# App Store Listing Localization for iOS | Vitra.ai > An App Store listing has tight character limits and its own indexing. What really drives installs in a market, and which fields are searched at all. **Canonical URL**: https://www.vitra.ai/general/app-store-listing-localization **Source**: This is the Markdown rendering of https://www.vitra.ai/general/app-store-listing-localization, generated at build time from that page. --- 3 min read # App Store Listing Localization for iOS An App Store listing has tight character limits and its own indexing. What really drives installs in a market, and which fields are searched at all. [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Senior Product Manager , Vitra.ai Updated Aug 17, 2026 ![App Store Listing Localization for iOS](https://www.vitra.ai/static/images/blog/app-store-listing-localization.jpg) Table of contents [Localization here is search plus persuasion](#localization-here-is-search-plus-persuasion) [What carries weight](#what-carries-weight) [Screenshots are the conversion lever](#screenshots-are-the-conversion-lever) [Storefront-specific rules](#storefront-specific-rules) [FAQ](#faq) Contributors [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Senior Product Manager Subscribe to our newsletter Subscribe > **Quick answer —** App Store listings are localized per storefront, and the keyword field plus the title and subtitle carry the search weight. Screenshots drive the install decision, and most teams leave them in the source language.[Vitra.ai Universe](https://www.vitra.ai/platform) creates, translates, adapts and publishes from one place. ## Localization here is search plus persuasion Two separate jobs happen on a listing page. Search: whether your app appears when somebody types a phrase in their language. That is driven by a small number of indexed fields with hard limits. Persuasion: whether they install once they arrive. That is driven almost entirely by the screenshots. Teams usually translate the description, which is the field that does least of either. ## What carries weight Field Indexed Note App name Yes Highest weight, very tight limit Subtitle Yes Second highest Keyword field Yes Not shown to users Description No Persuasion, not discovery Screenshots No Decides the install Promotional text No Editable without review The keyword field is the one that rewards research rather than translation. Nobody sees it, so it is purely a list of the phrases people in that market actually type — and translating your English keywords produces the phrases an English speaker would type in another language. ## Screenshots are the conversion lever Most screenshots carry caption text overlaid on the UI, and that caption is usually the only thing a browsing user reads. Leaving it in English while the description is translated is the most common gap, and it is [image translation](https://www.vitra.ai/features/image-translation) work rather than a listing task — the caption is pixels. The device frames and UI inside the screenshot should show the localized app too, or the screenshot is advertising an experience the user will not get. ## Storefront-specific rules Listings are per storefront, and a market may have local requirements about what can be claimed, age ratings, or categories. Promotional text can be updated without a review cycle, which makes it the right place for anything time-sensitive rather than embedding a date in the description. Keep the terminology aligned with the app itself through [memory](https://www.vitra.ai/features/translation-memory), so a feature named one way in the listing is named the same in the UI a user meets a minute later — and see [Play Store listings](https://www.vitra.ai/general/play-store-listing-localization) for how the other store differs. ## FAQ **Which App Store listing fields affect search?** The app name, the subtitle and the keyword field. The description is not indexed for search, which is why translating only the description rarely changes install numbers. **Should App Store keywords be translated?** No, researched. The keyword field is never shown to users, so it should contain the phrases people in that market actually type rather than translations of your English keywords. **What drives installs once someone reaches the listing?** Screenshots, and specifically the caption text overlaid on them. That caption is often the only thing a browsing user reads, and it is usually left in the source language. **Where should time-sensitive listing content go?** In promotional text, which can be updated without a review cycle. Embedding dates or offers in the description means a full review to change them. Our blog ## Lastest blog posts Tool and strategies modern teams need to help their companies grow. Automotive [Automotive Brochure Localization by Market](https://www.vitra.ai/automotive/automotive-brochure-localization) A car brochure is a spec grid, a legal footer and a photo library, all market-specific. What actually has to change, and why the layout decides the schedule. [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Aug 18, 2026 Automotive [Automotive Campaign Localization Across Markets](https://www.vitra.ai/automotive/automotive-campaign-localization) Campaigns run through national companies and dealer networks, so one master becomes hundreds of files. Where the offer text and the disclaimers actually break. [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Aug 18, 2026 Automotive [Car Service Manual Translation for Technicians](https://www.vitra.ai/automotive/automotive-service-manual-translation) A workshop manual is read mid-repair by someone with the car on a lift. What that demands of procedures, torque figures and fault codes, in every language. [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Aug 18, 2026 [View all posts](https://www.vitra.ai/blog/page/1) --- ## Structured data ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.vitra.ai/general/app-store-listing-localization" }, "headline": "App Store Listing Localization for iOS", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.vitra.ai/static/images/blog/app-store-listing-localization.jpg" } ], "datePublished": "2026-08-17T00:00:00.000Z", "dateModified": "2026-08-17T00:00:00.000Z", "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samhitha J Bhatt" } ], "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Vitra.ai", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.vitra.ai/static/images/vitra-v-logo.png" } }, "description": "An App Store listing has tight character limits and its own indexing. 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