Localization is usually the cheapest growth an app can buy. Every localized store page gets its own name, subtitle, keyword field and screenshots, which means a new set of searches you can rank for, in markets where most of your competitors still show English.
Why localize the store page
Two things happen when a store page speaks the visitor's language. More people find it, because search runs on the words they type, and more of them install, because they understand what they are getting in the two seconds they give a listing.
You don't need to translate the whole app to start. The store page and the app are localized separately, so you can test demand in a market with a translated listing before you pay for a full app translation.
All 50 App Store localizations
These are the localizations App Store Connect supports for product pages, as listed by Apple:
| Region | Localizations |
|---|---|
| English | English (U.S.), English (U.K.), English (Canada), English (Australia) |
| Spanish & Portuguese | Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Catalan |
| Western Europe | French, French (Canada), German, Italian, Dutch |
| Nordics | Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish |
| Central & Eastern Europe | Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Croatian, Slovenian, Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish |
| Middle East | Arabic, Hebrew |
| East Asia | Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional) |
| Southeast Asia | Indonesian, Malay, Thai, Vietnamese |
| South Asia | Hindi, Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu |
How storefronts pick a language
Each country's App Store has a default language and, for many countries, additional supported languages. Which one a person sees can depend on the storefront, their device language, the languages you've added and your primary language in App Store Connect. Some examples from Apple's table:
| Storefront | Default | Also supported |
|---|---|---|
| United States | English (U.S.) | Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Mexico), Vietnamese |
| Canada | English (Canada) | French (Canada) |
| Switzerland | German | English (U.K.), French, Italian |
| Spain | Spanish (Spain) | Catalan, English (U.K.) |
| India | English (U.K.) | Hindi and ten other Indian languages |
| Japan | Japanese | English (U.S.) |
| Brazil | Portuguese (Brazil) | English (U.K.) |
Two practical consequences. First, in many smaller markets the default is English (U.K.), so a sloppy U.K. listing that copies the U.S. one is visible in dozens of countries. Second, the U.S. storefront supports nine more languages, so a Spanish (Mexico) or Portuguese (Brazil) page can reach people inside the U.S. whose devices are set to those languages. Many ASO teams also use these extra localizations to add keywords in the home storefront. Apple doesn't document how search weighs them, so treat that as something to test, not a rule.
Free tool
How many languages does your app speak?
The free App Store audit counts them and flags the gap in about ten seconds.
What you can localize, and the limits
| Field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| App name | 30 characters | The strongest ranking field. Brand plus one keyword. |
| Subtitle | 30 characters | Indexed for search and shown under the name. |
| Keywords | 100 bytes | Hidden. Comma-separated, no spaces needed. Bytes, not characters: Japanese, Chinese and Korean use more than one byte per character, so you fit fewer words. |
| Promotional text | 170 characters | Shown above the description. Can change without a new app version. |
| Description | 4,000 characters | Not used for App Store search, but read by people close to installing and indexed by Google. |
| What's New | 4,000 characters | Required for every version after the first. |
| Screenshots and previews | 10 screenshots, 3 previews per size | Localize the captions at least. People skim pictures before text. |
Store page vs app localization
The “Languages” line on your product page lists the languages your app itself supports, not your store localizations. If you localize the listing into Japanese while the app is English only, say so in the description. Surprised users leave bad reviews, and bad reviews cost more than the localization earned.
A sensible sequence is listing first, then onboarding and paywall, then the rest of the app once the market proves itself.
Which languages to add first
We rank languages with three questions, in this order:
- Where do you already get installs without trying? Open App Analytics, filter by territory and look at countries with impressions but weak conversion. Demand is already there; the page just doesn't speak the language.
- Which large markets pay for apps like yours? Japanese, German, French and Korean speakers spend heavily on the App Store, and many categories there are less crowded with good local listings than in English.
- Which languages also show at home? Spanish (Mexico), Portuguese (Brazil), French, Chinese and Korean are supported in the U.S. storefront, so they can add reach in your biggest market too.
For China mainland, check “Availability in China mainland” in App Store Connect first. Some apps need an ICP filing number or other permits there, and that work comes before any translation.
A one-week process
- Pick three languages using the questions above.
- Research keywords in each language. Don't translate your English keywords; people search with different words. Use the App Store's own search suggestions in that storefront.
- Write the name, subtitle and keyword field per language, staying inside 30, 30 and 100 bytes.
- Translate the screenshot captions and the first three lines of the description. Have a native speaker read them.
- Localize the promotional text and in-app purchase display names.
- Ship with your next version and note the date.
- Compare four weeks before and after in App Analytics.
How to measure it
In App Analytics, filter each localized territory and track three numbers: impressions (did search find you?), product page views, and conversion rate from view to install. If impressions rise but conversion doesn't, the keywords work and the screenshots don't. If neither moves after a month, change the keyword field before you give up on the market.
FAQ
How many languages does the App Store support?
App Store Connect lists 50 localizations for product pages, from English (U.S.) to Vietnamese, including 11 Indian languages.
Do I need to translate my app to localize the App Store page?
No. The store listing and the app are localized separately. Many developers localize the listing first to test demand, then translate onboarding and the paywall.
Is the App Store keyword field 100 characters?
It's 100 bytes. In most Latin-script languages that's about 100 characters; in Japanese, Chinese or Korean each character takes more than one byte, so you fit fewer words.
Which App Store localizations work in the US?
Apple lists English (U.S.) as the US default, with Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Mexico) and Vietnamese as additional supported languages.
Does the description help App Store search?
The App Store doesn't rank on the description. It matters for the people who tap “more”, and for Google, which indexes your App Store web page.