Apple App Store localization in short

Apple gives you the locale list, the field limits, and a default-language fallback for untranslated storefronts. You supply translated name, subtitle, description, keywords, and screenshots per locale. Add a localization in App Store Connect, fill every field, and submit with matching creatives. That's the whole job.

The rest of this guide maps the split in detail. You'll see what Apple handles for you, what you must supply per locale, how the default language fallback works, and which review rules reject localized listings. Read it once before you enable a single new language. It saves more rework than any translation pass.

What Apple handles and what you must supply

Apple owns the frame and you own the words. Apple defines around fifty App Store localizations, from English variants and Japanese down to Hindi, Thai, and Vietnamese. It caps each field per locale: 30 characters for the name, 30 for the subtitle, 100 for the hidden keyword field, and 4000 for the description. Plan on one screenshot set per locale, rendered at iPhone 14 Plus 1284 by 2778 and iPad Pro 12.9 inch 2048 by 2732. Untranslated storefronts fall back to your default language page. Every localization you add rides with an app version through App Review. One weak locale can hold up the whole release. Teams that grasp this split stop asking whether Apple translates anything. It doesn't. The platform supplies structure, limits, and fallback. The developer supplies every translated string and screenshot, locale by locale, and review checks each one against the same rules.

This split shapes every decision. Apple picks the locale menu, so you choose from its list instead of inventing language tags. Our App Store locales reference lists every code Apple accepts, with a starter order for indie teams. Apple sets the character ceilings, so you draft the English source strings with spare room for German and Finnish. Apple shows the default language page where you have no localization, so your main listing carries extra weight. And Apple reviews each localization with its version. One market with mismatched screenshots can stall all of them. Your job sits inside that frame. You write the words, you render the screenshots, and you keep every locale accurate as the app changes. Tools can draft the packs, but each storefront stays your job.

Apple supplies structure, limits, and fallback. You supply every word and screenshot. Mix up the two jobs and the release pays.

Apple App Store default language fallback and where it bites

Every app has one primary language in App Store Connect, and Apple shows that page in every storefront you never localized. Shoppers in those markets still see your screenshots, your description, and your ratings. They just read them in your default language. That fallback is kinder than a blank page, but it hides three traps. First, teams assume the fallback converts, so they never measure it. Split product page views and installs by country and the gap shows fast. Second, partial localizations confuse more than honest English. A German name with English screenshots looks broken. A full English page reads as a choice instead. Third, fallback shoppers still leave reviews in their own language, and your replies need someone who reads them. Set the default language on purpose. Pick the market that brings most revenue today, keep that page flawless, and treat every new localization as a smaller version of the same standard.

  • Keep the default page flawless: it serves every market you have not localized yet.
  • Don't ship half a locale: one translated field with English screenshots looks broken.
  • Measure fallback territories before you fund their language; the gap sets the budget.
  • Staff review replies for fallback languages, or ratings slide where you can't read.
  • Revisit the default language yearly: revenue shifts, and the fallback should follow money.

Our localization strategy guide shows how to order new languages by revenue, so the fallback shrinks exactly where it costs you most.

Which fields Apple lets you localize per locale

Apple opens the same field set for each localization you add. The name carries brand and identity in 30 characters. The subtitle adds a benefit or category cue in 30 more. The keyword field takes 100 characters of index-only phrases shoppers never read. The description tells the full story in up to 4000 characters. Promo text rotates short notes above the description. What's New carries version notes per release. Screenshots and app previews show the product in that market's language. Each field has its own job, and stuffing one field with another's job weakens both. Keep the name readable, the subtitle specific, the keywords invisible, and the description scannable.

  • Name (30 chars): brand plus identity; count after localization, not before.
  • Subtitle (30 chars): one benefit phrase; your main ASO valve beside the name.
  • Keywords (100 chars): index-only; never paste them into visible copy.
  • Description (4000 chars): benefits first, proof second, feature detail last.
  • What's New: per-version notes; localize each release, not once a year.
  • Screenshots: translated UI and captions per locale; our screenshot guide covers sizes.

Draft all six as one row per locale before you touch App Store Connect. Our App Store Connect setup guide walks the clicks, and our keyword field guide details the 100-character budget.

App Review rules for localized listings

Apple reviews metadata with the binary, and localized strings face the same rules as English ones. Most rejections in this area come from rushed translation that nobody checked against store rules. The patterns below cause most stalls. Fix them before you submit and the version sails with every locale attached.

  • Competitor brand names smuggled into translated titles; review catches them per locale.
  • Misleading claims translated along with the pitch; awards and rankings need proof per market.
  • Keyword-stuffed names that read as spam in the target language.
  • Screenshots whose UI language mismatches the locale; shoppers report these fast.
  • Placeholder or half-translated strings shipped to hit a release date.
  • Category words the binary can't support; a tracker label on a notes app fails review.

One rejected locale can hold the version for all of them. Submit localizations you can defend and keep a glossary of locked brand terms. Never let a deadline push unchecked strings into the train.

How App Store Localizer ships the Apple-ready pack

App Store Localizer (https://asolocalization.com) builds the per-locale packs 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. It generates localized keywords from free heuristics over your listing. It re-renders screenshots with translated captions in iPhone 14 Plus 1284x2778 and iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2048x2732 sizes.

Coverage runs to 20-plus target locales, from Japanese, Korean, and both Chinese scripts through German, French, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese down to Hindi, Thai, and Vietnamese. 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 apply. It handles the store listing only, not interface strings or code. Keyword ideas come from listing heuristics rather than paid search-volume data.

If this guide sold you on covering Apple's locale list properly, start with your highest-revenue market today. Generate the pack this afternoon at https://asolocalization.com, paste it into App Store Connect tonight, and shrink the fallback where it costs you most.

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Apple translate my app listing automatically? No. Apple supplies the locale list, the field limits, and the default-language fallback. Every translated string and screenshot comes from you. Machine translation inside third-party tools drafts the words, but nothing ships until you add each localization in App Store Connect and submit it with a version.
  • What do shoppers see in storefronts I never localize? Your default language page, exactly as it stands. Screenshots, description, ratings, and reviews all show; only the language stays yours. That's why the main listing deserves your best work. It serves every market you have not funded yet, and a flawless fallback converts better than a half-translated locale.
  • Do I need localized screenshots for every locale? Yes, if you want the locale to convert. Translated words with English images bounce shoppers who tap through. Captions should mirror the subtitle vocabulary, and the imagery should match local category norms. Our screenshot localization guide covers the caption and size workflow per locale.
  • Does Apple review each localization separately? Apple reviews metadata with the app version, and every localization rides that same train. A rejected string or mismatched screenshot in one locale can stall the release for all of them. Keep a glossary, check each locale against store rules, and never submit placeholder text to hit a date.
  • Can the app name differ per locale? Yes. Each localization carries its own 30-character name string. Keep the brand token stable and localize the descriptive half so shoppers in each market still know the product. Count characters after localization, since German and Finnish expand fast, and screen every variant for trademark risk before you submit.