How to respond to App Store reviews: method and templates

To respond to App Store reviews, open your app in App Store Connect, go to Ratings and Reviews, then click Reply next to the review. Your reply is public, it shows up within 24 hours, and the reviewer gets notified, so they can then update their review. You can reply to any review, even old ones, and edit or delete your reply whenever you want.

Apple has one rule for this, 5.6.1: stay respectful, address the specific comment, no personal data, no advertising or spam. This guide gives you the method, then reply templates for each case. Everything comes from Apple's pages, reread on November 3, 2026.

I publish my own iOS apps: Solys, TradaZen, Nolera and Vigie. This guide is about reviews your customers leave on the App Store. If you need to reply to Apple's review team after a rejection, read responding to App Review instead.

Where to respond to App Store reviews

App Store Connect Help on responses gives the steps:

1. In Apps, select your app.
2. In the sidebar, click Ratings and Reviews.
3. In the top right, choose the platform.
4. Find the review, then click Reply.
5. Write your reply and click Submit.

You need the Account Holder, Admin or Customer Support role. With only the Customer Support role, you land directly on Ratings and Reviews after picking the app: that's the role to give whoever handles your support.

The page on viewing reviews adds two useful settings. The menu in the top left picks the country or region. Filters sort by app version, by rating, or by reviews that were edited or already have a reply.

You can reply to reviews for iOS, macOS, watchOS and visionOS apps. On Apple TV, customers only leave a rating, no text. If you get a lot of reviews, the App Store Connect API lets you read them and manage your replies from a script.

Timing, editing and deleting

Based on the ratings and reviews overview and the page on responses:

Question	Apple's answer
When does the reply appear?	Within 24 hours, "pending" until then
How many replies per review?	Only one shows on the product page
Can you edit it?	Yes, anytime, with an "edited" label
Can you delete it?	Yes: Edit Response, then Delete Response
Who can edit it?	Any team member with the right role, not just the author
Is the customer notified?	Yes, and they can update their review
What if the customer edits their review?	Your reply stays visible

If you fix a typo right after sending, the person gets only one notification for all your edits. And when a customer edits a review you replied to, Admin and Customer Support users get notified, as long as they turned notifications on.

Everything is public: ratings, reviews and your replies. Write every reply for the visitor who'll read it six months from now, not just for the reviewer.

Apple's rules for your replies

Guideline 5.6.1 of the App Review Guidelines says: "Keep your responses targeted to the user's comments and do not include personal information, spam, or marketing in your response." Your reply addresses the comment, with no personal data, no spam, no advertising. The intro to section 5.6 adds respect for everyone and bans harassment and intimidation. The details are in the developer code of conduct.

Apple's page on ratings, reviews and responses goes further:

• A concise reply that addresses the customer's feedback, in a friendly tone consistent with your brand.
• Personalize rather than copying a generic reply across similar reviews.
• If you can't handle everything, start with the lowest ratings and technical issues in the current version.
• A payment or download issue gets redirected to Apple Support.
• An abusive review or spam gets reported, not answered. Use Report a Concern under the review: its author isn't notified.
• A customer review can only go in your advertising with its author's consent. Your rating, on the other hand, can be used if it's accurate.

Here's what I take from it, case by case:

The review is about...	What you do
A bug in the current version	Reply fast, then come back after the fix
A payment or a download	Redirect to Apple Support
A price or a subscription	Explain what it pays for and how to cancel
A missing feature	Say thanks, without promising a date
A feature that already exists	Say where to find it
An enthusiastic review	Say thanks, mentioning what the person liked
An insult or spam	Report a Concern, no reply

Does replying raise your rating?

Apple says replying can help improve your rating, with no numbers to back it up. I found no official measurement of this effect. Here's what's established.

Your product page shows an overall rating per country or region. It also appears in search results. A rating's country is the one where the person first got the app. When you reply, the person is notified and can edit their review. If they do, only their latest version is shown.

In some countries, including the United States, the App Store also shows a review summary once an app has enough reviews. That summary is written by language models. If it looks wrong to you, you can report it in App Store Connect.

Last lever: resetting your rating, offered with each new version. Apple's help says it applies to all countries at once, written reviews stay visible, and you can't undo it. Apple advises using it sparingly, because a page with few ratings can put people off.

Reply templates to copy

These are frameworks, not finished replies. Apple prefers personalized replies: replace every bracket, and change at least one sentence each time. Four rules apply to all of them:

• Reply in the review's language.
• No personal data: no email, no order number, no customer account details.
• No promotion: no offer, no link to another app.
• No specific prices: they vary by country.

To point people to your support, give the path in the app or the support URL on your product page. Apple recommends making that contact easy to find, both in the app and on the page.

A reported bug:

Hi, thanks for taking the time to write. [The problem described]
shouldn't happen, and I'm fixing it. In the meantime, [workaround,
if there is one]. If the problem continues, message me from [Settings] >
[Help], with your iPhone model and iOS version.

The same bug, once fixed:

Good news: version [x.y.z] fixes [the problem] you reported.
Thanks, your review helped me find it. If anything's still
off, message me from [Settings] > [Help].

The price:

Thanks for the honest feedback. [What stays free] is free.
The subscription pays for [what it really funds: servers, AI,
new features]. I understand it's not for everyone.

A charge after the free trial:

Hi, sorry for the unpleasant surprise. When the free trial ends,
the subscription becomes paid unless it's canceled before then.
To cancel: Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions > [App] >
Cancel Subscription. Refunds are Apple's decision:
you can request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.

A missing feature:

Thanks for the idea. [Requested feature] doesn't exist yet. I'm
noting it for future versions, but I can't promise a
date. To tell me more: [Settings] > [Help].

A feature that already exists:

Thanks for your feedback. [Feature] does exist: you'll find it in
[tab] > [button]. I'll make it easier to spot.

An enthusiastic review:

Thank you! Glad [what the person mentioned] helps you every
[morning, day, session]. If anything ever goes wrong, message me
from [Settings] > [Help].

The cancellation steps come from Apple's page Cancel a subscription from Apple. Refunds go through Apple's page Request a refund. Only write "I'm noting it" or "I'll make it easier to spot" if it's true.

My case: a forgotten trial, then a refund request

I get an alert for every refund request on three of my apps. In October 2026, someone requested a refund for their TradaZen subscription, with the reason "unintended purchase." They'd started a seven-day free trial, then the first charge went through.

I don't decide: Apple rules on refund requests. So the same complaint, written as a review, calls for the same reply as the template above: how to cancel, where to request a refund, no arguing or justifying.

The reply calms one person down. What prevents the next reviews gets fixed in the app, with a trial clearly announced before purchase. The method is in the introductory offer and free trial.

Getting reviews: the in-app request

Replying to reviews only matters if you have some. To show a review request in your app, only the system prompt is allowed: 5.6.1 rejects homemade rating pop-ups. The rules fit in a few lines, based on the StoreKit documentation and Apple's design guidelines:

• The system shows the prompt at most three times per app per 365-day period. Each person can also turn it off for all their apps.
• Ask after real usage, a completed task or a finished level. Never on first launch or during onboarding.
• Leave at least one to two weeks between requests.
• Don't trigger it from a button. For a "Rate the app" button, open your product page with ?action=write-review at the end of its URL.

I learned the onboarding rule from a rejection on Solys, told in guideline 5.6.3. The request now only shows after a won demo.

The routine I recommend

• Every week, filter reviews by rating and handle the lowest first.
• After every major version, reply quickly to new reviews: Apple recommends it, it's when people are most willing to write.
• Turn on email alerts for edited reviews, to see the effect of your replies.
• Report insults and spam, without replying.
• When a fix ships, mention it in the version's release notes, then go back to the reviews that reported it.
• Track your rating and visibility over time, with the method in tracking your app's ranking.

Make your whole product page work

Reviews are read on your product page, next to your name, your screenshots and your description. The ASO Kit brings together my keyword method, product page templates and the skill that translates your page into 30 languages. The full method is on the App Store ASO page.

If you're preparing your first launch, take your free diagnostic: it puts the steps in order and sends you my Apple anti-rejection checklist.

Frequently asked questions

How do I respond to a review on the App Store?

In App Store Connect, open your app, then Ratings and Reviews. Choose the platform, find the review and click Reply. You need the Account Holder, Admin or Customer Support role.

How long does it take for a reply to appear on the App Store?

Up to 24 hours. Until then, it stays "pending" in App Store Connect. Only one reply per review shows on your product page.

Can you delete a negative review on the App Store?

No. You can reply, or report the review with Report a Concern if it's abusive, spam, or violates Apple's terms. Resetting your rating with a new version clears the overall rating, not the written reviews.

Is the person notified when I reply to their review?

Yes. They get a notification and can update their review. If you edit your reply several times in a short period, they only get one notification.

Can you reply to an old review on the App Store?

Yes. Apple lets you reply to any review, whatever its date. It's useful when a version fixes a problem reported months ago.

Can you quote a customer review in your advertising?

Only with its author's consent, according to Apple. Your average rating can be quoted if it reflects your current rating.