What app store locales are, in short

App Store locales are the per-language versions of your listing that you enable in App Store Connect, currently about 50 locale codes from English variants to Japanese, Korean, both Chinese scripts, and recent Indian-language additions. Each locale holds its own name, subtitle, description, keywords, release notes, and screenshots. Fill every field and shoppers in that language see a native page.

Two levels own every locale: app vs version

Here is the model that saves you an afternoon of clicking. Apple splits each locale across two levels. App level, edited under App Information, owns the name, subtitle, and primary language choice. Version level, edited inside each app version, owns the description, keyword field, promotional text, release notes, and screenshots. A locale goes live only when both levels are filled and the version passes review, so a translated title over English screenshots means you stopped halfway. Lock English source text first, generate translated strings plus re-rendered screenshots for two or three locales, add each language at app level, then paste version-level fields while a version sits editable. Teams that translate first and click second finish in one sitting. Teams that enable twelve languages and translate inside Connect end up with half-English pages that stall in review. Our setup guide to App Store Connect localization walks the model screen by screen.

One sitting per level is the right budget. If adding a locale takes longer, the translations were not ready before you opened Connect.

Which languages you can add: the locale list

Apple's menu holds about 50 locale codes, and it grows every year or two, so treat any list as a snapshot and confirm against the live menu in your account. The March 2026 expansion lifted the total from 39 to 50, mostly with Indian-language codes. Here is how the menu breaks down.

  • English variants: en-US, en-GB, en-CA, en-AU. Cheap wins once your US listing is strong, since the words barely change.
  • Major European languages: German (de-DE), French (fr-FR plus fr-CA), Spanish (es-ES plus es-MX), Italian (it), Dutch (nl-NL), Portuguese (pt-BR plus pt-PT).
  • East Asia: Japanese (ja), Korean (ko), Simplified Chinese (zh-Hans), Traditional Chinese (zh-Hant). The highest revenue upside for most indie apps.
  • Nordics and Central Europe: Swedish (sv), Norwegian (no), Danish (da), Finnish (fi), Polish (pl), Czech (cs), Slovak (sk), Slovenian (sl-SI), Croatian (hr), Hungarian (hu), Romanian (ro), Greek (el), Ukrainian (uk), Russian (ru).
  • Middle East and Southeast Asia: Arabic (ar-SA), Hebrew (he), Turkish (tr), Thai (th), Indonesian (id), Malay (ms), Vietnamese (vi), Hindi (hi).
  • Recent Indian-language additions: Bengali (bn-BD), Gujarati (gu-IN), Kannada (kn-IN), Malayalam (ml-IN), Marathi (mr-IN), Odia (or-IN), Punjabi (pa-IN), Tamil (ta-IN), Telugu (te-IN), Urdu (ur-PK), plus Catalan (ca).

Notice what the menu rewards. Languages with regional twins (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, English) let you reuse most of one translation for the second variant. Single-script languages like Japanese and Korean need dedicated work but pay back in storefronts where English penetration is low. Pick your first locales from revenue potential, not from what looks easy to translate.

Primary language and fallback: who sees what

Your primary language is the default listing shoppers see wherever no other localization matches their storefront. Most indie teams set English, and that choice matters more than it looks: every locale you never add falls back to this page. A strong primary listing with great screenshots converts fallback traffic on its own, while a thin one leaks shoppers in every market you haven't covered yet.

Matching runs per storefront, not per device language alone. A shopper browsing the Japanese storefront sees your Japanese localization when it exists and your primary language when it doesn't. That's why shipping two complete locales beats enabling ten half-filled ones: each finished locale removes a whole storefront from fallback duty. Keep the primary listing current even as you expand, since it anchors every market you haven't reached.

How to add a locale in App Store Connect

The clicks take minutes once the words exist. Do the translation work first, then walk this order.

  1. Freeze your English source: name, subtitle, keywords, description, and current screenshots.
  2. Pick two or three locales from the priority order below, not the whole menu.
  3. Build the full locale pack first: every translated string plus re-rendered screenshots per size class.
  4. Add each language at app level under App Information and fill the name and subtitle.
  5. Open an editable version and add the version localization for each new language.
  6. Paste description, keywords, release notes, and promotional text, then upload screenshots into each locale slot.
  7. Preview every storefront top to bottom and submit with the version.

After approval, open the live page per storefront and read it like a shopper. Mixed-language slips (translated title, English captions) survive review more often than you would hope, and they cost you the exact shoppers you just paid to reach.

Which locales to ship first: an indie priority order

You can't fund fifty locales, and you don't need to. Three well-chosen languages cover a surprising share of paid App Store revenue, and each one teaches you the workflow before you spend more. Run this order.

  • First, follow your own data: any market already sending downloads, revenue, or store search impressions earns the first slot even if it isn't fashionable.
  • Second, pick one high-upside East Asian storefront, usually Japanese or Simplified Chinese, where localized pages visibly outpull English ones.
  • Third, add German or French: big spending markets with straightforward translation and screenshots that rarely need cultural rework.

Then expand with revenue behind you. English variants (en-GB, en-CA, en-AU) cost almost nothing once US English is locked. Korean and Traditional Chinese pair naturally with your first East Asian locale. Latin American Spanish (es-MX) and Brazilian Portuguese (pt-BR) ride on the translations you already funded for their European twins. Stop adding and start measuring after each wave: if installs per impression climb in a new locale, fund the next one from that growth.

Budget screenshots per locale, not just words

Text gets translated, screenshots get forgotten, and the page pays for it. Connect holds a separate screenshot set per locale, and any locale you skip falls back to your default art. A shopper who reads a translated description above English screenshots assumes the app itself is English-only. That assumption kills the install the words just earned.

Price the art pass honestly. Each locale needs translated UI plus translated captions, checked at every size class Connect asks for, because a caption that fits a phone frame can clip on a tablet. Our screenshot translation walkthroughs show how to pull source art from your live store URL and re-render caption sets per language before you touch Connect. Generate the art pack alongside the strings, upload both in the same sitting, and preview each locale the way a shopper sees it.

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.

Coverage runs to 30-plus target locales, from Japanese, Korean, and both Chinese scripts through German, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and recent additions like Hindi, Thai, and Vietnamese, so the priority order above stays inside one tool. 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. 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 locales are the slots and translations are the work, start with three slots filled completely. Generate your pack this afternoon at https://asolocalization.com, then walk the steps above with every field ready to paste.

Frequently asked questions

  • How many App Store locales can I add? About 50 locale codes exist in the current menu, up from 39 after the March 2026 expansion. You can enable as many as you want, but each one multiplies translation, screenshot, and review work, so most indie teams ship three to five complete locales and expand from revenue.
  • Do I need a new app build to add a locale? No. Locales ride on the app record and the version, not the binary. Text and screenshot changes ship through App Store Connect, though version-level fields need an editable version open, so time locale work with a release.
  • What happens in storefronts I never localize? Shoppers there see your primary language listing. Keep that page strong with great screenshots, since it quietly serves every market you haven't covered, and treat fallback traffic as the business case for your next locale.
  • Should I add both variants of a language, like pt-BR and pt-PT? Add the bigger market first, usually Brazilian Portuguese or Mexican Spanish, then clone the variant cheaply. The second twin reuses most of the translation with small spelling and phrasing tweaks, so it costs a fraction of a fresh language.
  • Can I localize only 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.