Users' reviews on Google Play and Apple Store Platforms

This research investigates UK household engagement with a smart energy mobile application using a mixed-methods approach. Publicly available user reviews (n = 16,751) were collected from the Apple App Store and Google Play (2015–2025) via AppFollow’s API. Quantitative analysis examined review volume, ratings, seasonality, and correlations with energy prices. Qualitative analysis applied Natural Language Processing techniques, including TF-IDF word analysis, RoBERTa-based sentiment analysis, and BERTopic topic modelling, implemented in Python. Only UK-based, English-language reviews were analysed. As the study used anonymised, publicly accessible data, no ethical approval or informed consent was required, in line with UK research ethics guidance.