Google Play’s algorithm considers the app’s reviews and ratings to feature and recommend apps to app store visitors. The ratings also play a crucial role in influencing the decision-making of the users in downloading your app. So, to ensure the app review system is just and fair for the app developers and users, Google has set policies and guidelines in place.
To make the review process more user-friendly, one of the new updates that Google mentioned is that reviews will be shown according to the device the user uses. This update was planned to be released in early 2022, which finally released in Sep 2022, just as Google gears up to introduce its tablet and wearable.
So, in the Google Play Store’s review section, you can now view a message that says, “Verified, and you have been shown feedback from people using the same type of device as you”.
More about the new Google Play reviews update.
- The new Google Play review update is vital for apps to expand to more form factors. It will give a different app experience for a user using a foldable compared to a user who runs it on Chrome OS. So, the user will get a better impression of the kind of experience they can expect depending on the device they use.
- Apps are not limited to mobile phones and are compatible across different devices, supporting a wide range of functions and softwares. Each version addresses a specific form factor. This adaptability limits the importance of the Google Play Store ratings for different devices.
- This means if your app doesn’t feature or rank well on a tablet, it will not be the same on a mobile phone. So, to make your Google Play ratings more relevant across different devices, Google Play has introduced this update.
- Google has confirmed that the app’s ratings will be based on device types, which is informed to all app developers through a updateon the Google Play Store console. This new update, pending for a long time, was first spoken about in August 2021 and finally released in September 2022.
- For any app in the Google Play Store, you can now see the message on the “Reviews and Ratings” spot, which confirms that the reviews and scores are from existing app users who use the same type of device. Although the number of reviews might differ according to the user’s device, the averages will remain the same.
- For instance, if your app has around 1.5 million ratings on Pixel 6, it might show 1,00,000 on a tablet. But, the rating will remain the same in both places. Hence, it is evident that for every form factor, different metrics are considered.
Conclusion.
To enhance the device and app experience for its users, Google Play will display ratings and reviews according to user groups using specific devices. This new feature is more critical as android apps are beginning to adapt to several new form factors.
Therefore, a user running your app in chrome OS will experience your app differently than one using a tablet. So, staying informed of the Google Play Store policy changes is vital to revise your marketing and user acquisition strategies effectively.