# App Store & Google Play Rating Drop Alerts - Slack/Discord (`that_red_bird/app-review-alerts`) Actor

Get a Slack, Discord or webhook alert when your app's rating drops, 1-star reviews spike or a new version tanks. Watches App Store, Google Play and Steam, compares you with competitors and remembers state between scheduled runs. No login, no API key.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/that_red_bird/app-review-alerts.md
- **Developed by:** [mohamed alaya](https://apify.com/that_red_bird) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Marketing, E-commerce
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 app checkeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## App Store & Google Play Rating Drop Alerts - Slack, Discord or webhook

Know within hours when your app's rating drops, angry 1-star reviews pile up, a new release is rated worse than the
old one, or a competitor overtakes you. Schedule it hourly or daily: it **remembers the last run** and alerts only on what
changed. Works for **Apple App Store, Google Play and Steam**, no login and no API key.

### What it watches

| Alert | Fires when |
|---|---|
| `rating-drop` | the store rating is lower than at the previous run by your threshold (default 0.10 stars) |
| `recent-rating-drop` | the average of the newest reviews fell by 0.5 stars or more (catches a bad release days before the headline rating moves) |
| `negative-spike` | the share of 1-2 star reviews among the newest reviews jumped by 15 points or more |
| `one-star-burst` | 5 or more new 1-star reviews arrived since the last run |
| `version-regression` | the newest app version averages half a star worse than older versions in the same sample (at least 5 reviews each), or Apple's current-version rating is clearly below the overall one |
| `competitor-overtook` / `overtook-competitor` | a competitor you listed passes you in rating (or you pass them) |

Every threshold is an input and can be turned off (set to 0 where allowed). The first run is a **baseline**
(`status: "BASELINE"`): it stores the readings and raises no alerts.

### Notifications

Add a **Slack webhook**, a **Discord webhook** and/or a **generic webhook URL** (JSON, works with Zapier, Make, n8n).
Messages list each alert and the latest 1-star review text, so the person who reads it knows what to look for. You can also
use Apify's own integrations/webhooks on run success. No notification is sent when nothing alerts.

### Output

One row per checked app (`type: "app-check"`), your apps first, alerts first:

```json
{ "status": "ALERT", "store": "apple", "appName": "WhatsApp Messenger", "rating": 4.68, "previousRating": 5.08,
  "ratingDelta": -0.4, "ratingCount": 18705662, "newRatingsSinceLastRun": 1340, "sampleSize": 100,
  "sampleAverage": 3.52, "negativePercent": 32, "newOneStarSinceLastRun": 27, "version": "26.38.74",
  "versionRating": { "version": "26.38.74", "n": 100, "avg": 3.52, "baselineAvg": null },
  "competitors": [ { "appName": "Telegram Messenger", "rating": 4.01, "ratingGap": 0.67, "status": "you-lead" } ],
  "alerts": [ { "code": "rating-drop", "message": "WhatsApp Messenger: store rating fell 5.08 -> 4.68 (-0.4)." } ],
  "worstRecentReviews": [ { "rating": 1, "text": "...", "date": "2026-10-03T..." } ],
  "history": [ { "at": "2026-10-03T20:19:00Z", "rating": 4.68, "ratingCount": 18705662 } ] }
```

A `SUMMARY` record in the key-value store lists the alerts by type, and `history` in each row lets you chart the rating over time.

### Input

| Field | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| `apps` | WhatsApp (Apple + Google Play) | Your apps: store URLs, Apple ids, Play package names, Steam appids |
| `competitors` | Telegram | Rivals compared on the same store. They are checked (and billed as app checks) but never raise alerts of their own |
| `reviewSample` | 100 | Newest reviews read per app per run |
| `country`, `language` | us, english | Storefront ratings differ per country |
| `ratingDropAlert`, `recentRatingDropAlert`, `negativeSpikePoints`, `newOneStarAlert`, `versionRegressionDrop` | 10, 50, 15, 5, 50 | Thresholds (stars in hundredths: 10 = 0.10) |
| `slackWebhookUrl`, `discordWebhookUrl`, `webhookUrl` | empty | Where alerts go |
| `onlyAlerts` | false | Output only apps with alerts |
| `stateStoreName` | app-review-alerts-state | Memory between runs; use one name per monitoring job |

**Scheduling:** create a Task with your apps and thresholds, then add a schedule (for example every 6 hours: `0 */6 * * *`). Use a different `stateStoreName` per Task.

### Use cases

- **Release watch:** the first hours after you ship, `recent-rating-drop` and `version-regression` show whether the update hurt.
- **Support triage:** the alert carries the newest 1-star text; pair it with **reviews-theme-analyzer** for the full list of complaints.
- **Competitor tracking:** get told when a rival passes you or loses ground.
- **Agencies and publishers:** one Task per client app, alerts into the client's Slack.

**Pipeline:** `app-review-alerts` (alert) -> `app-reviews-scraper` (pull the reviews behind the alert) -> `reviews-theme-analyzer` (what are they complaining about).

### Pricing

Pay per event: **$0.002 per app checked** (`app-checked`, charged only when the app was read successfully, competitors
included) and **$0.01 per alerting app** (`rating-alert`, one per app per run however many alert types fired). Watching one
app against two competitors costs $0.006 per run when quiet, so about $0.024 a day at every-6-hours. Apps that could not be
read are free.

### FAQ

**Why does the headline rating barely move?** The store rating is a lifetime average; for big apps it moves in hundredths.
That is why the recent-reviews checks exist, and why `ratingDropAlert` defaults to 0.10 stars.

**How is "new since last run" counted?** By review date, from the newest reviews it reads (`reviewSample`). If more than
that many reviews arrive between runs, the count is capped at the sample size - run more often or raise `reviewSample`.

**Steam?** Supported: rating is the overall recommendation score on a 5-star scale, reviews are recommended (5) or not (1).
Steam has no app version, so no version checks.

**What if a store rate-limits?** The run retries with back-off and falls back to Apify's datacenter proxy automatically.

**Does it send email?** Not directly. Use Slack, Discord or a webhook, or Apify's email integration on the run.

**Feedback:** open an issue on the Actor page, and a quick review on the Store page helps other app teams find it.

### Related Actors

**app-reviews-scraper** (full review export, filters, only-new mode) - **reviews-theme-analyzer** (top complaints and praise from reviews).

# Actor input Schema

## `apps` (type: `array`):

Apps to watch: App Store URLs or ids (id310633997), Google Play URLs or package names (com.whatsapp), Steam URLs or appids (440). Mix stores freely. To be explicit use objects like {"app":"440","store":"steam"}.

## `competitors` (type: `array`):

Optional rival apps. Each one is checked too (and billed as an app check) and compared with your apps on the same store: rating gap, and an alert when a competitor overtakes you or you overtake them. Same formats as 'Your apps'.

## `reviewSample` (type: `integer`):

How many of the newest reviews to read for the sentiment, 1-star and version figures. Bigger samples are steadier but slower. Apple's public feed gives at most about 500.

## `country` (type: `string`):

Two-letter store country for Apple and Google Play, e.g. us, gb, de, jp. Ratings are per storefront.

## `language` (type: `string`):

Steam review language filter (english, german, all, ...) and Google Play interface language (en, de, ...).

## `ratingDropAlert` (type: `integer`):

Alert when the overall store rating is at least this much lower than at the previous run. Whole numbers only: 10 = 0.10 stars, 50 = half a star. The headline rating moves slowly for big apps, so small values are meaningful.

## `recentRatingDropAlert` (type: `integer`):

Alert when the average of the newest reviews is at least this much lower than at the previous run (needs 30+ reviews both times). 50 = half a star. Catches a bad release much earlier than the headline rating.

## `negativeSpikePoints` (type: `integer`):

Alert when the share of 1-2 star reviews among the newest reviews is at least this many points higher than at the previous run (15 = from 20% to 35%).

## `newOneStarAlert` (type: `integer`):

Alert when at least this many 1-star reviews appeared since the previous run. 0 turns this check off. Needs a previous run to compare with.

## `versionRegressionDrop` (type: `integer`):

Version regression check: the newest app version's average review rating (at least 5 reviews) is compared with older versions in the same sample. 50 = flag when it is half a star worse. 0 turns this check off.

## `slackWebhookUrl` (type: `string`):

Optional Slack incoming-webhook URL. A formatted message is posted when any alert fires.

## `discordWebhookUrl` (type: `string`):

Optional Discord webhook URL. A formatted message is posted when any alert fires.

## `webhookUrl` (type: `string`):

Optional URL that receives the alerts as JSON (event, summary, alerts\[]). Works with Zapier, Make, n8n or your own endpoint.

## `onlyAlerts` (type: `boolean`):

Push only apps that raised an alert (plus broken apps). Off = one row per checked app every run, useful for charting.

## `resetBaseline` (type: `boolean`):

Forget the stored previous readings and treat this run as the first one.

## `keepHistory` (type: `integer`):

How many past readings to keep per app (shown in each row's history field) so you can chart the rating over time.

## `stateStoreName` (type: `string`):

Named key-value store that remembers previous ratings between scheduled runs. Use a different name per monitoring job.

## `concurrency` (type: `integer`):

How many apps to check in parallel.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Optional proxy. Normally not needed: if a store rate-limits the run, Apify's datacenter proxy is used automatically as a fallback.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "apps": [
    "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whatsapp-messenger/id310633997",
    "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whatsapp"
  ],
  "competitors": [
    "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/telegram-messenger/id686449807",
    "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.telegram.messenger"
  ],
  "reviewSample": 100,
  "country": "us",
  "language": "english",
  "ratingDropAlert": 10,
  "recentRatingDropAlert": 50,
  "negativeSpikePoints": 15,
  "newOneStarAlert": 5,
  "versionRegressionDrop": 50,
  "slackWebhookUrl": "",
  "discordWebhookUrl": "",
  "webhookUrl": "",
  "onlyAlerts": false,
  "resetBaseline": false,
  "keepHistory": 60,
  "stateStoreName": "app-review-alerts-state",
  "concurrency": 3,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

## `downloadCsv` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (type: `string`):

No description

## `count` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "apps": [
        "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whatsapp-messenger/id310633997",
        "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whatsapp"
    ],
    "competitors": [
        "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/telegram-messenger/id686449807",
        "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.telegram.messenger"
    ],
    "reviewSample": 100,
    "country": "us",
    "language": "english",
    "ratingDropAlert": 10,
    "recentRatingDropAlert": 50,
    "negativeSpikePoints": 15,
    "newOneStarAlert": 5,
    "versionRegressionDrop": 50,
    "slackWebhookUrl": "",
    "discordWebhookUrl": "",
    "webhookUrl": "",
    "onlyAlerts": false,
    "resetBaseline": false,
    "keepHistory": 60,
    "stateStoreName": "app-review-alerts-state",
    "concurrency": 3,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("that_red_bird/app-review-alerts").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "apps": [
        "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whatsapp-messenger/id310633997",
        "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whatsapp",
    ],
    "competitors": [
        "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/telegram-messenger/id686449807",
        "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.telegram.messenger",
    ],
    "reviewSample": 100,
    "country": "us",
    "language": "english",
    "ratingDropAlert": 10,
    "recentRatingDropAlert": 50,
    "negativeSpikePoints": 15,
    "newOneStarAlert": 5,
    "versionRegressionDrop": 50,
    "slackWebhookUrl": "",
    "discordWebhookUrl": "",
    "webhookUrl": "",
    "onlyAlerts": False,
    "resetBaseline": False,
    "keepHistory": 60,
    "stateStoreName": "app-review-alerts-state",
    "concurrency": 3,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("that_red_bird/app-review-alerts").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "apps": [
    "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whatsapp-messenger/id310633997",
    "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whatsapp"
  ],
  "competitors": [
    "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/telegram-messenger/id686449807",
    "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.telegram.messenger"
  ],
  "reviewSample": 100,
  "country": "us",
  "language": "english",
  "ratingDropAlert": 10,
  "recentRatingDropAlert": 50,
  "negativeSpikePoints": 15,
  "newOneStarAlert": 5,
  "versionRegressionDrop": 50,
  "slackWebhookUrl": "",
  "discordWebhookUrl": "",
  "webhookUrl": "",
  "onlyAlerts": false,
  "resetBaseline": false,
  "keepHistory": 60,
  "stateStoreName": "app-review-alerts-state",
  "concurrency": 3,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call that_red_bird/app-review-alerts --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,that_red_bird/app-review-alerts"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/GVhY6eCMRbYrQO1tI/builds/g9YgdWrhuBhKCcIC3/openapi.json