📱 Mobile

App Rating Prompt / In-App Review

rating prompt · in-app review · app review prompt · review request · skstorereviewcontroller · in app review api · ask for a rating

Definition

An app rating prompt is the native system dialogue for rating an app, driven through the official store APIs and shown at carefully chosen moments in order to maximise positive reviews.

Why the moment of the request matters

An app’s store rating is a direct ranking factor for the App Store and Google Play. Highly rated
apps take better positions in search and collect more organic installs. At the same time it takes
relatively few poor ratings to drag an average below 4.0 — the level at which many users decline to
install at all.

The native APIs give you a limited number of chances to show the dialogue. On iOS that is no more
than three times in 365 days. Spending those slots on the right moment has a direct effect on
the final rating.

When to show a rating prompt

Good moments come after a positive event:

Completing a first successful purchase
Receiving and confirming an order
A successful return or a problem resolved through support
After an Nth purchase, for the loyal segment
After an achievement in gamification, where it exists

Bad moments:

Immediately after install or on the first launch
In the middle of checkout
After an error or a negative event
On a fixed timer, such as “three days after install”

Implementation on iOS versus Android

Parameter	iOS (StoreKit review request)	Android (In-App Review API)
Display limit	3 times per 365 days	No hard limit
Control over display	The system can decline the call	More predictable
Dialogue customisation	None (system UI only)	None
Redirecting to the store	Prohibited by Apple’s rules	Allowed for extra feedback

On iOS there is no way to know whether the dialogue was actually shown — Apple hides that
behaviour. Log only the moment of the call and do not rely on a callback.

A strategy for an e-commerce app

The optimal mechanic is to show an internal mini-survey first — “Are you enjoying the app?” Users
who answer positively are routed to the native rating dialogue; unhappy users are routed to an
in-app feedback form.

Implemented correctly this does not break store rules — what is prohibited is gating the store
prompt on a positive answer in order to manipulate the rating — but it does channel negative
sentiment somewhere constructive.

Important: Apple prohibits any reward in exchange for a rating. Do not offer discounts, bonus
points or other incentives for going through the rating dialogue — it breaches the App Store
Review Guidelines and risks the app being pulled.

Frequently asked questions

Can the rating dialogue be shown whenever you like?

On iOS, no. The StoreKit review request is limited to three displays per 365 days per device, and once the limit is reached the call is silently ignored. Android's In-App Review API is less restrictive on frequency, but Google recommends showing the dialogue no more than once every two months.

Why should you not show a rating prompt straight after install?

The user has not yet formed an opinion about the app. Conversion into a positive rating will be low, and the three permitted prompts for the year will have been wasted. The moment of the request has to coincide with a positive experience.

How does a rating prompt affect ASO?

Rating and review count are explicit ranking signals in the App Store and Google Play. Apps with a rating of 4.5 or above and a large number of recent ratings get an advantage in organic results. Recency matters: old ratings carry less weight.