Use case: app reviews
App Review Analysis for the App Store and Google Play
Analyze App Store and Google Play reviews with AI. Group reviews into themes like crashes, login and pricing, with counts and examples, by release.
By Apercu team · Last updated
App store reviews are the most public feedback your product gets, and they affect your rating and downloads. App review analysis groups those reviews into themes such as crashes, login problems or subscription complaints, so you know which issues to fix first and can check whether a release worked.
Why app reviews are hard to use
- They arrive continuously across two stores, many countries and every app version.
- They are short and noisy. "Doesn't work!!" is common, and the useful detail is spread across many reviews.
- Ratings hide the reason. A drop from 4.5 to 4.1 stars does not tell you whether it was the new paywall or a crash on one device.
How to analyze app reviews with Apercu
- Collect the reviews. Download review data from Google Play Console, and get App Store reviews from App Store Connect or its API. Keep rating, date, app version, country and the review text.
- Split by rating. Analyze 1 and 2 star reviews for problems and 4 and 5 star reviews for strengths.
- Upload and describe the data, for example "1 and 2 star Google Play reviews of a habit tracking app, last 60 days".
- Review the themes. Each theme shows its count, share and example reviews. Rename and merge themes as needed.
- Compare releases. Analyze reviews before and after a release to see whether a fixed problem's theme shrank.
Example: themes in low-rated reviews
An illustrative example for 900 one and two star reviews of a consumer app:
| Theme | Reviews | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Crashes and freezes after update | 198 | 22% |
| Login and account access problems | 144 | 16% |
| Subscription price and paywall changes | 135 | 15% |
| Sync and data loss between devices | 108 | 12% |
| Notifications not working | 72 | 8% |
| Battery drain | 54 | 6% |
| Other | 189 | 21% |
What teams do with the themes
- Engineering: prioritize crash and sync fixes with example reviews attached
- Product: check whether pricing or paywall changes are driving low ratings
- Support: reply to reviews in the top themes with a consistent, helpful answer
- Marketing: reuse the top praise themes in store listing copy and screenshots
Related pages
Frequently asked questions
How do I get my App Store and Google Play reviews into a spreadsheet?
Google Play Console lets developers download review data. For the App Store, reviews are available in App Store Connect and through the App Store Connect API. Put one review per row with the rating, date and app version in their own columns.
Should I analyze positive and negative app reviews separately?
Yes. Analyze 1 and 2 star reviews separately from 4 and 5 star reviews. Mixed together, themes like 'Sync' blend praise and complaints and the counts stop being useful.
Can I see whether a release fixed a problem?
Yes. Run one analysis on reviews from before the release and one on reviews from after, then compare the share of the theme you fixed. Apercu saves every analysis as a project so the comparison is easy.
Can Apercu analyze reviews in other languages?
English works best. Reviews in other languages can produce usable themes, but label quality is lower. For multilingual apps, analyze each language separately.
Can I analyze a competitor's app reviews?
Yes, if you have lawful access to the reviews and the store's terms allow your use. Competitor reviews often reveal recurring complaints you can turn into positioning.