Misleading App Store reviews

As an app publisher I’d like to keep on top of the comments that are coming in about my application but one or two star reviews without any sort of text to guide me or potential app buyers aren’t constructive to the whole app-buying process.

The ability to leave comments as you delete an application hinders applications as a whole. The chances are that you’re removing the application from your iPhone because you didn’t like it. But why? These are the things developers need to know so they can improve the application for future buyers and future updates. Customers see poor ratings and assume that it must not be a good application when the real reason for a bad review could come from a variety of places (software version, memory available, bought the wrong application for your needs, etc)

Furthermore, people aren’t going to randomly post a glowing review of an application. They’re going to review it if they’re unhappy to let others know that they’re unhappy. Just as people would spread the word to boycott products in the early/mid 1900’s, this is the digital version of that. No one walks around going, “I love this detergent! It gets my clothes so clean!”

Finally, reviews without comments are unhelpful and misleading for potential customers and buyers of the application. They ask themselves, “Why does the application have a two-star rating?” Is it because it’s buggy? Is it because not all of the features work as advertised? Or is it just because people don’t like it? So then they look somewhere else and the product they want or need doesn’t make it onto their iPhone because they were misled by a few meaningless stars.

If Apple wants to continue to allowing users to submit reviews upon deletion than they need to provide an additional box with options for the user to select as to why they are deleting the application. In the long run this will lead to a better customer-developer relationship as the developer can address concerns as quickly as possible.