Reviewing Apps in iTunes

I thought I’d give a quick “How To” on reviewing apps in iTunes, both on your computer and your device. It’s something I’m not always the best at doing but I think it’s important for several reasons. First, reviews let potential buyers know how other users feel about an app. Second, reviews are an important way of giving feedback to developers. Feedback spurs on app updates which can fix bugs and improve already terrific apps. A definite win for app users!

So let’s take a look at how it’s done.

In iTunes on your computer:

• When you are in the App Store pull up the app that you would like to rate or review.
• Scroll down below the app’s screenshots, this is where you will find the reviews.
• You will see the Customer Ratings, showing you the average rating for the current version and a breakdown of votes for each number of stars.
• To the right of this you’ll see the words “Rate this Application” followed by five stars.
• Hover over the number of stars you’d like to rate the app and click. You’ll notice phrases explaining what each number means as you hover. Once you’ve tapped you’ll get a “Thanks!”
• Scroll down just a little farther and you’ll see “Customer Reviews” followed by “Write a Review”. Tap this link if you’d like to type up a review that will appear in iTunes.
• You will be able to rate the app (see above) and give your review a title. You’ll then have 6000 characters to express your opinion in a review. Guidelines are given on writing a good review and Apple states that if a review is inappropriate it will not be posted in the App Store.
• Click the submit button and you’re done. You’ve provided your two cents for fellow App Store users.
• Worth noting: You’ll find a link to the app’s support page near the review submission section. If you’re having trouble with the app it’s probably a good idea to follow this link before you write a scathing review. The issue might be easily solved or it might even be user error.
• Also worth noting: Only those who own an app can rate it or leave a review. This means that the ratings and reviews you read are submitted by those who have used the app. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that a developer hasn’t gotten on and posted their own review. Yes, I’ve seen that done.

From the App Store on your iPhone~iPad~iPod Touch:

• Open up the App Store app on your device.
• Scroll down towards the bottom of the screen, below the screenshots.
• You will see a button that shows the number of ratings the app has received. It will also show the average number of stars received. Tap on this.
• Now you are on the reviews screen. Tap on the button that says “Write a Review” and you will be asked to enter in your Apple ID. This is to ensure you actually own the app.
• You’re now on the screen where you can rate and review the app. Tap on the stars to rate and/or write your review. Tap send when you’re done and there you go!
• These are the steps for using an iPhone. I’m unable to test on an iPad or iPod Touch at the moment but the basics should be the same or only slightly different.

We’ve probably all used an app that’s persisted with pop-ups asking us to rate an app. If you choose to do it then you’ll be taken to the App Store on your device and you can go through the process I mentioned above. I usually resist the pop-ups for awhile and then give in just to get them to stop. Which proves their effectiveness I suppose!