A quick word about app reviews:

  • Most people don’t review.  I average about 1000 ad impressions a day.  In other words users are playing 1000 minutes a day.  So there are people who are using Chess Tactics but are not reviewing it.  There have been about 1500 downloads, and only 8 reviews in the US.
  • Most reviews are not that helpful.  I have a handful of reviews that are on the low-end with no indication about what they don’t like.  Either they left it blank or just state they didn’t like it.  One Australian rated it a 1 star and commented that he wished he could give it zero stars.
  • Fixing complaints doesn’t necessarily raise your rating.  There were a couple of reviews that complained about having time factored into the scoring.  I put out an update that allowed them the option to remove the time factor from the scoring.  One reviewer did re-rate the app, but they left the negative part of the review, and just added that it was fixed at the end.  The other reviewer hasn’t changed his rating yet.
  • It’s hard not to take it personally.  I worked hard on the app in my and the negative feedback is frustrating.  I just have to keep in mind that even wildly successful products have a handful of people who think it’s crap.  Just take a look at the review for any product on Amazon.

What I really wish was available through the review system was a way to reach out to those who did review the app, or respond to reviews.  How nice would it be to attach a comment to a low review that disliked the time factor is scoring to let them and the world know that I took their feedback and fixed their issue.  Or maybe it would be nice to email the user, but I understand that could open up an opportunity for abusing negative voters.

I did include a feedback email address in my app, and I have received responses from 2 users.  One had a question about a particular problem, and the other suggested an option to keep the phone from sleeping (coming next release).  I really enjoyed those interactions, and I hope there are more.

Finally, I hope this experience changes the way I review apps and give feedback.  If it’s at all possible I will give specific feedback in the review.  I’ll also try to follow-up with an email so they can let me know if they change what I didn’t like about an app, so that I can adjust my review.