How to write release notes (What's New): templates and rules

Release notes tell people what changed in an update and why it is worth installing. On the App Store the field is called "What's New in This Version" and holds up to 4,000 characters; Google Play's "What's new in this release?" holds up to 500 characters per language. Both are read by real users deciding whether to update, so specific beats clever.

What are the release notes rules on each store?

The App Store gives you more room and a review rule; Google Play gives you 500 characters per language and a tag format.

App Store Connect Help also recommends detailed information so people know the specifics of the changes, improvements or fixes. Apple's product page guidance adds two tips: list new features, content or functionality in order of importance, and add a call to action that gets people interested in the update.

What does guideline 2.3.12 say?

Guideline 2.3.12 says apps must clearly describe new features and product changes in their "What's New" text. Simple bug fixes, security updates and performance improvements may use a generic description, but more significant changes must be listed in the notes.

In practice that gives you a simple test:

• Only fixes, security patches or speed work? "Bug fixes and performance improvements" is allowed.
• Anything a user would notice, such as a new feature, a removed feature, a new paywall, a redesign or changed behavior? Name it in the notes.

Do not confuse What's New with the Notes for Review you send to Apple. Guideline 2.3.1(a) says new features, functionality and product changes must be described with specificity in the Notes for Review section, and generic descriptions there will be rejected. App Review notes are a separate field, limited to 4,000 bytes. Users see What's New; only the reviewer sees the review notes.

How do you write good release notes?

Use this order for any update that has more than fixes:

1. One line that names the main change and the benefit: "Share a list with one link."
2. The other changes, most important first, one short line each.
3. Fixes, grouped, specific where a user might have noticed the bug.
4. A call to action: where to find the new feature, or how to send feedback.

Write for the first two lines. In practice the stores show only the start of the notes before a "more" link; Apple does not document where the cut falls, so keep the key message at the top. Use plain text: App Store Connect fields take plain text, and line breaks with simple hyphens read well on both stores.

12 release notes templates

Replace the parts in square brackets. Each template is generic and invented; keep only the lines that are true for your release.

1. Bug fixes and stability

For a version that only fixes bugs. Generic wording is allowed under 2.3.12.

This update fixes bugs and improves stability.

• Fixed: [the bug people reported most, in their words]
• Fixed: [second fix]
• Thanks for reporting issues in [Settings > Help].

2. One new feature

For a release built around a single feature.

New: [feature name]. [One sentence on what it does for the user.]

• Find it in [where in the app].
• [One detail that answers the first question people will ask.]
• Also in this version: bug fixes and performance improvements.

3. Major release with several changes

For a big version. List in order of importance, as Apple suggests.

[Version number] brings [main theme].

• [Most important change and its benefit]
• [Second change]
• [Third change]
• Fixed: [notable fixes]
• Tell us what you think in [feedback location].

4. Performance

For speed or battery work that users can feel.

[App area] is faster now.

• [Screen or action] opens up to [measured improvement from your own tests, or remove this line].
• Lower battery use during [activity].
• Smaller download size.

Only state numbers you measured yourself; otherwise describe the change without a figure.

5. Redesign

For a new look or new navigation. Tell people where things moved.

A new look for [app area].

• [Old place] is now in [new place].
• [What got easier, in one line]
• Your [data, settings, lists] are unchanged.
• Prefer something? Tell us in [feedback location].

6. Seasonal or limited-time content

For holiday themes, challenges or limited content.

[Season or event] is here: [what is new] until [end date].

• [Content item 1]
• [Content item 2]
• [Where to find it]

If the content runs on a schedule, consider an in-app event for discovery, and use promotional text for news that changes during the season.

7. New languages

For localization releases.

[App name] now speaks [languages].

• The app, [help pages, notifications] are translated.
• Change the language in [device or app settings].
• Spotted a translation that reads wrong? Tell us in [feedback location].

8. Plan or subscription change, without prices

For changes to plans or what a subscription includes. Describe what changes for the user; avoid quoting prices in the notes, since they differ by country.

Changes to [plan name].

• [Plan name] now includes [new benefit].
• [What stays the same for current subscribers]
• Manage your subscription in [location].

9. Accessibility

For VoiceOver or TalkBack, Dynamic Type, contrast or motion improvements.

[App name] is easier to use for everyone.

• [Screen reader] now reads [elements] correctly.
• Text follows your system text size on [screens].
• [Contrast or motion change]

10. Removed or changed feature

For honest notes when something goes away or behaves differently. A user-visible change like this needs to be listed.

[Feature] has changed.

• [What changed and why, in one line]
• [What to use instead, and where]
• Your [data] is [kept, exported, moved to].

11. Security and privacy update

For security patches and permission changes.

This update improves security and privacy.

• [Permission or data change, if any, stated plainly]
• Security fixes.
• Updated [privacy setting] in [location].

12. Game content update

For new levels, modes or items in a game.

[Number] new levels in [world or mode].

• New: [mode, character or item]
• Balanced: [what was tuned]
• Fixed: [notable bug]
• See you on level [number].

How do Google Play release notes work?

Google Play release notes are entered per release, in the "What's new in this release?" section, using up to 500 Unicode characters per language. Play Console Help shows the format: put the language tag such as <en-US> on its own line, the notes on the following lines, and the closing tag </en-US> on its own line, then repeat for each language.

To add them: in Play Console, go to Test and release > Production (or Testing for open, closed or internal tracks), click Create new release, upload your app bundle and fill in the release notes before you roll out.

500 characters is short, so keep a compact version of every template. This compact version of template 2 is 277 characters as one paragraph:

New: share a list with one link, no account needed for the people you invite. Reminders now repeat on custom days. Search finds text inside photos of notes. Fixed: widget did not refresh after midnight. Thanks for the reviews. Tell us what to build next in Settings > Feedback.

Common release notes mistakes

• "Bug fixes and improvements" on a release with a new feature or a new paywall. That breaks the spirit of 2.3.12 and wastes the one place returning users read about changes.
• Internal language: ticket numbers, framework names, "refactored the sync layer".
• Burying the main change under a list of fixes.
• Keyword lists. Apple's search page does not list What's New among the fields it matches, and Google warns against repetitive keywords in metadata.
• Copying the 4,000-character App Store note into Play, where it will not fit in 500.
• Forgetting other languages. Each localization needs its own note.

How Uptika helps

There is no release notes generator in Uptika. Paste your draft into the free Metadata Linter to check lengths, repeated words and claim risks before you submit. In the panel, "Copy workshop" on the Starter plan helps write the title, subtitle and short description with the limits in view, which are the fields that usually change alongside a release. For the rest of the product page, see how to write an app description, the App Store subtitle guide and App Store character limits. You can start free without a card.

Questions

Sources

1. Platform version information (App Store Connect Help)
2. App Review Guidelines (Apple Developer)
3. Creating your product page (Apple Developer)
4. App Store search (Apple Developer)
5. Prepare and roll out a release (Play Console Help)