How to request users to review your app in UIKit

Customer feedback and ratings are essential for an app to succeed.

And the only way to ask for one is via SKStoreReviewController.

How to request for a rating and review

SKStoreReviewController is a simple class. It only exposes one method to ask the user to rate or review the app, which is requestReview().

Here is how to ask for a user's rating in iOS.

import StoreKit

class ViewController: UIViewController {
    override func viewDidAppear(_ animated: Bool) {
        super.viewDidAppear(animated)
        
        if let windowScene = view.window?.windowScene {
            SKStoreReviewController.requestReview(in: windowScene)
        }
    }
}

This is what the UI looks like.

The API for macOS has a minor difference. We don't need to provide any argument in macOS API.

SKStoreReviewController.requestReview()

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SKStoreReviewController Limitations

Apple is quite serious when it comes to user experiences, and they want to control how often we can ask for a user's review.

So, even if you explicitly call SKStoreReviewController.requestReview(in: windowScene) or SKStoreReviewController.requestReview(), the review popup might not showing up.

Here are the criteria Apple uses to decide whether to show it or not.

1. If the person hasn't rated or reviewed your app on this device, StoreKit displays the ratings and review request a maximum of three times within a 365-day period.

2. If the person has rated or reviewed your app on this device, StoreKit displays the ratings and review request if the app version is new, and if more than 365 days have passed since the person’s previous review.

3. Even if all criteria are met, there is a chance that the prompt will not display due to Apple's hidden criteria, e.g., frequency. So, don't call the method in response to a button tap or other user actions.

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When should I request a rating

Since the number of times you can request a review is limited, you should call it when it matters.

You probably want to ask for a review when users will likely get one.

There are no rules for this, but I can give some examples.

1. When users repeatedly come back to your app. This shows users are happy with your app and find it helpful.
2. After significant events, e.g., completed a game level or finished some tasks.

In summary, you should ask for a review when users feel positive about your apps.