Earn your first Google Play ratings by making the app useful, asking for honest feedback after people have had a chance to use it, and acting on what they tell you. Do not buy ratings, offer rewards for them, or pressure users. Google’s in-app review prompt is optional and quota-limited, so a request may not appear—and a submitted rating may take time to show publicly.
Build a reason to rate before you ask
For a new app, the first ratings are most likely to be useful when users have completed a meaningful task or had enough successful use to judge the experience. Google recommends waiting until users have enough experience with the app to provide useful feedback. The right moment depends on what the app does: it might be after finishing a level, completing a task, or returning after repeated successful use.
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Keep the request out of onboarding and avoid interrupting a task. Do not repeatedly prompt people who dismiss it. The request should be a low-pressure invitation, not a hurdle users must clear to keep using the app.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Do not first ask whether someone likes the app or would give it five stars, then show the Play review prompt only to those who answer favorably. Google specifically cautions against sentiment-screening questions such as “Do you like the app?” or “Would you rate this app 5 stars?” A trustworthy approach is to make it easy for everyone to share honest feedback, whether positive or negative.
#1 Best Overall
- No returns and no refunds on gift cards. Good for use on the US Google Play Store only. Terms apply - see below.
- Google Play gift codes can be used on the Google Play Store, the official app store for Android, to purchase apps, games, and more.
- To redeem, enter code in the Play Store app or play.google.com.
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Stay within Google Play’s review rules
Google prohibits manipulating app placement through illegitimate means, including fraudulent or incentivized reviews and ratings. Its policy gives offering a reward for a high rating as an example. It also warns against repeatedly rating an app as though you were a user, or asking reviewers to include promotions, coupons, codes, email addresses, or links. See Google’s User Ratings, Reviews, and Installs policy.
- Do not pay for ratings or condition a discount, prize, or other benefit on a rating.
- Do not request only five-star reviews or steer users toward a particular score.
- Do not direct unhappy users to private support while asking only satisfied users to post publicly; that creates a biased feedback funnel.
- Invite users clearly and honestly to share feedback, and respond to criticism by addressing the issue rather than asking for a higher score.
Choose how to invite a rating
There are two practical options. Use an in-app review request for a contextual nudge during the user journey. Offer a direct Play Store listing link when the user explicitly chooses an action such as “Rate this app.” The in-app route keeps the interaction inside the app but is subject to Google’s quota and may not display. A listing link takes the user out of the current experience, but is a more dependable destination for a deliberate rating action.
Rank #2
- No returns and no refunds on gift cards. Good for use on the US Google Play Store only. Terms apply - see below.
- Google Play gift codes can be used on the Google Play Store, the official app store for Android, to purchase apps, games, and more.
- To redeem, enter code in the Play Store app or play.google.com.
- Endless games to explore: Find and play old and new favorites – from mind-bending puzzles to epic quests and more.
- Just the app you’re looking for: Millions of apps means millions of ways to get things done, learn something new, and maybe even meet someone special.
Use Google’s in-app review flow for a contextual nudge
Google’s In-App Reviews API lets an Android app request a Play Store rating and optional written review without sending the user out of the app. Google documents support for Android 5.0 (API level 21) or later devices with the Google Play Store installed, as well as ChromeOS devices with the Play Store installed. The guidance is in the Google Play In-App Review API documentation.
In the Kotlin or Java flow, create a ReviewManager, request a ReviewInfo object near the point where you expect to launch the prompt, then launch the review flow. Google says the ReviewInfo object is valid only for a limited time: request it ahead of launch, but only when you are reasonably certain you will launch the flow. After the flow completes, continue the normal app experience. Google’s Kotlin and Java integration guide explains the sequence and the completion result.
Rank #3
- No returns and no refunds on gift cards. Good for use on the US Google Play Store only. Terms apply - see below.
- Google Play gift codes can be used on the Google Play Store, the official app store for Android, to purchase apps, games, and more.
- To redeem, enter code in the Play Store app or play.google.com.
- Endless games to explore: Find and play old and new favorites – from mind-bending puzzles to epic quests and more.
- Just the app you’re looking for: Millions of apps means millions of ways to get things done, learn something new, and maybe even meet someone special.
The API does not tell your app whether the review card appeared or whether the user submitted a review. Treat completion as the end of the attempted flow, not proof of a rating. Avoid success messages or analytics that assume a review was submitted.
Use a Play Store link for an explicit rating action
If your interface offers a user-initiated “Rate this app” action, send that action to the app’s Play Store listing rather than relying on the in-app review API. Google notes that quota limits may prevent the API prompt from appearing, which can leave a user who tapped a rating button with no visible result. A direct listing link does take the user out of the app, so reserve it for a clearly labeled choice rather than presenting it as an interruption.
Rank #4
- No returns and no refunds on gift cards. Good for use on the US Google Play Store only. Terms apply - see below.
- Google Play gift codes can be used on the Google Play Store, the official app store for Android, to purchase apps, games, and more.
- To redeem, enter code in the Play Store app or play.google.com.
- Endless games to explore: Find and play old and new favorites – from mind-bending puzzles to epic quests and more.
- Just the app you’re looking for: Millions of apps means millions of ways to get things done, learn something new, and maybe even meet someone special.
Understand why the in-app prompt may not appear
Google applies a time-bound quota to the in-app review dialog. Calling launchReviewFlow more than once in a short period—Google gives less than a month as an example—may not show the prompt. The exact quota is not public and can change, so do not build a schedule around a supposed fixed number of prompts. The API can also fail or suppress the dialog; handle completion quietly and let the normal journey continue.
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When the card does appear, show it unchanged. Do not alter its size, opacity, shape, or other design properties, place an overlay over or around it, or programmatically dismiss it. The API and quota guidance are documented in Google’s In-App Review API guide.
Best Value
- No returns and no refunds on gift cards. Good for use on the US Google Play Store only. Terms apply - see below.
- Google Play gift codes can be used on the Google Play Store, the official app store for Android, to purchase apps, games, and more.
- New finds, old favorites, one card. Choose a unique gift card design featuring your favorite games or apps. This card can also be used for anything else on Google Play. There’s something for everyone, so find what’s yours. Go Play.
- Easy to use: With a Google Play gift code, you never have to worry about expiration dates or fees.
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Check ratings and use them to improve the app
Google Play Console shows the Play rating, lifetime average, number of users who rated, and rating breakdowns. Google says the displayed Play rating gives more weight to recent ratings. Total ratings are displayed only after the app receives five or more ratings. You can break results down by country or region, language, app version, Android version, device type, device model, and operator; these views can help reveal whether a problem is tied to a release or a particular device group. See Google’s guide to viewing and analysing app ratings and reviews.
New ratings and reviews generally take around 24 hours to appear publicly while Google checks for suspicious activity. Developers can still see and reply to new reviews during that period. If Google detects suspicious activity, it may hold new submissions while investigating and later remove abusive ratings or reviews. An immediate absence from the public listing therefore does not establish that a rating request failed.
Look for recurring complaints and fix the underlying product issues—such as reliability, confusing flows, or a core task that does not work as expected. In replies, address the issue the user raised and offer useful support where relevant; do not ask the user to change a rating. No official target number of first ratings or rating-conversion benchmark is established in these sources, so treat ratings as feedback to learn from rather than a quota to chase.
Quick Recap
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