Definition
Incentivized reviews are reviews or ratings that people leave in return for a reward, like cash or free coins.
On the App Store, incentivized reviews are not allowed. Apple's guidelines say that if you try to manipulate reviews with paid, incentivized, filtered or fake feedback, Apple may remove you from the Apple Developer Program. Apps also can't force people to rate or review the app to use a feature.
Rewards also spoil the data. A review written for a prize tells you little about what people really think.
What to do instead
Ask with Apple's built-in review prompt, at a happy moment. Make the app worth rating. Reply to reviews, and fix what people complain about. These steps grow honest ratings that last.
Example
Not allowed: "Rate us 5 stars and get 100 free coins."
Allowed: showing Apple's review prompt after a player wins a level, with no reward attached.
Related terms
- 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.
- App Store rating An App Store rating is the 1 to 5 star score people give an app, shown as one overall score per country.
- 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.