Petition to change review queue: weighted prioritization by affected userbase

[Inssist App]

Hi everyone,

We'd like to propose a constructive discussion around improving the Chrome Web Store review queue system.

The problem

The current manual review queue appears to be first-in-first-out with no consideration for the number of users affected by a delayed update. A bug fix for an extension with 500,000 active users sits in the same queue as a brand new submission with zero users. The impact of these delays is not equal, yet the process treats them identically.

When a widely-used extension is stuck in review for multiple days, the consequences compound rapidly: users encounter unresolved bugs, leave negative reviews, request refunds, and file chargebacks. The developer has no recourse and no visibility into the timeline.

Proposed solutions:

1. Weighted queue by active userbase - Prioritize reviews for extensions that affect more users. A critical fix for 500K users should not wait behind a first submission with 0 users. This is how most incident response systems work: severity is determined by blast radius.
2. Paid expedited review option - Offer a subscription or per-review fee for faster turnaround (24-48h SLA). Many app stores and certification bodies offer this. It would generate revenue for the review team while giving developers a lever to pull when time-sensitive updates are needed.
3. Tiered trust for established publishers - Extensions with a long track record of clean reviews, large userbases, and verified publisher status could qualify for a faster review track. New or flagged submissions would still go through full review.
4. Transparency and communication - At minimum, provide estimated review times and status updates. The current black box creates anxiety and prevents developers from planning around it.

Why this matters

Chrome Web Store hosts extensions that businesses and hundreds of millions of users depend on daily. The review process should reflect that responsibility, not just for Google's platform safety, but for the developers and users who build on it.

I'd love to hear from other developers experiencing similar issues and from the Chrome Web Store team on whether any of these approaches are being considered.

Thanks for reading.

Hanna @ INSSIST.com