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
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 { }
}
}
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]
Related Skills
review-management — Respond to reviews to recover ratingonboarding-optimization — Fix activation issues that drive 1-star reviewsandroid-aso — Play In-App Review API contextretention-optimization — Engaged users give better ratings
