Separate the store contract from the law
Apple’s guidelines prohibit manipulating reviews through paid, incentivized, filtered or fake feedback. A campaign can therefore create a platform enforcement risk even if a vendor describes it as lawful. Consumer law is a separate layer. In the US, the FTC rule addresses fake reviews and incentives conditioned on positive or negative sentiment. Other countries may apply different obligations; a global campaign needs jurisdiction-specific advice.
Read the offer as a set of deliverables
Look for requirements to publish a public review, give a minimum score, copy supplied wording or send proof before receiving a reward. Those conditions reveal what the transaction buys. A disclosure does not make an otherwise prohibited five-star incentive acceptable under the FTC rule. Keep the written brief and contract; do not rely on a sales chat saying the provider has a secret compliant method.
Pay for research you can use
Private research can produce useful evidence: onboarding attempts, documented failures and product answers. Check distribution-specific restrictions first, including Apple's TestFlight compensation rule in Guideline 2.2. Define acceptance by effort and evidence, with no public-review requirement. RateMyApp credits fund approved private feedback; community ratings are optional and store reviews are unrewarded. That workflow does not certify a campaign's compliance with platform rules or applicable law.
Working example
Example brief: Spend fifteen minutes trying account creation and your first saved project. Report your device, where you hesitated and one reproducible problem. Payment does not depend on whether you like the app or publish anything. An owner should approve a clear negative report just as they would approve a positive one.
Your next steps
- Identify the countries where the campaign operates.
- Remove score, wording and public-posting conditions.
- Keep platform rules and legal advice separate.
- Retain the research brief and provider agreement.
Official sources
Sources checked October 2, 2026. Review the current provider documentation before acting on requirements.
Turn the next test into something useful.
Publish a focused brief on RateMyApp. Credits fund approved private reports; public store reviews are voluntary and unrewarded.
List your app for feedback