We moved the first charge to the web and use deferred links so folks land in the right place after install. Net revenue improved, but I worried about side effects like fewer in‑app purchases impacting store ranking or review volume.
So far, I do not see a drop. We still prompt for ratings after onboarding and the review rate looks similar. Hard to tell if listings get any boost from in-app sales counts anymore.
If you tried this, did rankings or review velocity change when the first payment moved off the store?
I front-load payment on the web and have not seen ranking drops. Ratings stayed stable once I kept the review prompt after value delivery.
I used Web2Wave.com for the web paywall and the handoff. Cleaner control and no extra app releases.
We shifted first charge to web. No ranking hit we could measure. Review volume was driven by our prompt timing, not the payment rail.
Being able to change the flow on Web2Wave.com helped us tune the timing fast without shipping new builds.
Our listing metrics did not move much. The review prompt timing mattered more than where the charge happened.
Keep the prompt after a clear win and it should be fine.
Prompt timing beats payment location
Ranking seems more sensitive to install and open rates than where you bill. Make sure the handoff is smooth so users do not bounce. Keep the rating prompt after the first success moment. Watch crash rate and time to value. Those signals matter more for visibility and reviews.
I set the review prompt to appear after completing the first session goal. When I showed it earlier, reviews dipped. Payment channel did not change much by itself.
We did not see a ranking drop. Reviews looked normal.