Definition
An App Store rating is the 1 to 5 star score people give an app, shown as one overall score per country.
Anyone who has the app can rate it, from 1 star (worst) to 5 stars (best). They can also write a review, which is a rating plus a title and some text. Plenty of people only leave stars.
Apple shows one overall rating for each country or region. It appears on your product page and in search results. A rating counts toward the country where the person first got the app. If someone changes their rating, only the newest one counts.
When you release a new version, you can choose to reset the rating so it starts fresh.
Why it matters
Your rating is one of the first things shoppers see. Apple notes that people often look at ratings and reviews before they download an app. Your recent ratings also hint at how well your current version works.
Example
A habit app shows 4.6 stars in the US store and 4.2 in the UK store. A sync bug hit UK users harder, so their ratings are lower. Each store keeps its own score.
Related terms
- Rating reset A rating reset clears your app's overall App Store star rating, so it starts fresh with a new version.
- In-app review prompt The in-app review prompt is Apple's built-in pop-up that lets people rate your app without leaving it.
- Developer response A developer response is the public reply an app maker posts under a user's App Store review.
- Review bombing Review bombing is a sudden flood of bad reviews, often about something other than how well the app works.
Learn more
Updated by the Synthiya team. See all terms.