Improve App overall rating

Hello BHW community, looking for info and advice about how improve android app overall ratings.

We little startup with a dating app on playstore, and our low rating there is making us near dissapear.

We tried all we can in order to get possitive reviews (mailing to happy users, improve user experience, improve customer service...) but the only users who put reviews are the unhappy ones plus some destructive reviews from competence, making us imposible to mantain this.

When we look competitors and the big apps in market, we clearly see they ratings much higher due too much 5 stars reviews with not much sense, that seems clearly were bougth.

Saw many services over the web and here in BHW about buying reviews to improve ratings, but not 100% sure if it would be advisable, or if we run the risk of losing everything worked on the project

Please, can any ASO mate give any advice or route to follow?

Many thanks

Yeah I have a similar problem, it's difficult to build up ratings and reviews. Of course you have to have enough traffic first to get some reviews. Does your app have a popup asking for reviews? That's crucial but make sure it doesn't pop up as soon as they open the app otherwise that will get you some one star reviews. These days I heard it's harder to buy reviews and that they just get deleted quickly even if you do. Perhaps someone else knows more about it.

Thanks for your feedback. Yes, seems something difficult to improve the ratings. Will add the ask-for-review popup for android, and for me it also helping to add a "please review us" after any sucessfull and happy customer support question, but not enough.

In any case, just looking any big app and their reviews, even little unknown ones with millons of downloads, i think seems clearly they bougth installs and reviews.

Saw some platforms that sells installs and reviews, claiming all ok since their own incentived reviews users community from their databases, but afraid of having problems with the app banned or something else.

Maybe anybody else can share experience and advice about this?