How to set up a Google Play Store inbox in Front

Overview 

Front integrates with Google Play Store to bring your app reviews directly into Front, where you can read and reply to each review. 

For every review, you’ll see:

• Star rating
• Message content
• App version
• Device type

You can add multiple Google Play Store inboxes for multiple apps. Follow the instructions below for each app separately, since you’ll need a unique app id from Google Play Store for each inbox.

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Prerequisites

You'll need the following to set up a Google Play Store inbox in Front:

• A Google Play Developer account. For information on developer accounts, read on here.
• An app you created and published in the Google Play Store. For more information on publishing on the Google Play Store, read on here.

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Instructions

Part 1: Create inbox in Front

Step 1

Click the gear icon on the top right of Front and into the Company or Personal settings tab, depending on which space you are working with.

Step 2

Click on Inboxes on the left menu and Add an individual inbox or Add a shared inbox, depending on which space you're in. Fill in the name and description of this inbox.

Step 3

Select Google Play from the channels menu. Now, you’ll need to get some information from your Google Play Developer Console. Keep this Front screen open, as you'll come back to it after the next part.

Part 2: Set up in Google Play account

Step 4

Log into your Google Play Developer Console, where you’ll need to create and configure a Service Account to use for the Front integration.

Step 5

Click on Settings in the left sidebar, select API Access, and click Choose a project to link.

Step 6

Agree to the Terms of Service.

Step 7

On the next page, click Create new Service Account and follow the instructions in the pop-up window.

Step 8

In the pop-up window, follow the link to the Google Cloud Platform.Step 9

On the next screen, click Create Service Account.

Step 10

Name your service account something recognizable, such as "Front." Then click Create. You will then be able to grant your service account Owner rights by clicking Select a role, Project, and Owner. Your service account must be an Owner in order for the inbox to work properly in Front.

Step 11

Finally, click Done.

Step 12

Next, click on the Service Account you just created, then the Add key button, then Create new key. Choose a JSON key type, then click Create. A JSON key will be automatically downloaded during this step – be sure to save this file.

Step 13

Click the Grant Access button for the Service Account you just created.

Step 14

In the following screen, uncheck all of the permissions except for View app information and Reply to reviews.

Step 15

When both of these are checked, click Invite user in the bottom right corner.

Part 3: Complete setup in Front

Step 16

Now that you’ve configured your Google Play Service account, go back to Front and enter these details in the Google Play Store set up page where you left off:

• Your Google Play Store App ID in the Package Name field
• Upload the JSON key file you downloaded when you created your Service Account

Step 17

Finish setting up the rest of the inbox by walking through the rest of the inbox sections that the setup will guide you through. Make sure that you grant access to the proper teammates for this inbox in the Teammate access submenu.

Step 18

Once done, return to your inbox view. You'll begin to see Google Play Store reviews arrive in Front. Front will automatically import reviews that have been posted to Google Play Store within the last 7 days.

You can click on reply to draft and send a response, which will post as a reply to the review in Google Play Store.

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FAQ

How many times can I respond to a review?

You can only respond once to each app review and can only update your reply if the same user submits a second app review.

Are there character limits for Google Play Store replies?

Yes. Each message has a 3000 character limit.