App Store localization checklist by market
Going into a new country? See which markets actually need native-language metadata, exactly which fields to localize, and the real App Store & Google Play length limits for each. No signup.
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Germany
Localize fullyLocal language: German
Users in Germany expect German metadata. Localize fully — title, subtitle/short description, keyword field, description, screenshots, and release notes — in native-quality copy, not machine translation.
What to localize — and the real store limits
Localizing isn't just the description. These are the fields each platform indexes or shows, with the actual limits (iOS counts UTF-8 bytes; Android counts characters).
| Field | App Store | Google Play | Localize? |
|---|---|---|---|
| App title | 30 bytes | 30 chars | Yes — indexed + the first thing users read |
| Subtitle (iOS) | 30 bytes | — | Yes — second-strongest indexed field |
| Short description (Android) | — | 80 chars | Yes — indexed + shown above the fold |
| Keyword field (iOS, hidden) | 100 bytes | — | Yes — translate AND re-research per language |
| Description | 4,000 chars | 4,000 chars | Yes — indexed on Play; term frequency matters |
| Promotional text (iOS) | 170 chars | — | Yes — editable without a new release |
| Screenshots + captions | per device | per device | Yes — captions AND the in-app UI shown |
| What's New / release notes | 4,000 chars | 500 chars | Yes — localized notes read as a maintained app |
Tip: translate and re-research keywords per language — people search in their own words, not a literal translation of your English terms.
The localization checklist
- Pick your target markets — start with the countries already sending you the most installs, then the biggest stores in your category.
- Localize the indexed text fields in the local language: title, subtitle (iOS) or short description (Android), the full description, and the hidden iOS keyword field. Use native-quality copy — machine translation reads wrong and can hurt conversion in Native-tier markets.
- Re-research keywords per language. Search terms differ by language and culture, not just spelling — translate the meaning, then check volume + difficulty in that market.
- Localize your screenshots — both the captions AND the in-app UI shown in them. Screenshots in the wrong language are the most common localization miss.
- Localize "What's New" / release notes so the listing reads as an actively maintained app in every store.
- Respect the real per-platform limits — iOS counts UTF-8 bytes (a multi-byte character costs more than one), Android counts characters. Use the table above.
- Keep the brand name consistent across markets; localize the descriptive words around it, not the name itself.
Should you localize? — by market
| Market | Local language | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| United States | English | English is fine |
| United Kingdom | English | English is fine |
| Australia | English | English is fine |
| Canada | English (+ French in Québec) | Recommended |
| Germany | German | Localize fully |
| France | French | Localize fully |
| Spain | Spanish | Localize fully |
| Italy | Italian | Localize fully |
| Poland | Polish | Localize fully |
| Netherlands | Dutch (English widely read) | Recommended |
| Sweden | Swedish (English widely read) | Recommended |
| Russia | Russian | Localize fully |
| Turkey | Turkish | Localize fully |
| Brazil | Brazilian Portuguese | Localize fully |
| Mexico | Latin-American Spanish | Localize fully |
| Japan | Japanese | Localize fully |
| South Korea | Korean | Localize fully |
| China (mainland) | Simplified Chinese | Localize fully |
| Taiwan | Traditional Chinese | Localize fully |
| Thailand | Thai | Localize fully |
| Indonesia | Indonesian | Localize fully |
| Vietnam | Vietnamese | Localize fully |
| India | English (+ Hindi & regional) | Recommended |
| Saudi Arabia | Arabic (right-to-left) | Localize fully |
Don't translate your metadata. Localize it.
ASOScan's AI writes title, subtitle, and description that read native in German, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, and every other market — graded by language tier, not machine-translated — and tracks your rank in every country you target.
Run a free ASO scan →App localization FAQ
Do I need to localize my app for every country?
No. English-speaking markets (US, UK, Australia) work with your English listing. Prioritize the markets where the local language is dominant — Germany, Japan, France, South Korea, Brazil, China and similar — because users there expect and search in their own language. Start with the countries already sending you installs.
Is translating my description enough to localize?
No — localizing means the title, subtitle/short description, keyword field, description, screenshots (captions and the in-app UI), and release notes, in native-quality copy. It also means re-researching keywords in the local language, because people search in their own words, not a literal translation of your English terms.
What are the App Store and Google Play character limits?
App Store: title 30 bytes, subtitle 30 bytes, hidden keyword field 100 bytes, promotional text 170 characters, description 4,000 characters. Google Play: title 30 characters, short description 80 characters, full description 4,000 characters. iOS budgets in UTF-8 bytes, so multi-byte languages (German umlauts, Japanese, Arabic) use the budget faster.
Should I machine-translate my app metadata?
For markets where the local language dominates, machine translation reads unnatural and can lower conversion and trust. Use native-quality copy. ASOScan generates metadata graded by market-language tier so it reads native in each country — never a literal machine translation.
Is this localization checklist free?
Yes — it is completely free, needs no signup, and runs entirely in your browser. It is one of ASOScan's free ASO tools.