LocalASOASO glossary
Ratings reset (App Store)
A ratings reset clears the overview star rating of your app when you release a new version. In App Store Connect it appears as "Reset rating when this version is released" (Reset Overview Rating). A direct answer to the common question is in how to reset App Store ratings.
Updated
What Apple states
- It affects all storefronts at once.
- It cannot be undone after the release.
- It does not affect written reviews.
- For universal apps, the reset applies only to the platform version being reset, and app bundle ratings cannot be reset.
Why it matters
Apple states that ratings and reviews can influence how an app ranks in search, and search results can show the rating next to the listing. A low average can hurt the tap rate, so developers who fixed a serious problem sometimes consider a reset to give the new version a clean start.
The trade-off
| Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|
| Old low scores no longer drag the average | The rating count resets, so the page looks less established |
| A new baseline for a rebuilt app | Written reviews remain, so old complaints stay visible |
| Cannot be undone |
The rating count also feeds how strong an app looks in tools: LocalASO estimates difficulty from rating counts of the top results, so a reset app with few ratings looks weaker than it was.
Example
A hypothetical app rebuilt from scratch has 4,000 ratings averaging 2.4. After the redesign, a reset gives new ratings a chance to show 4.5, but the app starts at zero ratings in every storefront.
Common mistakes
- Resetting after a minor fix. Collect new ratings first with a good rating prompt strategy.
- Forgetting that the choice is global.
Next step
Track the change in rank tracking and conversion rate after the release.
The count it zeroes is the rating count.
Reviews remain after a reset; see reviews and developer response.
Sources
- Apple: developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/monitor-ratings-and-reviews/reset-an-app-overview-rating (checked November 1, 2026)
- Apple: developer.apple.com/app-store/search (checked November 1, 2026)
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