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Apple and Google separate review retrieval from replying, but their APIs expose different slices of feedback. App Store Connect lets you list reviews at app or version level and manage a public response for a review. Google Play’s Reply to Reviews API covers only production reviews with written comments created or changed in the last week; older history requires a Play Console CSV export.
Choose the API workflow that matches the store
For Apple, use the App Store Connect API’s Customer Reviews resources to list reviews, inspect a review by its resource ID, and then use the separate Customer Review Responses operations to manage the response. For Google Play, use the Reply to Reviews API to retrieve eligible reviews and POST a reply.
The APIs are not equivalent archives. Apple documents app-wide and app-version review listings, territory and rating filters, sorting, and review summaries; the cited Customer Reviews documentation does not establish an unlimited-history guarantee. Google explicitly restricts its API to reviews created or modified within the last week and to production reviews that include written comments.
Read App Store reviews and manage their responses
List reviews, then retain the review resource ID
Apple’s Customer Reviews resource supports listing reviews for an app, listing reviews for a particular App Store version, and reading a single review by resource ID. The list operations document filters for territory and rating, sorting by date or rating, and the option to include or exclude reviews that already have published responses. See Apple’s Customer Reviews API documentation for the current endpoint details.
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Apple also provides review summaries by territory. These are API-provided AI-generated summaries, not raw reviews; use the underlying reviews when you need to inspect individual customer comments.
Create, update, or delete a response
Retrieving a review and replying to it are separate operations. First obtain the review’s resource ID, then use the Customer Review Responses operations to get, create or update, or delete its response. A review has at most one response, and create/update is associated with the review’s resource ID. Apple’s Customer Review Responses API documentation describes these operations.
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Apple’s App Store Connect interface also lets authorized users post, edit, and delete a public response. Apple identifies Account Holder, Admin, and Customer Support as roles that can reply. A response may take up to 24 hours to appear on the App Store product page; while it is pending, App Store Connect marks it as pending. See Apple’s Respond to reviews help page.
Read Google Play reviews with the Reply to Reviews API
Retrieve a list or a single review
Use the Google Play Developer API’s Reply to Reviews API with the app’s package name and authorization. Its GET operation can retrieve a review list or an individual review. Review records can include the review ID, author name, text, star rating, timestamps, and an existing developer reply. The REST resource also documents fields such as reviewer language, device and app version, thumbs-up and thumbs-down counts, and original text when translation is used; individual fields may be absent. See Google’s Reply to Reviews guide and REST resource reference.
Understand what the API leaves out
- Time window: The guide, last updated 2025-12-18 UTC, says the API returns only reviews created or modified in the last week. Google points developers to a CSV download in Play Console for older review history.
- App version: The API covers production versions. Alpha and beta feedback is available in Play Console instead.
- Written comments: The API exposes reviews with comments, not rating-only feedback.
Paginate and handle translated text
Google returns 10 reviews per page by default. Set maxResults to request up to 100, then follow nextPageToken to retrieve subsequent pages. The most recently created or modified review appears first.
To request automatic translation, supply the translationLanguage query parameter. When Google translates a review into a different language, text contains the translated version and originalText contains the original. Preserve both if your workflow needs the customer’s wording. Do not assume the reviewer-language field necessarily identifies the language in which the review was written.
Reply to Google Play reviews
Send the reply request
Google’s reply method is POST https://androidpublisher.googleapis.com/androidpublisher/v3/applications/{packageName}/reviews/{reviewId}:reply. The JSON request body contains replyText; the method documents the OAuth scope https://www.googleapis.com/auth/androidpublisher. Google documents authorization with an OAuth client or service account; a service account needs the “Reply to reviews” permission. Replies are public, HTML is removed, and the guide sets a maximum of 350 characters.
Know when Google notifies the reviewer
- Google notifies the user after the developer replies to a review for the first time.
- Editing the developer’s reply by itself does not send another notification.
- If the user changes their review and the developer then updates the reply, Google sends a notification.
Because replies appear publicly, do not include sensitive information about a user. Google also discourages automated replies intended to be manually updated later.
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Compare the two review workflows
| Workflow detail | Apple App Store Connect | Google Play Reply to Reviews API |
|---|---|---|
| Review scope | App-wide or app-version lists; territory and rating filters and sorting are documented. | Production reviews with written comments; not alpha/beta or rating-only feedback through this API. |
| History | The cited Customer Reviews page does not state a comparable retrieval window or guarantee unlimited history. | Reviews created or modified in the last week; use a Play Console CSV download for older history. |
| Reading operations | List app reviews, list version reviews, read a review, and obtain territory-based review summaries. | GET a list or one review; paginate with a token and optionally request translated text. |
| Reply operations | Separate response resource supports get, create/update, and delete; one response per review. | POST reviews.reply creates or updates a reply. |
| Authorization | Use Apple’s current API authorization guidance; the cited endpoint pages do not establish token or key setup steps. | OAuth client or service account; service accounts need “Reply to reviews” permission and the Android Publisher OAuth scope. |
| Operational limits | The cited response documentation does not establish a response character limit or API quota. | 10 results per page by default, up to 100; 350-character reply; 200 GET requests per hour and 2,000 POST requests per day per app, as stated in the guide last updated 2025-12-18 UTC. |
| Public behavior | One response per review appears on the product page; display may take up to 24 hours. | Public reply; notifications depend on whether it is a first reply, an edit alone, or an edit following a user review change. |
Plan a reliable review integration
- Use the correct identifier for each platform: the App Store Connect app and review resource IDs for Apple, and the package name and review ID for Google.
- Keep retrieval and response operations separate in your workflow; store the review ID needed to reply or change a response.
- Paginate Google results and account for its one-week window. Export older history from Play Console when required.
- Preserve original review text when requesting Google translation, and treat optional resource fields as potentially absent.
- Protect public replies from personal or sensitive data, and avoid a workflow that posts automated replies expecting a person to revise them later.
- Check current platform authorization guidance and quotas before deployment. Google’s published quota figures above are from its guide last updated 2025-12-18 UTC.
The official API documentation describes retrieval, response behavior, and operational limits; it does not establish that replying causes a rating increase, conversion lift, or particular support outcome.
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