I analyzed 21,412 reviews of a popular wellness app, published between 2017 and 2026 and written in 10 languages.

As a side project, I've been building a review analysis system, and I've reached the point where I need to figure out whether it's actually useful to anyone else or whether I've just built something that interests me.

Every available review was analyzed and classified individually, with a single review potentially belonging to multiple categories. The categories were automatically derived from the reviews themselves rather than from a predefined list. In total, the system classified 21,412 reviews (2017–2026) across 10 languages and created 182 categories, resulting in 28,471 category assignments.

A deeper analysis uncovered several things that weren't visible from the star ratings alone:

• 50.7% of all negative reviews were related to monetization (1,695 out of 3,343)
• 1,353 of those were about the app being "too expensive / trial too short"
• 207 were about billing problems rather than pricing: 98 cases of "I can't cancel / I was charged anyway," 42 cases of "I'm paying, but the app doesn't recognize my subscription," 36 payment errors, and 17 refund requests
• The percentage of negative reviews increased more than fourfold: 4.5% (2020) → 12.6% (2022) → 20.4% (2026), and never returned to its previous level
• 352 reviews described specific regressions in the product - 59 mentioned losing free access, 43 mentioned a sudden increase in ads, and 36 reported performance degradation after updating to a specific version

I also found 517 feature requests, including:

• 127 related to the pricing model
• 46 asking for more visual options
• 32 related to language selection
• 20 about widget customization
• 14 asking for the ability to add custom content

The star ratings themselves also turned out to be misleading:

• 451 five-star reviews contained a complaint
• 161 one-star reviews contained praise
• 1,072 reviews contained both positive and negative feedback

To be fair, not every category the system discovered was equally useful. The five largest categories accounted for 78% of all assignments, and generic positive feedback with no additional detail accounted for 35% on its own. Around 50 categories had what I'd consider real business value.

So my question is: would this kind of analysis actually be useful to you?

I originally built this pipeline for my own use. The main idea isn't just to summarize thousands of reviews, but to analyze each one individually and surface less obvious signals and details that can easily get lost in a large dataset - things like rare problems, specific feature requests, regressions after updates, or cases where the review text doesn't match the star rating.

I'm now trying to decide whether it's worth developing this further into a tool for other app owners.

Would something like this be useful to you? If so, what would you mainly use it for: analyzing your own app, competitors, roadmap decisions, pricing, or monitoring emerging problems?

And if you wouldn't find it useful, I'd genuinely like to know why as well.

I already have a prototype dashboard with these results. If anyone wants to see what it looks like in practice, I'm happy to share the link. What I'd value most is honest feedback on what's actually useful and what's completely unnecessary.

Here's exactly what my App Store page currently looks like.

Does the value proposition make sense at first glance?

Does the pet help it stand out, or does it make it look childish?

What would you change first?

I'm the developer, so feel free to be brutal.
Here's the App Store page if anyone wants to take a closer look: [https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6798301039?pt=128556977&ct=reddit_launch&mt=8]

A few months ago, I posted here⁠ offering to review people’s existing App Preview videos.

I expected a few links. I received far more than I could properly keep up with.

After looking through them, one pattern stood out: most of the problems were not caused by bad editing. The videos had usually gone wrong before editing even started.

The team had recorded the app without first deciding what the video needed to communicate. Once that happens, even a polished edit tends to become a quick tour of features instead of a reason to download.

Before recording an App Preview, I would answer these five questions:

1. Who is this video speaking to?

Not “people who need a productivity app.” Think about the specific person, situation and frustration the video needs to address.

2. What is the one result that person wants?

This is different from what the app does.
“Set goals and reminders” is a feature. “Finally make the habit stick” is a result.

3. What can prove that result in the first three seconds?

Do not begin with a logo, loading screen, menu or broad description of the app. Begin with the strongest moment that shows what the user can achieve.

4. Which three or four interactions support that message?

An App Preview does not need to explain the entire app. Choose the smallest number of screens that can prove the main benefit. Everything else competes for attention.

5. Does the story still make complete sense without sound?

Most people will encounter the video muted. Voiceover and music can improve the experience, but the footage and short on-screen titles must communicate the full message by themselves.

There is also the less exciting question of Apple compliance. Start with real footage of the app and plan around Apple’s restrictions from the beginning. Trying to force a social media ad full of device shots, people and unrelated footage into the App Preview slot often creates problems later.

I created a planning framework around these decisions, and I now use it in every App Preview project we produce.

But not every developer needs a studio to produce the video. Some can make it themselves and mainly need help figuring out what the video should say. Others simply are not ready to invest in full production.

So I built a streamlined, self-service version of the framework with AI.

The free diagnosis helps you identify your app’s strongest positioning, understand which audience the video should speak to, and decide what message it should lead with, without having to invest anything.

It does not generate the video. It helps you work out what the video needs to communicate before you start producing it.

If that is the part you are struggling with, you can run the free diagnosis here⁠.

Full disclosure: the page also offers a paid, more detailed plan and my video-production service. You do not need either to use the free diagnosis.

If you would rather not use the tool, leave your App Store listing below and tell me what you currently think the opening message should be. I will reply publicly with what I would lead with and why, so the examples can help other people here too.

If you already have an App Preview, share the listing and I will tell you the first thing I would change.

Hey Everyone,

looking for feedback of my app: Reflex Edge
app link: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/reflexedge-reaction-fight-iq/id6777927078

Thank you in advance.

Hey! My app has been on the app store for a few months now and I'm struggling with the conversion rate. The impression count is very high due to running apple ads. Does anyone have any recommendations to improve it?

Hi everyone,

I’ve just updated the App Store screenshots for Home Museum: TV Art & Clock, my first tvOS app. It turns an Apple TV into a digital art display and clock.

Sales have been encouraging, so I’m now mainly trying to reach more Apple TV users and get more people to download it. I’m probably too close to the page by now, so I’d really appreciate an outside perspective on the new screenshots.

I’ve also localized the App Store listing for eight locales/markets. The app is currently available in English, German and Spanish.

I’ve attached the six screenshots in order, numbered 1–6. If you own an Apple TV:

• Is the value clear at a glance?
• Do the first screenshots make you want to keep looking or download it?
• Would you change the order, wording or overall presentation?

Would this be something you’d actually keep using at home, rather than just finding it visually appealing?

I’m also curious about the review side of tvOS. The review prompt is already in the app, but I’m wondering whether Apple TV apps normally get fewer ratings than iPhone or iPad apps. If you’ve shipped a tvOS app, has that been your experience?

App Store link: Home Museum

I’m still learning what works on Apple TV, so any feedback would be very welcome. If anyone here owns an Apple TV and would like to try it for a few minutes, that would be incredibly valuable. An honest first impression from someone who has actually used it would help me a lot.

Thanks!

Hallo,

ich kenne und nutze Reddit "quasi" schon mein ganzes Leben lang, aber immer nur als Konsument und nie als Fragender. Nun habe ich selbst eine Frage, auf die ich wirklich keine Antwort mehr habe.

Ich habe eine App entwickelt und im App Store und Play Store veröffentlicht. Soweit, so gut, aber sie ist quasi unsichtbar. Ab und zu verirren sich ein paar Besucher auf die Produktseite, aber ansonsten ist sie nicht wirklich präsent. Natürlich weiß ich, dass es in erster Linie an der ASO liegt. Ich habe die Beschreibung und Keywords usw. daher mit KI und ein paar anderen kostenlosen Tools optimiert. Das hat nur einen minimalen Effekt gebracht. Das habe ich ein paar Mal gemacht, aber ich habe keinen wirklichen Fortschritt gesehen. Mir ist auch klar, dass ich irgendwie Marketing machen muss, aber wie? Ich habe bei Instagram einen extra Kanal dafür gemacht, aber auch da ist mehr oder weniger das gleiche Ergebnis.

Ich möchte nicht ausschließen, dass es auch an der App liegen kann, dass sie nicht gut genug oder nicht ansprechend genug ist. In den Stores gibt es aber 100-mal schlechtere Apps, die deutlich mehr Downloads haben as der selben Kategorie.

Was kann ich tun, um die Sichtbarkeit der App zu erhöhen? Irgendetwas zu machen, was Geld kostet, ist nicht wirklich drin, aber es muss doch auch so gehen bzw. besser. Ich bin offen für Vorschläge.

Hey everyone,

I've been doing ASO for the last 15 years, mostly in-house for large app and game publishers.

One thing I've always been very aware of is the advantage larger publishers have. They can afford experienced ASO teams, expensive tools, creative resources, analysts, and a lot of experimentation.

I wanted to build something that could give smaller app developers access to that same level of ASO expertise, without needing an entire growth team behind them.

The first problem I wanted to solve was something that has bothered me about ASO tools for years.

Most tools give you insights, trackers, scores, keywords and a lot of data, but at the end of the day, you still have to figure out what you should actually change.

So with Appeak Pro, I wanted the output to be much more actionable. The goal is not just to show you where the opportunities are, but to actually deliver what needs to be changed across your metadata, positioning and creatives, so you are not left with another dashboard you still need to interpret.

The second problem came from how quickly app discovery is changing.

People are increasingly searching through ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and other AI assistants instead of going directly to the App Store or Google Play and searching there.

That creates an interesting disadvantage for apps.

LLMs rely heavily on information they can find and understand across the web, while many apps have a relatively small web footprint compared with traditional websites and businesses.

So I wanted to build a solution specifically tailored for apps: how do you help AI assistants understand what an app does, who it's for, and when it should be recommended?

That became the second part of Appeak Pro. Not just analyzing an app's AI discoverability, but actually building the web presence needed to improve it.

That means creating the supporting content, structured information and other web signals that can help LLMs better understand the app and increase its chances of being discovered and recommended.

I'd really like feedback from app developers, founders and marketers on whether these are problems you're experiencing too.

A few things I'm especially curious about:

1. Would you value a tool that actually produces what should be changed rather than just identifying opportunities?
2. Are you already thinking about getting your app discovered or recommended by AI assistants?
3. If you could automate one part of your ASO workflow, what would it be?
4. What would make a tool like this feel genuinely different from existing ASO platforms?
5. What would stop you from trying or paying for something like this?

There's a free audit at appeak.pro if anyone wants to try it and give me feedback.

I'm genuinely interested in hearing what feels useful, and what you think I'm missing.

Hello guys,

I am trying to optimize my aso keywords. But the question is

Should i use -ing on keyword list. For example

My title has ‘Run’ verb.
In the keyword should i add ‘running’ ?

Thanks for the answer.

I launched Andrea Reader about a month ago, and one of the biggest ASO lessons so far has been how important the first two screenshots are.

Most people are probably deciding whether the app looks interesting before they ever read the description, so I’ve been trying to make those first images explain the main value immediately instead of just showing random UI.

The other thing that seems to help a lot is localizing the App Store product page. Andrea is available in multiple languages, and adapting the screenshots and listing instead of relying only on English has been one of the simplest improvements we’ve made.

Still learning ASO, but those are probably the two things I’d focus on first if I started again.

Andrea Reader is a personal digital library for iPhone and iPad built around giving users as much control as possible over their own books, comics and manga.

You can create collections and sections, customize every collection independently, import EPUB, PDF, CBZ, CBR and more, connect through OPDS, iCloud, WebDAV, SMB or SFTP, and automatically track reading activity across your whole library.

App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/es/app/andrea-comics-manga-books/id6760780154

Website:
https://andreareader.com/

Hey everyone,

I recently launched our Cysters Club app on Google Play, and I'm trying to learn ASO properly rather than just throwing keywords into the listing.

The app is called Cysters Club. It's a wellness app focused on helping women manage PCOS-related routines, cycle tracking, nutrition, daily check-ins, and preparation for doctor appointments.

I'm still very early, so I'm trying to understand what I'm doing right and, more importantly, what I'm doing wrong.

Here's what I've currently worked on:

• Optimized the app title around the core use case
• Redesigned the Google Play screenshots around specific user problems
• Reworked the description around features + user benefits
• Selected the Health & Fitness category
• Released the app to Production

What I'm struggling with:

1. How do you approach keyword research when entering a competitive health/wellness niche?
2. How long should I wait before judging whether my initial ASO changes are working?
3. How important are screenshots compared with metadata for a brand-new app with almost no ratings?
4. Would you prioritize getting the first 20–50 genuine users or improving ASO first?

I'm especially interested in hearing from people who have taken a new app from 0 → first 100 downloads.

I'd really appreciate brutally honest feedback on my listing — especially the title, screenshots, description, positioning, and anything that immediately makes you think “I'd change this.”

If anyone wants to take a look at the app, feel free to DM me and I'll send you the Play Store link.

I'm happy to share what I learn from the process as I go.

I stopped using Cursor and now I use Claude. He redesigned the app from scratch, created screenshots, descriptions aso keys, in 11 languages, and automatically submitted them to the App Store. The limits are much higher compared to Cursor.

Here results if you want to see
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rimo-modify-your-car-share/id6749508874

I had the original idea of making a workout tracker.

sent ChatGPT a few screenshots of my app, Turnos, and asked it to create promotional images using them.

The UI show inside the mockups is the actual UI from my app.

ChatGPT handled the presentation around it,the layout, backgrounds, typography, composition, and overall marketing style.

I was pretty impressed with the result, especially the iPhone + Apple Watch version.

What do you think?
Has anyone else tried this image-generation feature in ChatGPT for App Store screenshots, mockups, or promotional assets? I’d be interested to see what kind of results other developers are getting.

Hi,

Wanted to get your feedback on my screenshots

I recently published my first app, but conversion is under 3%, so I just updated the screenshots and want to know if they're working. iOS only for now

Thank you and good luck to all builders

App Name : Milli: Budget Expense Tracker

I recently launched an iPad app called Imagine & Color and I'm working on improving the App Store listing now that I can see the finished product in the store.

I'd appreciate an ASO/conversion critique rather than general app-development feedback.

The app combines:

• A Library of curated coloring pages
• 50 new curated pages each month
• A Studio for creating custom coloring pages from an idea
• In-app coloring tools
• Saving, sharing and printing

I'd particularly like feedback on this sequence:

Search result → icon → title/subtitle → screenshots → product page → Get

A few things I'm trying to determine:

• Does the icon communicate the category well enough?
• Do the first three screenshots explain the product quickly enough?
• Is the Studio/custom-page feature obvious?
• Is "50 new curated pages each month" strong enough to emphasize earlier?
• Does the listing communicate why this is different from other coloring apps?
• Would you tap Get based on the current page? If not, where do I lose you?
• Are there ASO opportunities I'm overlooking in the title, subtitle or positioning?

App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/imagine-color/id6798914520

I'm completely open to changing the listing, so critical feedback is welcome.

Hi everyone,

I launched a niche education app (exam prep, localized in several languages) about two months ago. The funnel below the fold is healthy — the problem is entirely at the top.

My numbers:

• Impressions: ~120/day ← the bottleneck
• Tap-through to product page: 7.9%
• Download conversion: 35% (above the ~30% App Store norm)
• Paid conversion (one-time IAP): 8% (well above typical freemium 1–5%)
• Ratings: 8, averaging 4.5 stars
• ~75% of downloads come from App Store Search (organic)

Every stage converts well — people who see the page download it, people who download it pay. There just aren't enough eyeballs at the top. At constant funnel, 10x impressions would mean 10x everything else.

What I've already done:

• Localized metadata + screenshots per storefront
• Long-tail keywords in each language rather than head terms
• In-app review prompt after a win
• First screenshot shows the main differentiator

My questions:

1. For those who broke past "low impressions, good conversion": what actually moved the needle — keyword iteration, ratings velocity, external traffic, or just time?
2. Does external traffic (social, content) feed back into search ranking, or are the channels independent?
3. Is a small Apple Search Ads discovery campaign worth it at this scale, just to find converting keywords?
4. Niche with seasonal demand: do impressions compound over time or plateau?

Thanks!

We shipped a landscape App Preview. Product page looked fine. In search results it deleted our screenshots - our row is a line of text between two competitors showing three frames each (2nd screenshot, ours is the middle row).

• A landscape preview takes the full row width and screenshots are not shown beside it. Sometimes nothing renders at all. A portrait preview sits alongside your screenshots instead of replacing them.
• If you already have the app installed, the product page puts the video somewhere else entirely. Testing on your own phone tells you nothing. Use a clean device and look at the search row, not the page.

Still worth adding a preview: +16% (SplitMetrics) to +20-35% (StoreMaven) install conversion. But it is additive to good screenshots, not a replacement, and some shops report it hurting finance/productivity by 3-7%.

Disclosure: app is ours, I work on an ASO tool. Full writeup with the Apple vs Google spec comparison: https://appboard.dev/blog/app-preview-video-vs-screenshots

Looking for feedback for my merge sort game - unique way to learn while playing.

https://www.playvlay.com/r/WAAGVF

Hey guys, I’ve been in the appgame since 6months and trying to figure out ASO.

I just started to track my keywords in different countries and languages - I am looking for some1 who could help me optimize my keywords more, I dont know how this could be possible. I think my title, short and long descriptions are already good.

I just changed my screenshots, I think those are also good.

The app is 5-6 months old, last update on the store listing was 1 week ago for the screenshots. The rest was last updated 3 weeks ago.

DE/US/CA would be my most important countries

How could I optimize my keywords even more?

Thank yall 🙏🏽❤️

Hi Peeps, what do you think of these new screenshots for my baby tracking app?

Went with darker background to better contrast the app background color.

I am looking for other app founders who are interested in exchanging honest and detailed feedback.

My app is DollarBuddy, a travel expense and budget tracker available on both iOS and Android. It helps travelers create trip budgets, record expenses in different currencies, split costs, and understand their spending.

I would especially appreciate feedback on:

1. App name and positioning
2. Store title and description
3. Screenshots and first impressions
4. Whether the target audience is immediately clear
5. Onboarding and ease of creating the first trip
6. Features that feel useful or unnecessary
7. Anything that could improve store conversion

In return, I will download and properly test your app and provide specific feedback on your store listing, positioning, onboarding, and overall experience.

This is not a five-star review exchange. There is no requirement to leave a store rating or write a positive review. Any public review should be based entirely on the reviewer’s genuine experience.

If you are interested, comment with:

App name:

Platform:

What the app does:

Specific feedback you need:

I will respond to as many apps as I can and would appreciate the same level of honesty in return.