Go to the App Store and rate your 5 favorite apps right now!

By Rene Ritchie
published

I too hate it when Instagram and other apps continuously popup pleas for ratings. It's an interception of user experience, which makes it jarring, and it happens over and over again, whether I rate the app or not, which makes it intolerable. I understand completely John Gruber's feelings on Daring Fireball:

I’ve long considered a public campaign against this particular practice, wherein I’d encourage Daring Fireball readers, whenever they encounter these “Please rate this app” prompts, to go ahead and take the time to do it — but to rate the app with just one star and to leave a review along the lines of, “One star for annoying me with a prompt to review the app.”

However, developers' ability to feed their families can very literally rest on the difference between a 3 and a 4+ rating. In the inscrutable world of App Store rankings, ratings hold an enormous amount of power. Sadly, customers are most likely to rate an app when they're upset about something - negative sentiment is the most powerful motivators.

Also, apparently, thanks to auto-updates in iOS 7, the way Apple measures engagement metrics have changed. That means updates don't help developers rank higher or get as much attention (which can translate into downloads or sales) as before. I like Jim Dalrymple's take on The Loop:

There has to be a better solution from Apple to encourage users to rate apps that works for everyone. Users should rate apps and give feedback to the developers so they can make the app better for everyone.

Maybe there's more the media can do as well. Here's an idea: Right now, right this very second, please take a moment to go and rate your five favorite, most-used App Store apps. We'll figure out a way to unobtrusively encourage that regularly going forward. We all want more great apps and the only way to get them is to help make them successful.

Once you've rated your apps, please let me know which ones you rated below!

Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.

67 Comments
  • Fleksy
    Imore
    Lire
    Muxica
    Google search
    Blindsquare Sent from the iMore App
  • Fantastical 2
    Tweetbot 3
    Pocket
    1Password
    Alien Blue
  • Blur
    Dead Ahead
    Bastion
    Puzzlejuice
    Twitteriffic 5 These are the most used on my iPad at the moment. Also liked on Facebook to help spread the word too.
  • Taptapsee Sent from the iMore App
  • I will probably do some more later, for the first round I chose some of my "everyday" apps. Mailbox
    Paprika
    iNow
    Flipboard
    Goodreads
  • My favourite apps are listed below. But first I'd like to suggest that you check out http://getapplr.com. A different take on app reviews and it has a social aspect to it. It asks you to connect to your apple account but you don't have to. I logged in so it would get my apps and then I logged out. Downcast
    Tweetbot 3
    Calendars 5
    Any list (shopping list)
    Mailshot (creates email group lists)
  • Fantastical 2
    Downcast
    Tweetbot 3
    Instagram
    Bible
  • Camera+
    Pocket
    iMPlayer
    Clumsy Ninja
    Mailbox (Even though I don't use it very much, I just find it so darn awesome. I just wish they'd support other email services soon)
    & iMore Sent from the iMore App
  • Added a few more with the help of my nephew:
    Flow
    Dumb Ways To Die
    Fruit Ninja
    Coin Dozer
    Nimble Quest
    Temple Run 2
    Zombie Tsunami Sent from the iMore App
  • Thanks for the reminder. I just rated Camera+, Feedly, 1Password, Sonos, and TWiTPad. I use these programs every day and couldn't imagine that my iPad/iPhone experience would be as great without them.
  • Also, please do periodically remind us to rate apps. If I use it more than a couple of times a week I probably like it and I should rate it.
  • Just rated my five and a bonus. Here are my favorites: 1. 1Password
    2. Evernote
    3. Zite
    4. Tweetbot 3
    5. iMore Bonus
    7. Flipboard
    8. OmniFocus 2 Sent from the iMore App
  • iMore
    The Civil War Today
    Star-Telegram E-Edition
    Next Issue
    Feedly Sent from the iMore App
  • Fantastical
    Tweetbot
    Pocket Casts
    Reeder
    Drafts Thanks for the reminder, Rene!
  • I rated the following:
    Pocket
    USAA Mobile
    Watch ESPN Mobile
    Feedly
    Score Mobile
    It's Bedlam time baby! Sent from the iMore App
  • If they ask me once when I say NO .... and never push me again .... I'll rate them accordingly. Otherwise .... 1 STAR ... and DELETE and never ever download anything from that developer. Same with games....no matter how bad I want a game, any stupid in-app purchase like buy 100,000 block of golds for $99.99 .... oh man!
  • 1. Byline
    2. 1Password
    3. Instacast
    4. Yahoo Sports
    5. ESPN Radio
    bonus: 6. Carbon Fin Outliner
  • Wow, byline is the ugliest RSS reader in the AppStore
  • Pocket Informant
    Weatherbug
    The app for my bank
    Google maps
    Pages I use a number of others near daily also. Like others, I'll dump an app without thought if I find one I like better. It's gotta be a quality app or I'm done with it. Sent from the iMore App
  • It drives me nuts when I'm using an app and every time I open it RATE US! This causes me to not rate it and if I don't absolutely need it, by by. I rate apps if they are great it if they are bad. Takes little time and helps the product going forward, but give me pop ups and no go. Mikey shorts
    Machash
    USA Today
    OneNote ( microsoft one truly great app)
    Digg
  • Rene,
    your missing the part where the developer says " your 5 star reviews powers free updates". It truth most developers just want a 5 star not a truthful one. Sent from the iMore App
  • I regularly rate after a week of use. I update my ratings following updates of my favorite apps. 90% of the time it's to express gratitude and offer reasonable requests that I hope will improve the app because I'd like to continue using it as well as support the developer(s).
    I love it when apps have feedback and ratings support in their settings. 5 of my recent:
    Bible for Kids
    Tweetbot 3
    Toca Hair Salon Me
    Speedtest.net Mobile
    Mathboard (*I do not like being asked to rate apps.
    My #1 app killing experience - greedy, pilfering IAPs.) Sent from the iMore App
  • iMore 1 Star - I'm annoyed with this article
  • May if rating apps was easier. You have to sign in then sign in again. Also, you need to find the app you want to rate, then when it gets updated your comment isn't displayed. It takes time and effort. If I could just quickly submit a review, that would be nicer. Saying that, I will go do that the know. :)
  • As someone without a job at the moment I can appreciate their plight, but begging for reviews via popups that fly out and interrupt me would be like trying to engage customers in a store by walking up and hitting them with my hat. But then again, this is a world where someone thinks a piece of software that turns on an LED to use as a flashlight is worth money. So maybe a lot of these folks are the software world's version of people in the mall that step out in your way and try to sell you e-cigarettes and Dead Sea salt.
  • Fantastical two
    Tweetbot three
    Olivetree Bible plus maps
    iBooks
    List Master
  • 1. My checkbook (Surprise Software)
    2. Voxer
    3. FIFA
    4. Fantastical
    5. iTranslate Sent from the iMore App
  • 1. Zite (better than Flipboard)
    2. Evernote
    3. Kustom Note (use templates or create your own--integrated with Evernote)
    4. WeatherLine/Dark Sky
    5. Square/Register
  • Pocket Informant Pro
    Weatherbug
    iBank
    TomTom USA
    Google Maps
  • Tweetbot 3
    Fantastical 2
    Reeder 2
    iMore
    Drafts
    MoneyWiz
    Pocket
    Launch Center Pro I had already left reviews for these apps, but I resubmitted them since most of these have had version updates since then. Sent from the iMore App
  • Notability
    Flipboard
    Yelp
    Runkeeper
    Shine
  • There are definitely steps that developers can to take present "rate this app" prompts in a user-friendly way. I wrote up some general guidelines for developers looking to do so: http://codeslinging.com/2013/12/on-rate-this-app-customer-satisfaction-a...
  • Calculator+
    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calculator+/id351815470?mt=&at=10l3Vy Day one
    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/day-one-journal-diary/id421706526?mt=&at... Yahoo weather
    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yahoo-weather/id628677149?mt=&at=10l3Vy Evernote
    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=&at=10l3Vy iMore
    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imore/id511668903?mt=&at=10l3Vy Sent from the iMore App
  • Dropbox
    Fantastical
    Google
    Inrix
    Files
  • Tweetbot
    Newsify (most underrated RSS app)
    Downcast
    Pocket
    OliveTree Bible Reader Oh, darn it...five is too few. :) Documents by Readdle
    Amazon Kindle
    USAA
    Galaxy on Fire 2 (my current game addiction)
  • Bible (youversion)
    Ticket to Ride
    Candy Crush Saga
    Yahoo Weather
    Stampede Run Sent from the iMore App
  • 1. iMore
    2. YouTube
    3. Instagram
    4. Netflix
    5. Lockergnome Sent from the iMore App
  • Tweetbot 3
    Pocket Casts
    1Password
    ANZ GoMoney
    TripView I leave at least 5 reviews a week. As I buy prob 20 apps a week, mostly games. Sent from the iMore App
  • Google Gmail
    Google Maps
    Google+
    Youtube
    Google Search
    Google Earth
    Google Chrome That's about it for me.
  • Fantastical 2
    Day One
    WillyWeather
    MoneyWell
    MileBug
  • Fantastical 2
    Notability
    Any.do
    Tweetbot 3
    4Square My most used app. Just rated them. Next is imore which I use daily! I try to review apps that I use regularly. Thanks for this post. I will do it every couple of days. Helping me to step my writing game up too!
  • PocketInformant
    ListMaster
    RoadTrip
    SleepCycle
    MapMyFitness Sent from the iMore App
  • Comic Zeal
    Zite
    TV Guide
    Lux Deluxe
    Dropzap
    Yahoo Sports
    Numbers
  • Tweetbot
    Lift
    Phonetrait
    Instagram
    Path
  • Im not a big Gamer but i do have a few on my iPad Mini Retina and iPhone5 for those Dr's visits, and as i work from home, i have a App's on my iPad Mini and iPhone to cover EVERY App i use on my Mac from day to day, so when I'm out and about, i can still do business, then again, i have Air Connect to Connect remotely to my Mac if need be.
    Living in Australia i like to support local talent, so there are a few Aussie Apps, that are functional to what i need, but anyways . . There are those Apps, that haven't been updated for 12 months that i never bother with, as it seems the Devs can't be bothered to update the App or seem to read comments and then act on them.
    Here is a few that i like and always give ratings too. Procreate 2
    OzTV
    Aus Weather
    Textastic
    Parcel
    PDFPen
    ShutterSnitch
    Fantastical 2
    Pure
    Air Connect/Sharing/Login
  • I'm not usually proactive on ratings and reviews. Thanks for prompting me! Feedly
    iAnnotate PDF
    Tapatalk
    BaconReader
    Waze Sent from the iMore App
  • Another thing that irks me most is just after downloading an app; a pop up will appear and ask me to rate the app. Like ,really? I just downloaded the app and haven't had a chance to try it and you're asking me to rate it? Seriously?
  • I rated
    Things *****
    Fantastical *****
    iMore *****
    Netflix ***
    Facebook Messenger **** Sent from the iMore App
  • I rated
    1password
    USAA mobile
    WellsFargo
    Score Mobile
    Amazon Sent from the iMore App
  • There should just be a "recommend/don't recommend box within apps, which feeds through to the App Store. When you are in the App Store, there could be a "review your apps" section (perhaps by the purchased area), which allows you to expand on your verdict of you wish.
  • AddWater
    LoseIt!
    iSmoothRun
    Tweetbot
    Weather! (Yahoo) Extra Credit:
    Nest
    USAA Mobile
  • MxTube
    Tweetbot 3/2
    Fantastical 2
    Score mobile
    Whatsapp Sent from the iMore App
  • Ohhhh that's so difficult lol
    Print n share
    writepdf
    angry birds
    le vamp
    instagram
  • I have a few PDF apps, but i no longer have one that converts webpages to pdf's. i used to love and rely on 'Print to PDF', but Apple shut them down. Does 'WritePDF' have this functionality?
  • After reading everyone's list, i went ahead and purchased Fantastical 2 - so in addition to all these apps getting some new reviews, maybe some of them are getting some sales as well. Addendum to my reviews: I have now also reviewed Lose It
    Netflix
    Kingdom Rush
    Echofon
  • Most-Used & Loved apps (outside of Apple's included Maps, Mail, & Safari): Pulse
    Eye-Fi
    FaceBook
    Tie between InstaPaper & GoodReader
    Streaming Apps (YouTube, HBO Go, NetFlix, WatchESPN)
  • 1. Zite 2. Tweetbot 3 3.Evernote 4. Songza 5. Prismatic Sent from the iMore App
  • I tried to pick some that aren't already the most popular out there. (One's I don't see in the top 100). Hopefully this will help the smaller guys who are doing great work get the recognition they deserve. 1. Next Episode (best TV tracking app out there!)
    2. Pocket Casts (podcasts)
    3. Bodyweight Training (workouts)
    4. Rise (Alarm Clock)
    5. Zedge (wallpapers) The obvious everyday apps are Facebook, Twitter, The Weather Channel, IMDB, Chive, and Kindle. I will probably rate these, but I believe the point of this was to help out the small Devs that don't hit the top of the charts, but are still making great apps. Also, thanks to everyone for your lists. Definitely have some new apps to try out this week!
  • Feedly
    Foursquare
    Rdio
    Starbucks
    The Score
  • KissMS - after SMS and MMS, is a good app for sharing kiss to your beloved ones.  App Store - https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/kissms/id755600884?mt=8 Site - www.kissms.me
    FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/kissms.app.3
    Twitter - https://twitter.com/@KissmsApp
    Google+ - https://plus.google.com/108067323093083969412
    Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSnc0iTUER8JQcrkME0OvJw
  • Best apps I cannot live without: 24me - incredible productivity app, uniting your calendars and tasks into one place
    Whatsapp
    Viber
    Snapchat
    Waze
  • HighNoon 2
    PayPal
    BADLAND
    IMore
    TurboScan Sent from the iMore App
  • ** Our app reviews are associated with our iTunes Apple ID... The apps should have a trigger that detects when we've submitted a review for their app and not ask us to review if we already have... Apple could do this - It could see that we have "Bleh" registered as a downloaded app and then check to see if our account has provided an app review or not. If "yes", there could be an API to signal the app that a review has been processed and it should no longer implement a review request while using the app.
    Ta-daaa!
  • Day One
    Tweetbot
    iA Writer
    Dark Sky
    Vesper
  • Foursquare
    Toshl
    Camera+
    Bodytrack.it
    Zombies, run! This is a great idea. I tend to hit 'not now' on review pop ups without even thinking about it but if I use it a lot, it clearly deserves a rating. Off to do these now.
  • NPR News
    Total Baby
    baby rattle bab bab
    Wi-Fi enabled Radio Thermostat
    The Monster at the End of This Book...starring Grover!
    Another Monster at the End of This Book...Starring Grover and Elmo
    PostalPix Photo Prints
    Camera+
    Downcast
  • I hate your "please comment" begging as much as the "please rate my app" beggars.