Some YouTube users leaving 1-star Play Store rating for dislike count removal, but Google allegedly deleting 'bad' reviews

YouTube is the second most visited website on the internet and the most popular video-sharing platform, with more than 2.3 billion active monthly users as of October 2021.

That being said, YouTube brought in some significant changes to the platform last month when they announced the removal of the dislike counts. While the dislike button is still there, users are now unable to see the number of dislikes.

Ever since the announcement, users have expressed their dissatisfaction on several social media platforms with the majority of of them asking YouTube to bring it back.

Many thought they were not vocal enough and as a result, started leaving 1-star ratings on the YouTube app on the Google Play Store talking about the removal of the dislike count feature.

Several others joined, bashing about how YouTube did not ask users before making the decision.

But some say that Google is now allegedly removing its 1-star rating along with bad reviews from the YouTube app Play Store page.

Negative reviews of the YouTube app are automatically deleted from Google Play Store. This is a blatant abuse of power by Google, and could be illegal in many countries. Google is exerting it’s power to make it’s video sharing platform appear better than competitors by artificially manipulating user review ratings. The app’s 4.2/5 rating makes it appear to be better than competitors, but this ranking is due to an abuse of power. I am going to contact the competition watchdog in my country, you should all do the same.
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So, on this sub I’ve noticed some people complaining about their reviews getting deleted. So I put it to the test. First off was a lengthy review about how the missing dislike button cripples YouTube and what not. Guess what? Not even 24h and it’s deleted. Next I tried simply posting “dislike button” with 1 star. Deleted. Next, and I thought surely they can’t just delete this, I rated 1 star with no comment. Deleted within a day. I know multiple people who had this and I ask every one of you to test it as well, because in my opinion it’s market manipulation if they simply delete any bad reviews off the play store, for their own product.
(Source)

If Google is indeed deleting YouTube 1-star ratings related to dislike count removal, it’s saddening to share they are indulging in anti-competitive practices, which is not expected from a company as huge as Google.

That said, we would like to hear your experience on the matter, so make sure to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Note: We have more such stories in our dedicated YouTube Section so be sure to follow them as well.

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