Product reviews are the best ways for end-users to form an opinion about a given product or service and that is the same with mobile applications because this allows users to understand beforehand issues or challenges they’ll likely face when they download that particular application.
Google is planning to make some changes to the Play Store in order to make the review part of the service more useful to everyone. As for November, ratings will be based on the user’s location.
So, for example, if your device is registered in Japan, you will first see what other Japanese users think of the app you’re about to download.
Another change Google wants to make to the Play Store by 2022 is tweaking up the platform ratings to better reflect the device you are using – be it a tablet, foldable, chrome, smartwatch, or slate form-factor. “This will give users a better impression of the experience that they can expect for the device they’re using,” the company says of the change.
The reason for these changes is to help developers avoid a generalized perception of their service. For example, if an app has a bad review in Brazil but is loved in Germany because the app is targeted towards Europeans, this will help paint the app better in the EU market rather than having a global mixed review that will impact the reach of the application.
Another issue is when there is a bug that only affects one localized version of a given software. Of course, that compartmentalization means you can learn of those same bugs before you download an app.