App Store subtitle: what to write in 30 characters, with 40 examples

The subtitle is the short phrase under your app name on the product page and in App Store search results. It has room for 30 characters. Apple reads it for search, so it does two jobs at once: it tells a person what the app does in one glance, and it adds search terms the name could not hold. You change it only with a new version.

What are the App Store subtitle rules?

The subtitle is limited to 30 characters, is optional, can be localized, and changes when you submit a new version. Everything else is guidance from Apple's product page advice and the App Review Guidelines.

The subtitle counts characters. The keyword field counts bytes (up to 100 bytes). Do not mix up the two: a 30-letter Turkish or German subtitle is fine, while the same letters in the keyword field may use more than one byte each. See the keyword field guide.

Is the subtitle indexed for App Store search?

Yes. Apple's search page says results depend on text relevance, meaning matches for your app's title, subtitle, keywords and primary category, plus user behavior such as downloads, ratings and reviews. Apple does not publish how much each field weighs. In practice, many teams treat the name as the strongest field and the subtitle as the next one, because both are visible and both are indexed.

Two consequences follow:

• A word in the subtitle is already searchable. Do not repeat it in the keyword field; Apple asks you not to repeat words from the name, subtitle or category there.
• Words can combine across fields. If the subtitle says "budget planner" and the keyword field holds "monthly", a search for "monthly budget" can match. Apple does not document how fields combine, so check real ranks after release instead of assuming.

What should an App Store subtitle say?

A strong subtitle names what the app does with a term people search for, and adds the outcome or the use case. Use this formula:

search term + benefit or use case

1. Pick one search term your users type that is not already in your name. "Budget planner", "home workouts", "offline maps".
2. Add the result, the setting or the audience: "for freelancers", "no equipment", "in one tap".
3. Read it as a sentence fragment a person would understand without the name above it.
4. Count it. 30 characters includes spaces and punctuation.
5. Check it against the name: no word should appear twice.

Here is how the formula fixes common weak subtitles. Names and apps are invented.

Guideline 2.3.7 says metadata such as app names and subtitles should not include prices, and subtitles must not make unverifiable product claims. A "#1" or "best" claim is hard to verify, so leave it out.

40 App Store subtitle examples by category

Every example below is invented and generic, and is 30 characters or fewer, counted character by character including spaces. Use them as patterns, not as copy: your best subtitle depends on the terms your own users search for and on the words already in your name.

Productivity

Health and fitness

Finance

Education

Photo and video

Travel

Food and lifestyle

Games

Notice the patterns: most examples are a noun phrase people search ("meal planner", "step counter") plus a qualifier that sells ("no equipment", "offline", "in one tap"). Apple's search page lists generic terms such as "app" or "game" as words to avoid in the keyword field because they are too broad; the same logic applies here, which is why "card game" only works when paired with "solitaire".

When and how do you change the subtitle?

You change the subtitle with a new version. Apple's product page guidance says you can update it when submitting a new version of your app. The field sits on the App Information page in App Store Connect: in Apps, select your app, click App Information under General in the sidebar, pick the language from the menu at the top right, edit, then click Save. The new subtitle goes live with the version that passes review.

A safe routine for a subtitle change:

1. Write down your current ranks for the terms in the old and new subtitle, in each storefront you care about. Keyword rank tracking explains how to read them.
2. Change one field per release where you can. If the name, subtitle and keyword field all change together, you cannot tell which change moved a rank.
3. Ship the version and note the release date.
4. Compare daily ranks over the following weeks, not the first day. Rankings take time to settle after a release; this is common observation, Apple gives no official timeline.
5. Keep the change if the new terms gain and the old ones hold, or roll back with the next version.

For short-lived messages, such as a sale or a seasonal feature, use promotional text instead: Apple lets you change it at any time without a new version, but it does not affect search ranking. The promotional text guide covers the difference, and in-app events are the better place for time-bound content.

Common subtitle mistakes

• Repeating the app name's words. Every repeated word wastes characters on a term that is already indexed.
• A slogan with no searchable term. "Life, simplified" may be on brand, but nobody searches it.
• Claims and prices: "best", "#1", "free". Guideline 2.3.7 names prices and unverifiable claims.
• Other apps' names. Guideline 2.3.7 says subtitles must not reference other apps.
• One subtitle for every language. Each localization has its own subtitle; translate the search term people use in that language, not the English word. See App Store localization.
• Changing it every release without measuring. Keep a change long enough to read its effect.

Checklist before you submit

• 30 characters or fewer, counted with spaces.
• At least one term people search, not already in the name.
• One concrete benefit, feature or use case.
• No price, ranking claim, "best" or other app names.
• Words not repeated in the keyword field.
• Each localization written for its own language.
• Current ranks saved, so you can compare after release.

The full list of field limits for both stores is in App Store character limits. For the version text that ships alongside a subtitle change, see release notes.

How Uptika helps

Paste your name, subtitle and keyword field into the free Metadata Linter: it counts characters and keyword-field bytes, flags words repeated across fields, singular and plural pairs, and brand or claim risks, all in your browser. After the release, the free "Keyword radar" in the panel reads your daily rank, popularity and difficulty for each keyword, so you can see whether the new subtitle earned its place. The keyword radar page shows how it works, and you can start free without a card.

Questions

Sources

1. App information (App Store Connect Help)
2. Creating your product page (Apple Developer)
3. App Store search (Apple Developer)
4. App Review Guidelines (Apple Developer)
5. Platform version information (App Store Connect Help)