After a pilot program that began last year and was expanded in January, Google has announced that all developers can now reply to reviews of their apps on Google Play. This ability will allow developers to complete the circuit of communication, offering them the ability to create a conversation, rather than a one-sided complaint forum. This is something that I’ve been waiting for Apple to do for some time now, especially since its acquisition of Chomp, so bravo to Google. “You can reply to user reviews in the Google Play Developer Console, and your replies are shown publicly below the corresponding user review on Google Play,” says Google Play Product Manager Ellie Powers. “Users receive an email notification when you reply and can either reply to you directly by email, or update their review if they choose to do so — though keep in mind that users are not obligated to update their reviews.”
