To localise an app store listing, you add a localisation for each language or market in the store console, then adapt the text and graphics that users see: name, subtitle or short description, long description, keywords where the store supports them, and screenshots. Translation is only the first layer. Each store has its own rules about what falls back to your default language, so the work is partly editorial and partly checking what the console actually does.
What Apple and Google let you localise
The two stores differ, and both documents are worth reading before planning.
On Apple’s side, localised app information in App Store Connect is separate from localising the app itself in Xcode. Users see the localisation matching their language setting, and if none matches, the next most relevant one is used. Where the App Store does not support your primary language, metadata appears in the primary language. Apple also notes that users can find your app with localised keywords in every country or region where the App Store supports that language.
When you add a language, screenshots and most properties default to the primary language’s values, but descriptions and keywords do not. A new localisation can therefore go live with translated text next to untranslated screenshots unless you replace them. Platform version metadata (such as description and keywords) and app-level metadata (such as app name and privacy policy URL) are entered separately, each with its own save.
On Google’s side, the store listing translation help says you can localise the title, short description and full description, plus in-app product titles and descriptions. Graphic assets can be localised too; without them, the default language’s graphics appear even when text is translated. If you add no translations, Google Play can show users an automated translation of your listing. To vary listings by country rather than by language, Google points to custom store listings.
Titles and descriptions
Treat the name as a brand decision first. Keep your brand name consistent, then localise the descriptive part where the store allows it. Check each store’s current character limits in its console, because limits change.
Practical guidance:
- Write for the local reader’s problem, not a literal translation of your English tagline.
- Use words people in that market actually search with. Keyword research in other languages explains why translated keywords often miss.
- Avoid claims you cannot support in that market, such as superlatives or comparisons that local rules treat as advertising claims.
- Have a native speaker review the final text in the store preview, not only in a spreadsheet.
Machine translation can produce a first draft. Google’s own help notes that its free machine translations are not reviewed or approved by humans, so budget for a human check on anything customer-facing.
Keywords
Where a store gives you a keyword field, localised keywords can help people find you in markets that support that language. Do not assume English keywords will work. Build a short list per market from local search terms, competitor listings in that store, and the language people use in reviews. Revisit after release; keyword work is iterative rather than a one-off job.
Screenshots and graphics
Screenshots are the part users look at first, and often the part teams forget. Replace text inside screenshots with the local language, check that dates, currencies and units suit the market, and review imagery for cultural fit. If you change the primary language on Apple’s platform, screenshots in the new language must already be approved and match the required sizes, so plan these early.
A practical process
- Pick markets with evidence, such as existing demand or a distribution plan, not every available language.
- Prepare a source brief with brand name rules, a glossary and claims you cannot change.
- Translate and adapt text, then localise screenshots.
- Review in the console preview for truncation and fallback surprises.
- Submit and monitor store feedback and review comments in that language.
- Revise keywords and creative using what you learn.
Localising the store listing without localising the app, support and payment options creates a gap between promise and product. See localisation vs translation for the wider picture, and licensing and publishing games and software internationally if you are working with partners.
Where Radiance Impact fits
Radiance Impact’s Global division supports localisation and adaptation, and launches of games and software to English-speaking audiences. See /global/localisation and /global/games-software, or get in touch through /contact.
Sources
- Localizing app information in App Store Connect, Apple Developer
- Translate and localise your store listing, Google Play Console Help
