Google Play
Review Collector

Requirements

The collector runs entirely in your browser as a Chrome extension. No server account, API key, or external service is required. Before installing, make sure your environment meets the following:

• Browser: Google Chrome version 120 or later. Other Chromium-based browsers (Edge, Brave, Whale) typically work but are not formally tested.
• Operating System: Windows 10/11, macOS 12+, or any recent Linux distribution.
• Disk space: Less than 5 MB for the extension itself; collected data is exported as Excel files to a location of your choice.
• Network: A stable internet connection to load Google Maps pages during collection.

Download

Download the latest packaged extension. The file is a standard ZIP archive containing the extension's manifest, scripts, and assets.

Installation

Because this extension is distributed for research use rather than through the Chrome Web Store, it is loaded as an unpacked extension. The process is the same on all platforms.

1. Open Chrome's extensions page

   In your address bar, type chrome://extensions and press Enter. This opens the extension management page.

   Screenshot

   Chrome extensions page

2. Enable Developer mode

   In the top-right corner of the extensions page, toggle the Developer mode switch on. New buttons will appear in the top-left.

   Screenshot

   Developer mode toggle (top right)

3. Load the unpacked extension

   Click Load unpacked, then navigate to and select the folder where you unzipped the collector. Chrome should now show "Google Play Review Collector" as an installed extension.

   Screenshot

   Load unpacked dialog

4. Pin the extension (optional but recommended)

   Click the puzzle-piece icon in Chrome's toolbar, find the collector, and click the pin icon. Its icon will then sit in your toolbar for quick access during collection sessions.

   Screenshot

   Pin extension to toolbar

How to use

Step-by-step collection

1. Open Google Play Store in Chrome and search for the app you want to study.
2. Click the app's listing to open its detail page.
3. Scroll down to the reviews section and click See all reviews (or the equivalent in your locale).
4. Click the collector's icon in your Chrome toolbar.
5. (Optional) Set a date range ??only reviews within this range will be collected.
6. (Optional) Filter by star rating if you only need a subset.
7. Click Start collection. The extension auto-paginates and gathers reviews.
8. When complete, click Export to Excel.

Collection tips

• Use the full reviews view. The collector reads from the full reviews dialog, not the abbreviated preview on the app's main page.
• Long histories take time. Apps with tens of thousands of reviews require multiple minutes; let the page stay focused while the collector runs.
• Locale matters. The reviews you see depend on your Play Store locale. To collect reviews from a specific country, switch the Play Store region first.

Output format

Each collection produces a single .xlsx file with one row per review and the following columns:

• app_name ??the application as displayed on Google Play
• app_id ??the package identifier (e.g., com.example.app)
• reviewer_name ??public display name of the reviewer
• rating ??star rating (1??)
• review_text ??full text of the review
• review_date ??date the review was posted
• helpful_count ??number of "helpful" votes
• app_version ??app version reviewed (when shown)
• developer_reply ??developer response, if any
• collected_at ??timestamp of when the row was collected

The file is ready to import into R (openxlsx, readxl), Python (pandas), SPSS, or any tool that reads Excel.

Troubleshooting

The extension doesn't appear after loading

Make sure you selected the folder that directly contains manifest.json, not a parent folder. If you unzipped and got a nested folder, point Chrome to the inner one.

"Start collection" does nothing

Confirm you opened the full reviews dialog (the page that shows all reviews, not the brief preview on the app's main page). The collector activates only when it detects this dialog.

Collection stops mid-way

Long review histories occasionally cause the page to slow down. If the collector stalls, refresh the page, reopen the reviews dialog, and start again. The tool always re-collects from the most recent review.

Developer replies are missing

Some apps have very few developer responses. The developer_reply column is filled only where Google Play actually displays a reply; otherwise it is left empty.

Excel file fails to download

Check Chrome's download permissions for the page. Some corporate Chrome profiles block downloads from non-whitelisted origins.

Citation

If you use this tool in research that leads to publication, please cite the project. A formal citation entry will be added once the accompanying methodological paper is published. For now, you may reference the tool as:

Questions or feedback? Contact the lab via the addresses listed on the main site.