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I review every app that annoys me with a review popup, and voice my opinion about my most recent memory of the app (the annoying popup, 1 star). Seems like eno

I review every app that annoys me with a review popup, and voice my opinion about my most recent memory of the app (the annoying popup, 1 star). Seems like enough people have started doing it that app developers no longger do this that much, at least on Android. There was even an article how to properly beg for reviews. Boils down to: * Do it after you have delighted the user, not during startup. * Do it respectfully without annoying the user (e.g. with an additional entry in a long scrolling list, not a modal dialog). * Ask the user whether they're happy. If they say no, ask if they want to provide feedback (which you then read and act upon), if they say yes, you ask them if they're willing to leave a review. If they don't want to provide feedback/a review, you leave them alone.

mikeash 10y ago
I really dislike that last technique in your list. Attempting to select only the people who like the app is an obvious thing to do as a developer, but as a user it seriously hurts the usefulness of reviews.
- st3v3r 10y ago
  I agree it can be kinda icky, but at the same time, there's no real good way to get people who like the app to leave a good review. And the way things are in the stores, you have to have those good reviews.
  - Rex206 10y ago
    I could list 200 problems with no good solutions. Can I have your # to call and discuss them with you? How about a single text every month or two? Have you shown any concern for our problems? Any concern at all?
- whostolemyhat 10y ago
  But one-star reviews just because the app asked for a review doesn't hurt the usefulness of reviews?
  - mikeash 10y ago
    Nope. It's an honest reaction, which is exactly what I want to see when looking at reviews. Imagine I'm comparing two apps, A and B. If A has the higher rating because it steers unhappy people away from posting reviews, that's not useful to me. On the other hand, if B has the lower rating because it keeps bugging its users to post reviews, that's a good reason to choose A instead.
scosman 10y ago
Please don't give an app a 1 star review just because they ask for a review. Apple and Android have made ratings incredibly important, and the vast majority of happy users never take the time to review. You get some happy users rating, and a disproportionate number of unhappy users. Asking people (at an appropriate time) is the only way to level the field. We've had a few 5.0 releases of our iOS app, but usually a few silly 1 star reviews make that impossible and knock us down to 4.5. Too many of those are "uggg, don't ask me to review, 1 star". Secondly, the 3rd items you list is actually a dark pattern. If you are going to ask users to review, let them be honest. Directing 5 stars to app store and 4 or fewer to an internal system is gaming the system.
- eridius 10y ago
  It's not gaming the system. If the user is unhappy, leaving a review won't make them happy. Providing support via some other mechanism to try and fix their issue, that's what makes them happy. If the user is already happy, they don't need support. But maybe they'd like to leave a review to tell other people that they're happy.
  - Rex206 10y ago
    The ratings are not for you, or the customer leaving it. They are for other customers. The problem is, you think something is for you, that is not for you, and you are asking for everyone to behave like it is for you, and you are telling them that, if they don't treat it like it is for you, that you don't want them as a customer. Fair enough, if that's the way you feel, but if that's really what you want ... put it on the app page, not some off-store forum. I question your sincerity.
    - eridius 10y ago
      Reviews are for the customers, yes. But if a customer has a problem, leaving a bad review does not help that customer. And if it's a problem that can be easily fixed, it doesn't help other customers either. Directing people with problems to internal support is unambiguously a good thing. If that customer's issue can be resolved, that's the best solution all around. And if it can't be resolved, well, the user can still go leave a bad review if they want to.
Ensorceled 10y ago
It seem suboptimal to sabotage the sales and marketing of apps you use on a regular basis by leaving 1 star reviews. This is what I meant by keep the developer eating.... and providing updates.
- Rex206 10y ago
  If a developer eats by rating nags, the developer is going starve. Regardless of what anyone else does.
NTripleOne 10y ago
> If they say no, ask if they want to provide feedback, if they say yes, you ask them if they're willing to leave a review. I really, really hate this practice - it just feels scummy as hell to me.

mikeash 10y ago

I really dislike that last technique in your list. Attempting to select only the people who like the app is an obvious thing to do as a developer, but as a user it seriously hurts the usefulness of reviews.

st3v3r 10y ago
I agree it can be kinda icky, but at the same time, there's no real good way to get people who like the app to leave a good review. And the way things are in the stores, you have to have those good reviews.
- Rex206 10y ago
  I could list 200 problems with no good solutions. Can I have your # to call and discuss them with you? How about a single text every month or two? Have you shown any concern for our problems? Any concern at all?
whostolemyhat 10y ago
But one-star reviews just because the app asked for a review doesn't hurt the usefulness of reviews?
- mikeash 10y ago
  Nope. It's an honest reaction, which is exactly what I want to see when looking at reviews. Imagine I'm comparing two apps, A and B. If A has the higher rating because it steers unhappy people away from posting reviews, that's not useful to me. On the other hand, if B has the lower rating because it keeps bugging its users to post reviews, that's a good reason to choose A instead.

scosman 10y ago

Please don't give an app a 1 star review just because they ask for a review. Apple and Android have made ratings incredibly important, and the vast majority of happy users never take the time to review. You get some happy users rating, and a disproportionate number of unhappy users. Asking people (at an appropriate time) is the only way to level the field. We've had a few 5.0 releases of our iOS app, but usually a few silly 1 star reviews make that impossible and knock us down to 4.5. Too many of those are "uggg, don't ask me to review, 1 star". Secondly, the 3rd items you list is actually a dark pattern. If you are going to ask users to review, let them be honest. Directing 5 stars to app store and 4 or fewer to an internal system is gaming the system.

eridius 10y ago
It's not gaming the system. If the user is unhappy, leaving a review won't make them happy. Providing support via some other mechanism to try and fix their issue, that's what makes them happy. If the user is already happy, they don't need support. But maybe they'd like to leave a review to tell other people that they're happy.
- Rex206 10y ago
  The ratings are not for you, or the customer leaving it. They are for other customers. The problem is, you think something is for you, that is not for you, and you are asking for everyone to behave like it is for you, and you are telling them that, if they don't treat it like it is for you, that you don't want them as a customer. Fair enough, if that's the way you feel, but if that's really what you want ... put it on the app page, not some off-store forum. I question your sincerity.
  - eridius 10y ago
    Reviews are for the customers, yes. But if a customer has a problem, leaving a bad review does not help that customer. And if it's a problem that can be easily fixed, it doesn't help other customers either. Directing people with problems to internal support is unambiguously a good thing. If that customer's issue can be resolved, that's the best solution all around. And if it can't be resolved, well, the user can still go leave a bad review if they want to.

Ensorceled 10y ago

It seem suboptimal to sabotage the sales and marketing of apps you use on a regular basis by leaving 1 star reviews. This is what I meant by keep the developer eating.... and providing updates.

Rex206 10y ago
If a developer eats by rating nags, the developer is going starve. Regardless of what anyone else does.

NTripleOne 10y ago

> If they say no, ask if they want to provide feedback, if they say yes, you ask them if they're willing to leave a review. I really, really hate this practice - it just feels scummy as hell to me.