Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is implementing a new change to its ratings and reviews to combat suspicious reviews.
- The change will delay the publishing of new reviews by 24 hours after submission.
- Developers will still be able to see and reply to newly submitted reviews.
App reviews and ratings play an important role in marketplaces like the Google Play Store. Not only do they inform potential users, but developers can also use that feedback to improve the app. However, it’s not uncommon for suspicious reviews to flood the reviews section, which doesn’t help anyone. Google is now working on a way to fight against suspicious ratings and reviews in its store.
As discovered by Mishaal Rahman, Google has announced that it will be making changes to its ratings and reviews system. According to the announcement, the tech giant states that it will be introducing a delay when users submit a review or rating. After around 24 hours, the rating or review will be published.
Google is introducing a delay of ~24 hours between when users submit ratings or reviews on Google Play to when they’re published for others to see. This is to help reduce suspicious ratings or reviews activity, Google says. pic.twitter.com/ugO7Qeusaa
If you’re the developer, Google says you’ll still be able to see and reply to all reviews and ratings when they are submitted. However, those reviews and ratings will be private until the 24-hour period is up.
This new change to the Google Play Store ratings and reviews system should better protect app developers from things like review bombing — where users intentionally give poor reviews in an attempt to harm an app’s sales or popularity for reasons unrelated to its quality. At the same time, it should also result in higher quality reviews that give a better representation of what using the app is like.
Hopefully, this change will help users and developers the way Google is intending.
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