Languages guide
Reply to app reviews in the reviewer's language
Your reply appears under the review on your store page, and the reviewer is notified when you post it. So it should be in a language they read, usually the one they wrote in. Here's how to tell which language a review is in, what App Store Connect and Play Console do for you, and how to answer well in a language you don't speak.
Sources
Sources checked on 23 October 2026.
Find the language of a review
- App Store: the App Store Connect API gives each review's territory, such as
USAorJPN, but no language. One country's reviews often come in more than one language, so go by the text. - Google Play: the API's
reviewerLanguagecomes from the reviewer's device settings and can differ from the language they wrote in. Here too, go by the text.
What the consoles do for you
- Play Console translates reviews into the language you use it in, and Show original review brings back the reviewer's own words.
- Play Console's suggested replies cover only recent reviews written in English, and only when Play Console is set to English.
- The Google Play API can translate too:
translationLanguagereturns a translation, andoriginalTextkeeps the original.
Answer well in a language you don't speak
- Answer what the person wrote, briefly and personally. Apple recommends personal replies over the same text for similar reviews.
- Keep the reviewer's own words for features and screens, and your app's name as it is.
- Match their tone: a formal review gets a formal reply, a casual one a friendly reply.
- Mind the length on Google Play: 350 characters, whatever the language.
- Leave out personal information and promotion in every language.
- Ask a native speaker to check any text you'll reuse.
Questions developers ask
Should I reply in the reviewer's language?
Usually, yes. Your reply appears under their review on your store page and they're notified of it, so it should be in a language they read.
Does App Store Connect tell me a review's language?
Its API gives each review's territory, not its language, and one territory often has reviews in several languages.
Can I trust Google Play's reviewerLanguage?
Not on its own: it comes from the reviewer's device settings and may not match the review.
Does Play Console suggest replies in other languages?
No. Its suggested replies cover only recent reviews in English, and only when Play Console is set to English.
Is the 350-character limit the same in every language?
Yes. A Google Play reply can be at most 350 characters long, in any language.
What if I can't understand a review at all?
For Google Play, use Play Console's translation or the API's translationLanguage. For App Store reviews, run the text through a translator before you answer.
Sources
- App Store Connect Help: Respond to reviews (opens in a new tab)
- Play Console Help: View and analyze your app's ratings and reviews (opens in a new tab)
- App Store Connect API: List all customer reviews for an app (opens in a new tab)
- Google Play Developer API: reviews (REST reference) (opens in a new tab)
- Google Play Developer API: Reply to Reviews (opens in a new tab)
Every language, one inbox
Merci AI drafts each reply in the language the review was written in, whatever language you use Merci AI in, keeps Google Play drafts within 350 characters, and can show you the review in your own language too. Nothing is published until you click Publish.