# Google Play store listing: title, short and full description

> A Google Play store listing has three text fields, an app name of up to 30 characters, a short description of up to 80 and a full description of up to 4,000, plus an icon, a required feature graphic, screenshots and an optional YouTube video, and all of it must follow Google Play's metadata policy.

Uptika team · Published: 2026-11-05 · Last updated: 2026-11-05 · https://uptika.app/en/guides/google-play-store-listing

A Google Play store listing is the page people see before they install: an app name (30 characters), a short description (80), a full description (4,000), an icon, a feature graphic, screenshots and an optional video. Unlike the App Store, Google Play has no hidden keyword field. The text people read is the text search reads, so every word has to work for both.

> Last checked on 5 November 2026 against Play Console Help. Limits and menu names change; the sources are listed at the end of the page.

## What fields does a Google Play store listing have?

A Google Play store listing has three text fields and a set of graphics. Play Console Help gives these limits and specs:

| Field | Limit or spec | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| App name | 30 characters | One localized name per language |
| Short description | 80 characters | The first text users see on your detail page; they can expand it to the full description |
| Full description | 4,000 characters | No rich formatting is documented; see the [full description guide](https://uptika.app/en/guides/google-play-full-description) |
| App icon | 512 × 512 px, 32-bit PNG with alpha, up to 1024 KB | No badges that suggest ranking or price |
| Feature graphic | 1024 × 500 px, JPEG or 24-bit PNG, no alpha | Required to publish |
| Screenshots | Up to 8 per device type; at least 2 in total to publish | JPEG or 24-bit PNG, no alpha, each side 320 to 3,840 px |
| Preview video | One YouTube URL | Optional; not a playlist or channel URL |
| Alt text | 140 characters or less per image | For screen-reader users |
| Tags | Up to 5 | Set with the category on the Store settings page |
| Contact details | Email required | Website recommended, phone optional |

The character limits apply equally to full-width and half-width characters, so a Japanese or Chinese title also gets 30 characters, not fewer. Your store listing is shared across tracks, including testing tracks.

## Which fields does Google Play search use?

Google says that "the text in your store listing helps users discover your app", but it does not publish which field weighs how much. What it does say, field by field:

- **Title**: make it unique and accessible, avoid common terms, and keep it focused, because long titles may be shortened on some devices.
- **Short description**: Google's store listing guidance says this text "appears in places like search results" and should summarise your app's biggest benefits.
- **Full description**: use SEO best practices, but without keyword spamming, and make sure the most important text is visible in the top half of the page.
- **Beyond text**: Google Play ranks apps "based on a combination of ratings, reviews, downloads, and other factors", and the weights are proprietary. App quality counts too: see [Android vitals](https://uptika.app/en/guides/android-vitals).

In practice, it is commonly observed that a search term in the title moves rank more than the same term in the short description, and the short description more than the full description. Google does not confirm this order, so measure it on your own keywords instead of assuming it.

## What does the Google Play metadata policy forbid?

The metadata policy forbids misleading, improperly formatted, irrelevant, excessive or inappropriate metadata anywhere in the listing, and it sets extra rules for the title, icon and developer name (the full rule set is in the [Google Play metadata policy guide](https://uptika.app/en/guides/google-play-metadata-policy)). In the title, icon and developer name:

- No emoji, emoticons or repeated special characters.
- No ALL CAPS unless it is part of your brand name.
- No text or image that indicates store performance or ranking, such as "#1", "App of the year", "Best of Play 20XX", "Popular" or award icons.
- No price or promotional information, such as "10% off", "$50 cash back" or "free for a limited time only". Google's store listing guidance adds that words like "Free" and "No Ads" promote deals and do not belong in titles or developer names.
- No text that suggests a Google Play program, such as "Editor's choice" or "New".

In the descriptions, the policy names unattributed or anonymous user testimonials, comparisons with other apps or brands, and word blocks or vertical and horizontal word lists as common violations. The policy applies to every translation of your listing too.

| Violation | Example (invented app) | Policy-safe version |
|---|---|---|
| Ranking claim in the title | NOTARA #1 Best Notes App | Notara: Notes & Checklists |
| ALL CAPS that is not the brand | NOTARA NOTES | Notara Notes |
| Price or deal in the title | Notara: Free, No Ads | Notara: Notes & Checklists |
| Repeated special characters | Notara!!! Notes *** | Notara Notes |
| Promotional badge on the icon | "50% OFF" ribbon on the icon | The plain app icon |
| Keyword list in the description | notes, notepad, memo, notebook, notes free | A sentence that uses "notes" once, naturally |
| Anonymous testimonial | "Best app ever!" (a user) | A sourced, attributed quote, or none |

## How much keyword repetition gets an app suspended?

Play Console Help warns that "repetitive or irrelevant keyword usage in your app name, short description, or full description" can create an unpleasant user experience and result in app suspension. Google does not publish a safe number of repeats or a keyword density. Its own bad example is a run of near-duplicate phrases ("Car racing, car driving, race cars, car races…"). A practical rule: put each important term in the title or short description once, use it in the full description where a sentence needs it, and never list terms without a sentence around them. The [full description guide](https://uptika.app/en/guides/google-play-full-description) has a worked template.

## What graphics does the listing need?

The listing needs an icon, a feature graphic and at least two screenshots to publish; a video is optional. Play Console Help adds rules that decide where your graphics can appear:

- **Screenshots**: up to 8 per device type, at least 2 across device types to publish, JPEG or 24-bit PNG without alpha, each side between 320 and 3,840 px, and the long side no more than twice the short side.
- **Recommendation formats**: some Google Play sections show apps in a large format using screenshots. To be eligible, apps need at least four screenshots at 1080 px or more (16:9 landscape at least 1920 × 1080, or 9:16 portrait at least 1080 × 1920); games need at least three such screenshots.
- **Feature graphic**: 1024 × 500 px, required. It is the cover of your video and appears in large-format collections.
- **Preview video**: one YouTube URL (not a playlist or channel), public or unlisted, ads turned off, not age-restricted. It may autoplay muted for up to 30 seconds, depending on the device and connection.
- **Text on graphics**: Google's guidelines ask you to avoid words like "Best", "#1", "Top", "New", "Discount", "Sale" or "Million Downloads", and calls to action like "Download now". Not following these recommended guidelines does not affect the listing page itself, but it can limit promotional opportunities.
- **Alt text**: describe each image in 140 characters or less, for example "The transaction complete screen."

## How do you edit your store listing in Play Console?

You edit the store listing on the Store listings page in Play Console. These are the menu names in Play Console Help on 5 November 2026:

1. Sign in to Play Console and select your app.
2. Go to **Grow users → Store presence → Store listings**. One older help page still calls this page "Main store listing" (Grow users → Store presence → Main store listing); it is the same default listing.
3. Open your default store listing and fill in the fields under "App details": app name, short description and full description. Each field has a counter.
4. In the "Graphics" section, upload the icon, feature graphic and screenshots for each device type, add the YouTube URL and write alt text for each image.
5. For category, tags and contact details, go to **Grow users → Store presence → Store settings**. Tag changes can take up to 24 hours to show on Google Play.
6. Save, then submit your changes for review from the Publishing overview page.
7. After the listing is live, record your rank for each target keyword for at least a week before you judge the change.

## How do Google Play listing translations work?

Your default language is English (United States, en-US) unless you choose another one, and you can add translations of the listing text along with in-language screenshots and other graphics. If you do not add a translation, Google Play shows an automated Google Translate version or your default language, with a note telling the user the text was translated automatically. Automated translation is not supported for Armenian, Raeto-Romance, Tagalog and Zulu.

Google says that a professional translation of your description "can lead to better search results and discoverability for worldwide users". Write each language for the words people actually type there; a literal translation often misses them. The [localization guide](https://uptika.app/en/guides/app-store-localization) covers how to choose terms per market, and [custom store listings](https://uptika.app/en/guides/custom-store-listings) let you show a different listing per country.

## What does a fixed listing look like? A before and after

Here is an invented notes app called Notara. The "before" version breaks several rules at once; the "after" version keeps the same search terms and passes the policy.

| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Title | NOTARA #1 Best Notes App FREE (29 characters) | Notara: Notes & Checklists (26 characters) |
| Short description | The best free notes app! Notes, notepad, notebook, memo, notes free, notes app (78) | Write notes, checklists and voice memos, then find any of them in seconds. (74) |
| Full description, first lines | NOTES APP NOTEPAD MEMO. Best notes app of the year! | Notara keeps your notes, checklists and voice memos in one place and finds any of them as you type. |
| Feature graphic | "#1 NOTES APP, 50% OFF" in large letters | A clean view of a checklist being ticked, no claims |

What changed and why:

- The title drops the ranking claim, the ALL CAPS and the word "Free"; "Notes" and "Checklists" stay as search terms.
- The short description replaces a keyword list with one benefit sentence that still contains "notes", "checklists" and "voice memos".
- The full description opens with what the app does, because users may only read the first few sentences.
- The feature graphic loses words Google asks you to avoid ("#1", a discount).

## What should you check before you publish?

- Title at or under 30 characters, no emoji, no ALL CAPS, no "#1", "Best", "Free" or price.
- Short description at or under 80 characters, one clear benefit, not repeated word for word in the full description.
- Full description at or under 4,000 characters, the key message in the first lines, no keyword lists, no anonymous testimonials.
- Feature graphic 1024 × 500 and at least four 1080 px screenshots if you want the large recommendation formats.
- Alt text on every image, 140 characters or less.
- Every translation checked against the same rules.

## How Uptika helps

Paste your title, short description and full description into the free [Metadata Linter](https://uptika.app/en/tools/metadata-linter): it checks the 30, 80 and 4,000 limits, repeated words and claims like "best", "#1" and "free", in your browser. [Listing X-Ray](https://uptika.app/en/tools/listing-x-ray) runs the same checks on any live Google Play link. After you publish, the free [Keyword radar](https://uptika.app/en/product/keyword-radar) reads your Google Play rank for each keyword every day from the public search page, which shows the first page of about 30 apps, so you can see whether the new text moved you. You can [start on the free plan](https://uptika.app/app/#/?signup=1) without a card.

## Questions

### What are the Google Play store listing requirements?

To publish, you need an app name (up to 30 characters), a short description (up to 80), a full description (up to 4,000), a 512 × 512 icon, a 1024 × 500 feature graphic, at least two screenshots across device types and a contact email address. All of it must follow the metadata policy: no emoji, ALL CAPS, ranking or price claims in the title, icon or developer name, and no keyword stuffing.

### What is the Google Play title character limit?

The app name on Google Play can be up to 30 characters. Play Console Help says the limit is the same for full-width and half-width characters, and you can add one localized name per language.

### How do you do ASO on Google Play?

Put the words people search for into the title, short description and full description where they read naturally, without repetition. Then keep the quality signals healthy: Google says search ranks apps on a combination of ratings, reviews, downloads and other factors. Test graphics and descriptions with store listing experiments and track your rank for each keyword daily.

### Does Google Play index the full description?

Google does not publish a field-by-field list. It says the text in your store listing helps users discover your app and recommends SEO best practices in the description without keyword spamming. So treat the full description as searchable text that must also read well for people.

### Can I change my Google Play listing without a new app release?

Yes. Store listing text and graphics are edited in Play Console and do not need a new app bundle. The changes still go through review before they appear on Google Play.

## Sources

- [Create and set up your app (Play Console Help)](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859152)
- [Get discovered on Google Play search (Play Console Help)](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/4448378)
- [Metadata policy (Play Console Help)](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9898842)
- [Best practices for your store listing (Play Console Help)](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/13393723)
- [Add preview assets to showcase your app (Play Console Help)](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9866151)
- [Choose a category and tags for your app or game (Play Console Help)](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859673)

## Free tools

- [Metadata Linter](https://uptika.app/en/tools/metadata-linter): Paste your store text: limits, repeats, singular/plural waste and policy risks, instantly, in your browser.
- [Listing X-Ray](https://uptika.app/en/tools/listing-x-ray): Holds a store listing's searchable fields against the store's own suggestions and the category's top 10.

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Uptika is an ASO and store-intelligence tool for the App Store and Google Play. https://uptika.app/en