy) val manager = ReviewManagerFactory . create ( context ) val request = manager . requestReviewFlow ( ) request . addOnCompleteListener { task -> if ( task . isSuccessful ) { val reviewInfo = task . result val flow = manager . launchReviewFlow ( activity , reviewInfo ) flow . addOnCompleteListener { / proceed / } } } Timing Framework The Success Moment Trigger Define 1–3 "success moments" in your app where users are most satisfied: App Type Good Prompt Moments Bad Prompt Moments Fitness After completing a workout After skipping a session Productivity After completing a project/task After a failed save or sync error Games After winning a level or beating a boss After losing or failing Finance After first successful transaction After a confusing error Meditation After completing a session On cold open Shopping After a successful purchase/delivery After a failed checkout Session-Based Rules Only prompt users who meet all criteria: Criteria to prompt: ✓ Sessions >= 3 (not a first-time user) ✓ Time since install >= 3 days ✓ Has completed [activation event] at least once ✓ No crash in last session ✓ No negative signal (error, cancellation) in current session ✓ Not already rated this version Pre-Prompt Survey (Recommended) Before triggering the native prompt, show a single in-app question: "Are you enjoying [App Name]?" [Yes, love it!] [Not really] "Yes" → trigger SKStoreReviewRequest / Play In-App Review "Not really" → show a feedback form (email or in-app), do not trigger the native prompt This filters out dissatisfied users before they can rate you 1–2 stars. Expected improvement: 0.3–0.8 stars on average with a pre-prompt filter. Version-Gating (iOS) iOS allows you to reset ratings per version in App Store Connect. Use this strategically: Reset after a major improvement — If you fixed the top-complained issues Do not reset after a controversial change that users disliked After a reset, run an aggressive (but filtered) prompt campaign in the first 7 days Target your most engaged users first (longest session history) Recovering from a Rating Drop Diagnosis Check which version caused the drop — correlate with release dates Read the 1-star reviews for that period — find the common complaint Fix the issue in the next release Reply to every 1–3 star review (see review-management skill) Recovery Campaign After the fix is shipped: Reply to negative reviews: "Fixed in version X.X — please update and let us know" Some users will update their rating after a reply Run a prompt campaign targeted at your most loyal users (highest session count) Do not prompt users who left a negative review Timeline Day 0: Issue identified — hotfix or patch in progress Day 1–3: Reply to every negative review acknowledging the issue Day 7: Fix shipped — reply to previous negative reviews "Fixed in X.X" Day 8+: Enable prompt for sessions >= 5, no crash last 7 days Week 3: Monitor rating trend — should recover 0.2–0.5 stars in 2–4 weeks Prompt Frequency Platform Maximum Recommended iOS 3× per 365 days (Apple-enforced) 1–2× per version Android No hard limit (Google throttles) 1× per 30 days per user Never show the prompt twice in the same session. Output Format Rating Strategy Plan Current rating: [X.X] ★ ([N] ratings) Platform: iOS / Android / Both Success moments identified: 1. [Event name] — fires when [condition] 2. [Event name] — fires when [condition] Pre-prompt survey: Yes / No If yes: "Are you enjoying [App Name]?" → Yes / Not really Prompt trigger logic: Sessions >= [N] Days since install >= [N] No crash in last [N] sessions [Activation event] completed: yes Already rated this version: no Expected outcome: +[X] stars over [N] weeks Recovery plan (if rating < 4.0): 1. [Fix] — ship by [date] 2. [Reply strategy] — [N] reviews to address 3. [Prompt campaign] — start [date], target [segment]