What App Store Connect localization is, in short

App Store Connect localization means adding a language to your app record and filling its fields: name and subtitle at app level, plus description, keywords, What's New, and screenshots at version level. You add the language under App Information or the version, paste translated text per field, upload per-locale screenshots, then submit. Metadata-only changes don't touch your code.

App level vs version level: the split that shapes everything

App Store Connect splits every localization into two levels, and mixing them up is the top reason new languages stall. App-level fields live under App Information: the app name, subtitle, privacy policy URL, and your primary language choice. These ship with the app record itself. Version-level fields live under each app version: the description, keyword field, What's New text, promotional text, and all screenshots. These ship with a version, which means you can only edit them while a version is in an editable state. So adding Japanese means two jobs: enable the language once at app level for name and subtitle, then fill every version-level field for the version you plan to submit. Teams that grasp this split stop hunting for a single localization screen that doesn't exist, and they budget one sitting per level instead of one confused afternoon.

On screen, the split maps to two places. App-level fields sit under App Information in the left sidebar, next to your primary language setting. Version-level fields sit inside each app version under its localization list. Apple renames buttons and shuffles sidebars every year or two, so don't memorize click paths from screenshots. Memorize the model instead: if a field describes the app itself (name, subtitle), it lives at app level; if it describes a release (description, keywords, release notes, screenshots), it lives at version level.

A new language is not shippable until both levels are filled. App level without version level gives you a translated name over an English page. Version level without app level gives you translated copy under an English title.

What you fill in for each new locale

Open any established multi-language listing and the per-locale checklist looks the same. Each language carries its own copy of every shopper-facing field, and each field has a hard limit that bites hardest in long languages like German and Finnish.

  • App name (30 characters): the storefront title per locale. Keep brand spelling fixed and rewrite the descriptive half so it still fits.
  • Subtitle (30 characters): the benefit line under the name. It works as the main expansion valve beside the name, not as a second title.
  • Keywords (100 characters, index only): comma-separated discovery phrases shoppers never read. Never paste them into visible copy.
  • Description (4,000 characters): the long pitch. Rewrite benefit order per market instead of translating sentence by sentence.
  • Promotional text (170 characters): the short seasonal line above the description, changeable without a full version in many cases.
  • What's New: per-version release notes. Localize with every update or the page slowly rots back to English.
  • Screenshots and previews: uploaded per locale and per size class. Translated UI plus translated captions beat English art with a translated caption bar.
  • Support, marketing, and privacy URLs: point to local pages where you have them, and keep shared English pages where you don't.

Two fields deserve a warning. The keyword field is invisible, so teams stuff it and get rejected. The description is visible, so teams paste keyword lists into it and look scammy. Keep each field in its lane and both problems disappear.

How to add a new language, step by step

The full pass runs in one sitting once your translations exist. Do the words first, then the clicks. Typing half-translated strings straight into Connect is how locales stall for weeks.

  1. Lock your English source: name, subtitle, keywords, description, and current screenshots.
  2. Pick two or three locales, not twelve. Start where you already see downloads or store interest.
  3. Generate the full locale pack first: translated text per field plus re-rendered screenshots per size class.
  4. Add the language at app level: open App Information, add the locale, and fill the name and subtitle.
  5. Open an editable version. Version-level fields only unlock while a version is being prepared.
  6. Add the version localization for each new language, then paste description, keywords, What's New, and promotional text.
  7. Upload screenshots into each locale slot and check them at full size before moving on.
  8. Preview every storefront, submit with the version, and re-check the live page after approval.

That order matters. Teams that add the language everywhere first and translate second end up with half-English pages sitting in review. Translate first, click second, and the Connect pass takes an afternoon. Half-translated locales teach shoppers not to trust your page, so ship two complete languages before you start a third.

Screenshots need their own per-locale pass

Text fields get the attention, but screenshots decide the tap. Connect holds a separate screenshot set per locale, and any locale you skip falls back to your default art. A Japanese shopper who reads a translated title above English screenshots will assume the app itself is English-only and move on.

  • Match UI language to listing language: translated captions over English app UI still feel foreign.
  • Check every size class Connect asks for: a caption that fits phone width can clip on tablet frames.
  • Refresh screenshots only when the interface visibly changes, and refresh text with every release.

The mechanics of pulling source art and re-rendering captions deserve their own walkthrough, so this guide stops at the Connect side. Our screenshot guides cover translating art from your live store URL and publishing the finished sets into each locale slot. Before you submit, preview each locale the way a shopper sees it. Open the storefront preview in Connect for every new language and read the page top to bottom: title, subtitle, screenshots, description. Check that caption language matches UI language in every frame, and confirm support links resolve. This ten-minute read catches most mixed-language slips before review does.

Four mistakes that stall a first localization

  • Treating it as one screen: hunters of a single localization page waste an afternoon. There are two levels, so fill both.
  • Adding twelve locales at once: each locale multiplies review and QA. Two done well beat twelve half done.
  • Leaving English screenshots under translated copy: the page reads as machine-made and converts like it.
  • Stuffing the keyword field with competitor names: rejections block the whole version, not just one locale.

All four share one root cause: doing clicks before words. A finished locale pack turns Connect into data entry. An unfinished one turns it into a translation desk, which it was never built to be.

How App Store Localizer fits this workflow

App Store Localizer (https://asolocalization.com) builds the locale pack this guide assumes. Paste a public App Store URL and it imports your title, description, icon, and screenshots. It translates the title, subtitle, description, and the 100-character keyword field per target locale, generates localized keywords from free heuristics over your listing, and re-renders screenshots with translated captions in iPhone 14 Plus 1284x2778 and iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2048x2732 sizes. Then download the assets or publish toward App Store Connect.

Pricing is one-time per listing: Starter at $19.99 covers 3 languages with every available screenshot, and Global at $99.99 covers all supported languages. You won't see a word-count meter or a per-locale testing fee, since the scope stays on the listing instead of your codebase. Two honest limits: it handles the store listing only, not interface strings or code, and keyword ideas come from listing heuristics rather than paid search-volume data.

If App Store Connect is the maze, a finished locale pack is the map. Generate yours this afternoon at https://asolocalization.com, then walk the steps above with every field ready to paste.

Frequently asked questions

  • Do I need a new app build to add a store localization? No. Localizations ride on the app record and the version, not the binary. Text and screenshot changes ship through App Store Connect without touching your code. You do need an editable version open for version-level fields, so time locale work with a release.
  • What is the primary language, and does it matter? Your primary language is the default listing shoppers see where no other localization matches. Pick the language your page is strongest in, usually English. Keep that listing complete and current even as you add locales, since it anchors fallback behavior.
  • How many locales should a small app start with? Two or three. Choose markets where you already see downloads, revenue, or store search interest. Ship those end to end with screenshots, measure installs, then expand. Each locale adds review surface and release work, so depth beats breadth until revenue funds more.
  • Can I localize just the listing and leave my app in English? Yes. App Store Connect treats each localization on its own, so a Japanese listing can point at an English interface. Many indie teams ship this way to test a market before paying for full interface work.
  • Why is my new language not showing after I added it? Check three gaps: app-level fields filled but version-level fields empty, strings entered on a version that already left the editable state, or screenshots missing. Walk both levels top to bottom, confirm the version status, and re-check after approval reaches the storefront.