Google has continued to encourage communication between developers and users on Google Play after it begin to allow all developers to respond to comments and reviews about their apps in its download store.
The search giant first began letting ‘top’ developers — those listed with top developer badges — reply to comments directly in June 2012, and now it is opening the feature to all devs, as Droid Life spotted. The blog provides the below screenshot of a response from Dave Kover — the developer behind a range of design-focused apps — who noticed that he was able to answer comments despite not being one of Google Play’s top developers.
It is worth noting that this is not yet available to all developers, as a Google spokesperson told us:
“The feature originally rolled out to top developers, and we’re gradually expanding it to additional Google Play developers.”
The expansion of commenting hasn’t yet been announced by Google but it is another move to establish better relationships between app makers and their customers. That’s aimed at overcoming the lack of communication that can be a sore spot for some in other app stores, such as Apple’s.
Google has already removed the cloak of anonymity from Google Play reviews and comments with the aim of improving the quality — after it began forcing users to sign in with a Google+ account last November — and now developers are able to provide feedback to criticism or concerns, and answer questions.
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That’s a big deal because user reviews and comments are something many people read before making the final decision to download an app. Allowing developers to provide a response to all feedback (particularly criticisms) gives them a chance to handle less-positive feedback or provide clarity on issues that, if left unanswered, might put off potential new users from downloading their app.
We’ve contacted Google for any additional details that the company may have.
This post has been updated following comment from Google
Image zallio / Flickr
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