Ratings & Review on the Play Store

On this page you can find information about ratings and reviews on Google Play, as well Google’s policies for posting reviews.

You can write reviews for anything you've purchased or rented from Google Play. Reviews are a great way to help others decide what to get by telling them about your experience. Google doesn't pay anyone to rate or review content on Play, and we expect reviewers to be honest and unbiased.

How ratings are calculated

Play Store ratings for apps, and the corresponding bar graphs showing the proportional number of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 star reviews, are calculated based on the app's current quality ratings from user reviews, rather than the lifetime average value of user reviews, unless the app has very few ratings. This gives users more insight into the app, and a better understanding of its current state, since apps can change over time, and often add and remove features. We show the total lifetime number of reviews as this provides users with valuable information about the app's use and longevity.

Ratings for other content on the Play Store (books, movies, tv shows) are calculated based on the lifetime average value of user reviews of that content.

What others will see when you leave a review

Most reviews are visible to everyone, and the Play Store app will indicate whether your review will be public or private.

Public reviews will show your name and image from your Google account and past review edits to anyone who uses Play (including developers). Private reviews are usually for apps in early access or beta testing, and only the developer can see your review, including your name and, account image from your Google account, and past edits. For both public and private reviews, developers are also able to see your language, device and country and device information (such as language, model, and OS version). Developers can also reply to reviews and may use this information to reply to you. If you edit a review, other users and developers can still see past edits unless you delete the review.

Ratings and reviews posting policies

Ratings and reviews are meant to be helpful and trustworthy. Reviewing content on Play is a great way to share helpful feedback and assist other Play users in finding great content and services.

Guidelines for writing a good review

• Make your reviews useful and informative.
• Try to include both positives and drawbacks.
• Keep it readable; check grammar and spelling, and don't use excessive capitalization and punctuation.
• Be nice to others.

Google Play's policies for ratings and reviews are below. Reviews that don't follow these policies will be removed, and anyone who repeatedly or egregiously violates them may lose the ability to post reviews on Google Play.

Spam and fake reviews

Your reviews should reflect the experience you've had with the content or service you're reviewing.

• Don't post fake or inaccurate reviews.
• Don't post the same review multiple times.
• Don't post reviews for the same content from multiple accounts.
• Don't post reviews to mislead other users or manipulate the rating.
• Don't post reviews on behalf of others.
• Don't misrepresent your identity or your connection to the content you're reviewing.

Off-topic reviews

Keep reviews on-topic and relevant to the content, service, or experience you're reviewing.

• Don't post solicitations, political or social commentary, or anything else that is irrelevant to the content, service, or experience you're reviewing.

Advertising

We want reviews to be useful, and they aren't useful if they're promoting something other than the content or service you're reviewing.

• Don't post promotional or commercial content for any products or services, including affiliate or referral-based promotions.
• Don't post phone numbers, email addresses, or links to other websites.

Conflict of interest

Reviews are most valuable when they're genuine and unbiased. They should be written by people who aren't motivated by financial gain.

• Don't offer or accept money, products, or services in exchange for posting reviews.
• Don't review content, services, or experiences if you own or work for the business that created it.

Copyrighted content

Reviews should be your own and reflect your personal opinions.

• Don't post reviews that infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, including copyright.

Learn how to remove copyrighted content

Personal and confidential information

Reviews are meant to share experiences, and you can express the way you feel about something without revealing sensitive personal information.

• Don't post personal or confidential information, such as a physical address or driver's license number.

Illegal content

Your reviews must comply with the law and any terms or legal agreements you have agreed to.

• Don't post reviews that contain or link to illegal content.

Sexually explicit content

Google Play is intended for a broad audience, and reviews should reflect that.

• Don't post reviews that contain, promote, or solicit sexually explicit content.
• Don't post reviews that depict children in sexual situations or address them in a sexual manner.

Hate speech

Google Play is intended for all people, and reviews should reflect that.

• Don't promote violence, condone violence, or incite hatred toward an individual or group based on their race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic that is associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization.

Offensive reviews

Google Play is meant to entertain and inform, not attack and offend.

• Don't post obscene, profane, or offensive language.
• Don't post reviews that harass, bully, or attack others.