Google Play to allow developer replies to reviews

A new change will allow developers to respond to reviews on the Google Play Android app store.

The change, which currently only grants developers with the 'Top Developer Badge' the ability to respond, will become widely available but Google hasn't set a deadline for when this will occur.

Google hands out its 'Top Developer Badge' to developers which release apps that it deems of the highest quality and are trustworthy.

This is no doubt welcome news to anyone with an app or game on the Google Play store, as it turns the review process into a two-way street. If a reviewer is being unfairly harsh, a developer could call them out on it. Likewise, the reasoning behind a change or a new feature within a game or app could be explained.

Better still, developers could try and get specific data on when apps don't run very well or not at all, allowing them to sort things out more quickly. With so many Android devices on the market, this sort of feedback is invaluable.

Not everyone is quite so keen, though. Myles Kaye, director of the Think Big Group and a developer, expressed his concerns to Know Your Mobile. 'I think it's bad because dev's will be engaged in arguing, banter etc. Plus customers will end up using it for support questions, which is definitely not good,' he said.

Now that there are over 450,000 apps to choose from, any improvement on the current review/rating system is most welcome, but only if developers remain professional when responding to criticism.

We're trying to find more specific details and confirmation of the change from Google - stay tuned.