iOS & Google Store App Reviews (Create an in-app popup for leaving feedback on this website. Not the app store.)
tracked
g13n Resident
The BETA version of the Second Life mobile app currently has a very low rating on Google and iOS, with just 1.5/5 stars on Android and 2.9/5 stars on iOS. Many users don’t fully understand what "BETA" means and believe that leaving a review will help fix the issues, but this only adds negative feedback that can be hard to undo later. How many of us remember to update our review after the app improves? Most don’t.
Every time you log in during the BETA phase, a pop-up message within the app could have encouraged users to submit feedback directly to feedback.secondlife.com Instead, the app’s low rating now risks discouraging new users from even trying it.
We need to clarify what BETA is, explain what an app review and rating mean, and how they affect the app’s overall reputation once a stable release is available to the public.
How many of you check app reviews before trying an app? if the rating is low, many will think, "Why bother?"
How will you fix this? Sending an email to residents asking them to revise their reviews and instead share their concerns on the feedback.secondlife.com website would help. If not, the app’s reputation and low rating will be difficult to overcome, especially for newcomers. It’s critical to act now before it gets any worse.
References:
Google Playstore (Andriod) 502 reviews: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lindenlab.secondlife&hl=en_AU&pli=1
iOS Store (iPhones/iPads) 152 Ratings: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/second-life/id6499226173
Log In
Bridie Linden
tracked
g13n Resident
The Google Store now has a rating of 1.3 out of 5 stars, and iOS has 2.3 stars. What are you doing about it? Nothing? I keep seeing more and more 1-star reviews piling up. Don’t wait until it gets any worse.
I really wish your mobile app was called "SecondLife Beta Testing." Every time users sign in, it should remind them to ONLY submit feedback at feedback.secondlife.com, rather than leaving reviews on the app store page.
If it were up to me, I’d keep it really simple--just checking messages, paying rent, and other basic functions for current users. Once it grows in popularity, you can slowly add more features like walking around. Currently, the expectations are high, but in reality, it’s hurting both your wallet and your reputation.
- On the mobile app - Please tell us when our ping is high with a percentage of how much longer the region will take to load. Signal strength, if it's weak to use wifi instead. Don’t just leave us staring at a black and white screen--let us know what’s going on.
- Make sure users know this is not the finished product inside the app, while showing us current bugs and what you’re working on to improve. Keep us aware of what’s happening inside the app itself on the login screen and when logged in.
- If this mobile app isn’t successful, I’d suggest making the web browser version mobile and tablet-friendly. It’s a great option for users with slower computers to stay connected.
The Google Playstore now has 729 reviews, where my original post had only had 502 reviews. Please do something before it reaches 1.0 stars.
Shadow Siamendes
Not sure how that could be solved, although yes, if an in-app popup or info would tell to use this platform instead rating on Store would surely help.
People not understanding what "beta' is about is something hard to fix, it doesn't help either that "beta" is not in the app name but only in the description that can be easily ignored.
For instance, Early Access games on Steam per example also suffer of the same issue. People give them bad ratings and complain about "bugs" that's pretty much expected due it being in EA or beta.
Another reason for some of the low ratings of SL app is due they restricting it to paid accounts at the beginning. I see a valid reason for that (like having a small user base to test it at early stages) but it being visible publicly while being restricted resulted in complaints and low rating. It should have been "invite-only" and hidden from public (I know it's possible for Play Store at least, I have tested an app that did that), but that's late now.
g13n Resident
Shadow Siamendes 100% agree.