Windows Phone app developers can now respond to user reviews

Microsoft has announced the launch of a pilot program ‘Respond to app reviews’ that enables developers to respond to reviews of Windows Phone apps directly from Dev Center. Earlier this month at its Build 2014 conference, Microsoft had said the program would begin in May, but it seems to have brought the date forward. The roll-out of the program will begin this week with a small pilot group of developers pre-selected by Microsoft. At this stage company wants to ensure the system works as expected and it will be later expand over time.

Google already allows app developers to respond to user reviews, and now Microsoft is doing the same. The Redmond company is testing out a new pilot program that allows developers to comment on reviews left on apps for Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1 devices in the U.S. Users who left the original comment will receive a notification when a developer has responded and can take one of four actions: Ignore the email, respond to the developer, update their review, or opt out of all further app review responses. “This new feature allows app developers to address common questions, troubleshoot issues, understand user requests for new app capabilities and overall help ensure that users get the best app experience,” writes Windows Apps Product Manager Bernardo Zamora.