# Review intelligence

URL: https://storelift.net/features/review-intelligence/
Language: en
Updated: 2026-09-18

A star average hides the thing you need to know. If your lifetime average is 4.6 and your last 120 reviews average 4.1, the number on your store page will still say 4.6 for weeks. Two distributions side by side is the only view that removes that lag.

## In measured numbers

Every figure on this page is read from a code path, not written by hand — the same discipline the product applies to your own data.

## What gets measured

| Signal | Source | Depth |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime rating histogram | Your store page, 5★ to 1★ breakdown | The full distribution, not just the average |
| Recent reviews | Apple's public customer-review feed | About 150 per storefront, most recent first |
| Rivals' rating trajectory | The same two signals for apps ranked above you | Their wall, and whether it is still growing |
| Crash issues | Google Play Developer Reporting | Issue, device and last-seen version code |

NOTE: Reviews are read with no App Store Connect access — Apple's review feed is public. Google Play has no equivalent open feed, so the Android column says so instead of showing an empty list that would read as "no reviews".

## How it works

1. Both distributions are collected per storefront, because a rating problem is usually one country, not the app.
2. The recent window is compared to the lifetime one. The gap between them is the early warning; the average alone is a lagging indicator weighted by thousands of old votes.
3. Crash issues are pulled from Play where the connection exists, with the version code they were last seen in.
4. The same signals are read for the apps above you, so the ratings wall you would have to climb is measured, not estimated.

## What you do with it



## What this does not do

There is no reply feature, and that is a decision rather than a backlog item: replying is an action on your store listing, and this product does not write to store listings. We also do not report crash-free session rates — Play's issue endpoint does not provide that metric, and inventing a column for it would be worse than leaving it out. iOS crash data is not available to third parties at all, which the screen says on the Apple side.

## What each plan includes

|  | Free | Pro | Studio |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime vs recent distribution | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Recent reviews per storefront | ~150 | ~150 | ~150 |
| Storefronts read | 2 | All 128 | All 128 |
| Review history kept | 30 days | 365 days | 365 days |
| Rivals' rating trajectory | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Crash issues (Play connection) | — | Yes | Yes |

Pro is $20/month ($18 billed yearly), Studio $60/month ($54 billed yearly). Reviews need no credentials on any plan; only the Play crash feed requires a connection you make yourself.

## FAQ

Q: Do I need App Store Connect access to read my reviews here?
A: No. Apple publishes a customer-review feed that needs no credentials, which is why reviews work on the free plan.

Q: Why show two distributions instead of one average?
A: Because the average lags. A lifetime average weighted by thousands of old votes barely moves when the last hundred reviews get worse — the two distributions side by side show it immediately.

Q: Can I reply to reviews from Storelift?
A: No. Replying writes to your store listing, and this product does not write to store listings by design.

Q: Do you cover Google Play reviews?
A: Not through an open feed — Play does not publish one. Where you connect Play Developer Reporting we read crash issues; the review column says what is and is not available rather than showing an empty list.