How to respond to 1-star reviews after a bad app update
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A broken release produces a wave of 1-star reviews within hours. Here is how to handle it without breaking store rules.
1. Confirm it is the update
- Google Play: filter ratings by app version and device (Play Console Help: View and analyze your app's ratings and reviews).
- App Store: the App Store Connect API lists customer reviews for a specific App Store version (App Store Connect API: Customer Reviews).
2. Reply to the worst reviews first
Apple recommends prioritising the lowest-rated reviews and those about technical issues (Apple Developer: Ratings, reviews, and responses). Keep replies specific: name the bug, say you are working on it, give one support channel. Don't promise a date you can't keep, and don't ask for a better rating; Google's policy says replies must not ask for a higher rating (Play Console Help: Ratings, Reviews, and Installs policy).
"Thanks for reporting this. Version 6.3 breaks login for some accounts that use Sign in with Apple. We're fixing it now. Until the update is out, the web version works: yourapp.com. – The Yourapp team"
3. Ship the fix and say so
Tell users in the release notes what you fixed (Apple Developer: Creating your product page). Then reply again to the reviews that reported the problem (Apple Developer: Ratings, reviews, and responses).
4. Know who gets notified
- App Store: the reviewer is notified of your response and can update their review (Apple Developer: Ratings, reviews, and responses).
- Google Play: the user is notified of your first reply to a new or updated review; editing your reply later doesn't notify them again (Google Play Developer API: Reply to Reviews). So your first reply should already be useful.
5. Recover the rating
- App Store: you can reset the overview rating with the fixed version. Written reviews stay (App Store Connect Help: Reset an app overview rating); see how to reset.
- Google Play: there is no reset, but the rating is weighted towards recent ratings (Play Console Help: View and analyze your app's ratings and reviews).
- Both: prompt engaged users with the system prompts once the fix is out (rules).
More reply patterns by complaint type: How to reply to 1-star App Store reviews.
Sources
- Play Console Help: View and analyze your app's ratings and reviews
- App Store Connect API: Customer Reviews
- Apple Developer: Ratings, reviews, and responses
- Play Console Help: Ratings, Reviews, and Installs policy
- Apple Developer: Creating your product page
- Google Play Developer API: Reply to Reviews
- App Store Connect Help: Reset an app overview rating
Related guides
- How to reset your iOS app rating on a new release
- App review response templates for bugs, pricing, login and crashes
- How to reply to App Store reviews: Apple's rules
- All app developer guides
Questions
Should I reply to every 1-star review after a bad update?
Reply to the lowest-rated and most specific ones first, as Apple recommends, then reply again to the same reviews once the fix ships.
Will users see my reply if I edit it after the fix?
On the App Store the latest response is shown. On Google Play, the user isn't notified when you edit a reply, only after your first reply to a new or updated review.
Can I remove the bad ratings from the broken version?
On the App Store you can reset the overview rating with a new version; written reviews stay. Google Play has no reset.