Apple on Monday announced a new iTunes Connect feature that allows developer customer support teams to respond to submitted App Store reviews.
Announced through Apple's Developer web portal, the new Customer Support role in iTunes Connect grants support team access to the tools they need to interact with customers leaving reviews through the App Store. Previously, only individuals with admin access were able to respond directly to reviews.
Developers with admin privileges can assign the role to users in combination with other iTunes Connect roles. Those granted Customer Support access will be privy to Resources and Help, Users and Roles, and My Apps in iTunes Connect, Apple says.
Within the iTunes Connect interface, Customer Support roles will be automatically directed to "Ratings and Reviews" when they click on the "My Apps" tab. From there, users can respond to posted reviews, as seen in the above image.
Apple is merging two former roles, Manager and Marketer, into the new Customer Support role. Users who previously held those roles prior to July 13 will be automatically moved over to Customer Support.
A long-requested App Store feature, developer responses to App Store reviews first arrived as part of the StoreKit API released with iOS 10.3. The toolset was announced in January and saw public release in March.
The response mechanism adds a layer of personalization to App Store interactions. For example, when a developer -- and now Customer Support role -- files a response, a notification is sent out to the user who posted the original comment, who then has an opportunity to update their feedback.