With millions of apps available at the Google Play Store, a few of them are bound to stink. They may not work as advertised. They may have bugs. And they could potentially be offensive or do something unintended. When such things happen, you can let the app developer know.
Having this level of feedback directly to the developer is really nifty. It’s actually unique in the history of software.
Even back in the old days, getting ahold of a developer was pretty much impossible. Good luck finding an address in the package or manual, let alone a phone number. A lot of software had support and help lines for a while, but that vanished as the bean counters took over and costs were cut.
The perception in the general public is that software developers — the people who write the programs — have no interest in hearing from pitiful, mortal, end users. That’s odd, because I know a lot of programmers. They really want feedback and they actually enjoy fixing the bugs. Getting the message to them is tough.
But not with Android apps!
You can provide direct feedback to the developer for any app you use. You can pass along bug reports, complain about things, offer suggestions, and more. You just need to know the secret.
The secret:
- Open the Play Store app.
- Display the Navigation drawer; tap the App icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
- Choose My Apps.
- Scroll through the list to locate an app, one that malfunctions or any one about which you want to offer feedback.
- Scroll down the app’s descriptive page, way toward the bottom.
- Choose the link Send Email, shown in Figure 1.
- If you see the Complete Action Using prompt, choose Gmail or Email or whatever email app you prefer.
Figure 1. Here is where to find the Send Email link.
A new message is started, with the To and Subject fields filled in for you. Your job is to describe the problem or your issue and then send the message.
The developer will receive the message. Understand that they have no obligation to respond, and they may not even address the issue. Still, it’s good to know that such a line of communications is available. I use it whenever I can.
