App store localization: local search terms, not translation

What is app store localization?

App store localization is adapting your store listing to each market: the name, subtitle, keywords, short and full descriptions, screenshots and previews. The goal is not a correct translation but a listing that matches what people in that country type into search and understand at a glance. A perfect translation of the wrong words still ranks for nothing.

Apple puts it plainly on its product page guidance: localize your description, keywords, app previews and screenshots for each market, and tailor your keywords to that market. Google Play shows your listing in the user's language when you have added a translation for it.

What is the difference between translating and localizing?

Translation keeps your meaning; localization keeps your search demand. The difference shows most clearly in the keyword field. Here is a worked example for an invented habit tracker going from English to German.

Step	Keyword field	Characters	Bytes
English original	`habit,tracker,routine,daily,planner,streak,goals,reminder,journal`	65	65
Word-for-word German	`gewohnheit,tracker,routine,täglich,planer,serie,ziele,erinnerung,tagebuch`	73	74
Localized German (illustrative)	`gewohnheitstracker,gewohnheiten,routine,tagesplaner,ziele,erinnerung,morgenroutine`	82	82

What went wrong in the literal version:

"serie" is the German word for a TV series, so it pulls the wrong searches.
"tagebuch" means diary: a different app type, and a searcher wanting a diary will not install a habit tracker.
Split words. German users often type compounds such as "Gewohnheitstracker". Apple does not document how its search splits compounds, so test both forms in the store's autocomplete before choosing.
Bytes. The "ä" in "täglich" takes 2 bytes. App Store Connect Help limits the keyword field to 100 bytes, while Apple's search page says 100 characters; plain ASCII letters are 1 byte each, but ä, ö, ü, ß, é, ç, ş, ğ and similar letters are 2 bytes in UTF-8. A German or Turkish field can hold fewer than 100 letters.

The localized row is an illustration of the method, not real search data. The real set comes from what the German storefront's autocomplete suggests and from popularity readings. Our Metadata Linter counts bytes, repeats and singular-plural pairs in any language.

Which fields should I localize on each store?

Localize every field that is searched or seen before the install. This table lists them with their limits and when they can change.

Store	Field	Limit	Localizable	When it can change
App Store	App name	30 characters	Yes	With a new version
App Store	Subtitle	30 characters	Yes	With a new version
App Store	Keywords	100 bytes	Yes; not copied from the primary language when you add one	Apple does not state this in one rule; in practice submitted with a version
App Store	Description	4,000 characters	Yes; not copied from the primary language	With a new version
App Store	Promotional text	170 characters	Yes	Any time, without a new version
App Store	Screenshots	Up to 10 per device size	Yes; copied from the primary language until you replace them	With a new version
App Store	App previews	Up to 3 per localization and device size	Yes	With a new version
App Store	What's New	4,000 characters	Yes	With each version
App Store	In-app purchase names and descriptions	Up to 20 items shown on the product page	Yes	Any time
Google Play	App name	30 characters	Yes, as a translation	Any time from Play Console
Google Play	Short description	80 characters	Yes	Any time from Play Console
Google Play	Full description	4,000 characters	Yes	Any time from Play Console
Google Play	Graphics (screenshots, feature graphic)	Store specs	Yes, optional; otherwise the default language's graphics show	Any time from Play Console
Google Play	In-app product titles and descriptions		Yes	Any time

On the App Store, the name, subtitle, keywords and primary category are the fields Apple names as text relevance for search. Promotional text, by Apple's own words, does not affect search ranking. On Google Play, the title, short description and full description are the text fields; Google also warns that repetitive or irrelevant keywords in them can lead to suspension.

How does the App Store choose which language to show?

Apple explains it with an example on its localization help page. If English is your primary language and you add French:

People whose device language is French see the French localization.
People in countries where the App Store supports French but not English also see French.
People can search for your app using your French keywords in all countries where the App Store supports French.
If no localization matches someone's language, the next most relevant one is used; elsewhere, your primary language shows.

Apple adds that the language shown can vary with device and system settings. Each storefront has a default language and, often, additional supported languages:

Storefront	Default language	Additional supported languages
United States	English (US)	Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Mexico), Vietnamese
Türkiye	English (U.K.)	Turkish
Germany	German	English (U.K.)
France	French	English (U.K.)
Brazil	Portuguese (Brazil)	English (U.K.)
Spain	Spanish (Spain)	Catalan, English (U.K.)
Mexico	Spanish (Mexico)	English (U.K.)
Japan	Japanese	English (US)

Apple calls these the default and additional supported languages of each storefront. The table itself does not say they are "indexed" for search; the statement about searching with localized keywords comes from the help page quoted above. In Apple's table, English (U.K.) appears in 172 of 175 storefronts; the exceptions are the United States, Canada and Japan.

The full list of 175 storefronts is in the App Store storefront and language table, including the practice of using an extra supported language for more keywords and its risks.

How does Google Play handle translations?

Play Console offers four routes, according to its translation help page:

Your own translations. On the store listing page, use Manage translations, then Select languages, pick the languages and click Apply and Save. You can add localized graphics too; without them, the default language's graphics show.
Paid human translation. Under Grow users > Translations > Store listings and products, you can order translations of the title, short description, full description and in-app products from a third-party vendor. Google says they are completed within seven days, and not every language pair is available.
Free machine translation, from the same page, for Arabic, French (France), German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain) and Thai. Google notes these are not reviewed by humans.
Automatic translation for users. If you add nothing, people viewing your listing in an untranslated language can choose an automated translation, with a notice at the top. Google lists Armenian, Raeto-romance, Tagalog and Zulu as unavailable.

Two related tools are separate: Grow users > Translations > App strings translates the strings inside your app with Gemini, and custom store listings target countries rather than languages. Google does not say how translated or machine-translated listing text affects search ranking, so research local terms either way.

How do I localize a listing, step by step?

Pick the countries. Start where you already get downloads without a localized page; the method is in which countries to localize first.
Collect local searches. Type your core terms into each country's store search and note the autocomplete suggestions. Check their popularity and difficulty in that country.
Write the name and subtitle natively. Put the strongest local term where it reads naturally; a native speaker should review it.
Fill the keyword field by bytes. No repeats from the name or subtitle, no plurals of words you already have, no spaces after commas.
Localize the first screenshots. Captions in the local language; Apple says search results can show up to three screenshots.
Add the language in App Store Connect. In Apps, select the app, click the primary language at the top right, scroll to Not Localized, hover the language and click the add button (+). Enter the metadata and click Save. The app name and privacy policy URL are entered under App Information the same way.
Measure per country, as below.

How do I measure localization by country?

Measure each storefront separately, because ranks and downloads are per country. Localization is one lever among several; the others are in how to increase app downloads.

Rank per storefront. Track the localized keywords in the country itself, daily. Uptika reads App Store ranks per country storefront and Google Play ranks with the country and its language set.
Downloads by country. App Store Connect and Play Console both report downloads by country or region. Compare four weeks before and after the release.
Conversion. If impressions rise but downloads do not, the screenshots or text are not convincing locals yet.
Give it time. Text changes go through review and then need some days to settle in search.

What are the common mistakes?

Translating the English keyword field word for word.
Leaving English screenshots under a translated description.
Forgetting that keywords and the description are not copied when you add a language: the new localization ships with an empty keyword field unless you fill it.
Counting characters instead of bytes in languages with accented letters.
Brand or competitor names in another language. Apple's rules on trademarks and other app names apply in every locale.
Never checking the result per country.

How does Uptika help with localization?

Start with the free Keyword Atlas: one term in up to 10 countries on both stores, with popularity, difficulty and the top 3 apps in each market. In the panel, the free Localization page shows countries without a page in their language and where your downloads come from, and New markets on the Starter plan lists countries that already send you installs or visitors without a localized page, then reads the store's autocomplete there. Create a free account to start.

Questions

How do I localize an App Store listing?

In App Store Connect, open your app, click the primary language at the top right, hover the language under Not Localized and click the add button (+). Then enter the localized name, subtitle, keywords, description, promotional text and screenshots. Research each market's own search terms first instead of translating your English keywords.

Which languages does App Store Connect support?

App Store Connect Help lists 50 languages and locales for metadata, from Arabic to Vietnamese, including four English variants (Australia, Canada, U.K., U.S.), two French, two Portuguese and two Spanish variants. Each country storefront has a default language and often additional supported languages.

Does localization increase downloads?

Apple says a localized product page lets people in different regions understand your app more easily and may make them more likely to download it. Neither store publishes an average uplift, so measure it yourself: rank and downloads per country, a few weeks before and after.

Why was my App Store localization rejected?

Apple names improper keyword use as a common rejection reason: trademarked terms, celebrity names, irrelevant terms, competing app names, or objectionable terms. These rules apply in every language, so a translated keyword list can fail review for the same reasons as an English one.