Store rating / review response checklist during a live-ops controversy

During a pity, pack or economy controversy, ratings move while paid UA is still scaling. Apple’s ratings, reviews and responses page and Respond to reviews help define what operators may do on the App Store product page. This checklist does not invent Play-specific reply quotas beyond directing teams to check current Play Console review tools separately.

Checklist

1. Stand up roles. App Store Connect Admin or Customer Support can reply. Confirm who owns replies before the event starts.
2. Triage, do not argue. Prioritise lowest star ratings and technical issues on the current version. Keep replies concise, respectful, free of personal information, marketing language or spam.
3. Acknowledge the live-ops fact. If a pity timer, pack price or bug is real, say you are investigating or shipping a fix. Do not promise unshipped compensation in the public reply thread.
4. Move account issues off-store. Point players to in-app or email support for refunds and account restoration; the review thread is not a ticket system.
5. Report, do not duel, offensive content. Use Report a Concern for spam or terms violations; the reviewer is not notified.
6. After the fix ships. Put the fix in release notes and reply to relevant older reviews so reviewers can update. Apple notifies the reviewer when you respond.
7. Rating reset is last resort. Summary ratings can be reset on a new version; written reviews remain. Apple recommends using reset sparingly because thin rating counts discourage downloads.
8. Expect latency. Responses may take up to 24 hours to appear; pending state shows in App Store Connect.
9. UA coordination. Pause creatives that restate the contested economy claim until the store reply line and in-game messaging match.

Facts vs limits

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Research checked 20 September 2026. Local draft; human editorial review pending.