Google Play Now Lets Developers Reply to User Reviews  

Trevor Johns:

That’s why we’re adding the ability for Google Play developers to respond to reviews from the Google Play Android Developer Console. Developers can gather additional information, provide guidance, and — perhaps most importantly — let users know when their feature requests have been implemented.

We’ll also notify the user who wrote the review via email that the developer has responded. Users can then contact the developer directly if additional followup is needed or update their review.

In my look at four years of App Store, I left out the part about developer replies to user reviews, as it’s a feature request that has come up several times over the years, and I wanted to focus on different issues. But almost every developer I contacted included the possibility of getting in touch with App Store customers in the “wish list” of improvements Apple should consider.

Good move by Google, even if “inspired” by the things Apple isn’t doing on the App Store. I hope Apple follows soon.