Which countries should you localize your app for first?
Localize first for the countries that already send you downloads without a page in their language, rank the rest with a simple score of your own download signal, search demand, competition and revenue, and test each new country with the name, subtitle and keyword fields before paying for a full translation.
Which countries should I localize for first?
Start with countries that already send you downloads although your listing is not in their language. That demand is proven, and a local page can only help it. Rank every other candidate with a short score built from your own data and from search readings in each storefront, then test the winner cheaply before translating everything.
This method avoids two common traps: picking countries from someone else's market-size chart, and translating a whole listing into a language where nobody searches for what your app does.
Which signals belong in the score?
Use five signals, each scored 1 to 5. Every one comes from data you can check yourself; none needs a market-size estimate.
| Signal | Where to read it | Scores 5 when | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Existing signal | Your downloads and store visitors by country in App Store Connect and Play Console | The country already sends steady downloads without a local page | 3 |
| Search demand | Store autocomplete in that storefront; a popularity reading of your core terms | Your core terms are suggested early and often in that language | 2 |
| Competition | Difficulty of your core terms there: rating counts and titles of the top 10 | The top results are weak or off-topic | 2 |
| Revenue power | Your own proceeds per country, if you have them; otherwise how your price tier converts there | Paying users already come from it | 2 |
| Reach | Apple's storefront and language table; Google Play language settings | One localization serves several storefronts | 1 |
priority = (3 × signal + 2 × demand + 2 × competition + 2 × revenue + 1 × reach) ÷ 10
The result is between 1 and 5. Competition is scored inverted: easy markets score high.
A worked template
The numbers below are invented to show the arithmetic; replace them with your own readings.
| Candidate | Signal | Demand | Competition | Revenue | Reach | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country A | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3.5 |
| Country B | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3.0 |
| Country C | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2.4 |
Country A wins even though Country B has more demand: A already downloads the app, and its language reaches more storefronts. In practice, test the top one or two and keep the rest on a watch list.
How does one localization reach several storefronts?
On the App Store, a localization is used in every storefront that supports its language. Apple's help says people can search for your app with localized keywords in all countries where the App Store supports that language. Apple's table shows how wide that can be:
- Spanish (Mexico) is the default in Mexico and most of Latin America, and an additional language in the United States.
- French appears in 32 storefronts, from France and Belgium to much of Africa; French (Canada) only in Canada.
- Portuguese (Brazil) covers Brazil and is additional in the United States.
- English (U.K.) appears in 172 of 175 storefronts.
On Google Play, translations follow the user's language preference, and custom store listings can target countries. The full storefront list is in the App Store storefront and language table.
How do I test a country before a full translation?
Test with the fields that carry search, then expand only if the numbers move.
- Localize the searchable fields first. On the App Store: name, subtitle and keyword field. On Google Play: title and short description.
- Localize the first three screenshot captions. Apple says search results can show up to three screenshots or previews.
- Release and wait for review. On the App Store, name and subtitle changes go out with a new version.
- Track for about four weeks. Daily ranks for the local terms in that storefront, and downloads from that country.
- Decide. If ranks and downloads rise, localize the rest: full description, all screenshots, in-app purchase names, What's New. If nothing moves, check the keyword choice before giving up on the country.
Two shortcuts, with care:
- Google Play custom store listings can target one country, so you can test a local listing without changing the main one. Google notes that custom store listings do not include automated translations.
- Play Console's free machine translation covers 10 languages (Arabic, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), Thai). Google says it is not reviewed by humans, so have the result checked before relying on it.
What are the common mistakes?
- Choosing countries from a list of "biggest markets" instead of your own downloads.
- Translating the description first while the name, subtitle and keywords stay in English.
- Judging a test after a few days; text changes need review and then time to settle.
- Forgetting that an App Store localization shows in every storefront that supports its language.
- Counting characters instead of bytes; accented letters take 2 bytes in the 100-byte keyword field.
How does Uptika help?
Score demand and competition for free with Keyword Atlas: one term in up to 10 countries on both stores, with popularity, difficulty and the top 3 apps in each market. On the Starter plan, New markets lists countries that already send you installs or store visitors where your listing has no page in their language, sized by your own installs rather than a guessed market size, and reads the store's autocomplete there in one click. The readings are explained in Uptika methodology, and localization itself in app store localization. Create a free account to start.
Questions
Which languages should I localize my app into first?
Start with the languages of countries that already download your app without a localized page; that demand is proven. Then score the other candidates on search demand, competition, your revenue there and how many storefronts one localization reaches. On the App Store, one localization such as Spanish (Mexico) can serve several storefronts.
Which App Store countries have the most downloads?
Apple does not publish download totals per country, so any ranking you read elsewhere is an estimate. For your decision, your own downloads by country in App Store Connect and Play Console are the reliable signal, together with search demand measured in each storefront.
Is it worth localizing a small app?
Often yes, if you start small. Localizing only the name, subtitle and keyword field (or title and short description on Google Play) for one language costs little and shows within weeks whether ranks and downloads move. Expand only where they do.
How do I test a new country before translating everything?
Localize the searchable fields and the first three screenshot captions, release, then track ranks for local terms in that storefront and downloads from that country for about four weeks. On Google Play, a custom store listing targeted at one country is another way to test without touching the main listing.