The short answer
To respond to an App Store review, sign in to App Store Connect with the Account Holder, Admin or Customer Support role, open your app, choose Ratings and Reviews, select the platform, click Reply next to the review, write your response and submit. It can take up to 24 hours to appear. The reviewer is notified and can update their review, and you can edit or delete your response at any time.
- Only Account Holder, Admin and Customer Support roles can respond, and anyone with those roles can edit a colleague's response.
- Responses show as pending for up to 24 hours before they appear on the App Store.
- Users are notified of your reply and can update their review, so fixing a bug and saying so often pays off.
- Use Report a Concern, not a reply, for offensive or spam reviews; the reviewer isn't told you reported it.
Who can respond to App Store reviews
Developer responses live in App Store Connect, not in the App Store app. Apple limits them to three roles: Account Holder, Admin and Customer Support. The Customer Support role is useful for support staff who should answer reviews without seeing sales or touching builds; when they open an app they go straight to Ratings and Reviews.
Responses belong to the team, not the person. Apple notes that you don't need to be the author of a response to edit it. That's helpful when a support lead tidies up replies, but it also means you should agree a house style so the tone doesn't swing from reply to reply.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where do I reply? | App Store Connect > your app > Ratings and Reviews |
| Required role | Account Holder, Admin or Customer Support |
| Public or private? | Public on your product page; there is no private reply |
| How fast does it appear? | Up to 24 hours; shown as pending until then |
| Responses per review | One response appears per review; the latest version is shown |
| Is the user notified? | Yes, and they can update their review |
| Edit or delete? | Yes, at any time, by anyone with a permitted role |
| Abusive or spam reviews | Use Report a Concern instead of replying |
How to respond in App Store Connect
Open your app
Sign in to App Store Connect, go to Apps and select the app.
Go to Ratings and Reviews
It's in the sidebar. Choose the platform in the top right (iOS, macOS, visionOS and so on), since reviews are listed per platform.
Click Reply
Find the review and click Reply next to it. Filter by rating or territory to work through the most urgent ones first.
Write and submit
Enter your response in the dialog and click Submit. It will show as pending for up to 24 hours.
Edit or delete later
Click Edit Response next to the review. Change the text and Save, or choose Delete Response to remove it.
If you handle hundreds of reviews, the App Store Connect API has an endpoint to create or replace a response to a customer review, which is how most support tools plug in. The writing advice below applies whichever way you post.
Which reviews to answer first
Apple's own suggestion, if you can't answer everything, is to prioritize reviews with the lowest star ratings and those that mention technical issues with the current version. That matches what we see: a 1-star review saying "crashes on launch since the update" is read by every potential user deciding whether to install today.
- Bug reports on the current version: confirm you've reproduced it and when a fix ships.
- Feature confusion: point to the exact screen or setting. Many 2-star reviews are about features that already exist.
- Billing and download problems: Apple handles these. Direct the user to Apple Support rather than promising a refund yourself.
- Detailed positive reviews: a short thanks encourages more of them and shows an active team.
Example App Store developer responses
App users read on a small screen, often mid-download. Keep responses short, concrete and free of marketing. Apple specifically asks you to leave out personal information, marketing language and spam.
Crash after an update
App crashes every time I open it since the latest update. Useless now.
Sorry about this. We've reproduced a crash affecting some devices on the latest OS version and a fix is in review now. Once version 4.2.1 is live, updating should solve it. If it doesn't, tap Help in Settings and our team will look at your device directly.
Feature exists but hidden
No way to export my data. Dealbreaker.
Thanks for the feedback. Export is available under Settings > Data > Export as CSV, but we hear it's too hard to find, so we're adding it to the main menu in the next update.
Subscription billing complaint
Charged twice for my subscription! Want my money back.
We're sorry for the trouble. Subscription payments and refunds are handled by Apple, so please request a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com, where Apple can see both charges. If you need help checking which plan is active, contact us from Help in the app.
Positive review with a request
Love this app, use it every day. Would be perfect with a dark mode.
Thank you, that means a lot to a small team. Dark mode is the most requested feature we have and it's being built now. Keep an eye on the release notes.
- Crash after an update: Confirms the bug, gives a concrete version number, and points to an in-app support route instead of asking for personal details.
- Feature exists but hidden: Solves the problem in one line and admits the design flaw, which is more credible than just saying "it already exists".
- Subscription billing complaint: Apple advises directing download and billing problems to Apple Support. This does so without sounding like a brush-off.
- Positive review with a request: Brief, warm, and the specific promise is honest without committing to a date.
For general tone, our 3-star review responses and replies to reviews with suggestions translate well to app feedback.
Reporting reviews, rating prompts and resets
Report a Concern. For reviews containing offensive material, spam or anything else that breaks Apple's terms, use Report a Concern under the review in App Store Connect rather than replying. Apple says the reviewer isn't notified that you reported it.
Asking for ratings. Inside the app, Apple's system prompt can be shown up to three times in a 365-day period. Use those moments when the user has just had a good experience, but never gate the prompt on whether they seem happy or offer rewards for ratings.
Resetting your summary rating. When you release a new version you can reset the summary rating for each territory. Apple recommends using it sparingly, and it doesn't remove written reviews, which keep showing on the product page.
Do
- Reply in the language the review was written in.
- Give version numbers and exact menu paths.
- Update your response when the fix ships.
Don't
- Paste release notes or promotions into responses.
- Ask users for email addresses or account details in public.
- Argue with a review about a feature you won't build; thank them and move on.
If you also run a physical business, say a studio or clinic with its own app, the reviews that drive walk-in customers are on Google. That's what Responsly handles: AI replies to Google reviews. It doesn't reply on the App Store.
Sources
- App Store Connect Help: Respond to reviews — Roles, steps, edit/delete, 24-hour pending, one response shown
- Apple Developer: Ratings, reviews, and responses — Notification, Report a Concern, prioritization, tone, rating prompts, summary rating reset
- App Store Connect API: Create or update a response to a customer review — API endpoint for responses