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Localizing your store listing for Google Play and the App Store

2 min read · Reviewed 2026-10-12 · Store limits can change, so confirm in the store console before you submit.

Translating your listing lets people read it in their own language. This guide covers how each store handles translations, what the official pages say and leave unsaid, and a sensible order for adding languages. Check the console for the languages and options available today.

On this page

How each store handles it

Google PlayApp Store
WhereStore listing, then Manage translations, then Select languages.In App Store Connect, one localization at a time. Check the console for the exact screen.
LanguagesYour own translations for a long list of languages, including regional variants.Apple's page lists 50 languages and locales for app metadata.
Text you translateTitle, short description and full description.Your app's metadata. Apple's page does not list the fields, and points to a separate reference.
ImagesYou can add localized graphic assets. Without them, the default language's graphics show.Screenshots are covered in the screenshots guide.
If there is no translationThe listing can show in your default language.Apple's page does not state a rule. Which language a person sees depends on your primary language, their storefront and device language, and the languages you added.

Translation options on Google Play

Google's help page describes four options.

  • Your own translations: you add the text and any localized graphics yourself.
  • Paid human translation: ordered from a third-party vendor. The page says prices start at USD 0.07 per word and orders complete within seven days. Not every language pair is available, so check current terms.
  • Free machine translation: instant, for store listing text, and available for a limited set of languages. The page says these translations are not reviewed by humans, so read them before applying.
  • Automated translation: if you add none, people can see an automated version of your listing.

Choosing languages

This is practical advice, not a store rule.

  • Start with the languages of markets where your app already works, including its content and support.
  • Add a language only when you can answer reviews and questions in it.
  • Have a native speaker read machine translation before you publish it.
  • Keep every translated field inside the same character limits as the original.

Keep translations in sync

Google's page says to translate only the text that changed since the last release when ordering new work. Treat the same habit as a rule of thumb for both stores: when you change the main listing, list which languages need an update before you submit.

Before you submit

  • The default or primary language is the one you can fully support.
  • Each added language reads naturally and fits its limits.
  • Screenshots and graphics match the language where they contain text.
  • You have decided who answers reviews in each language.

Sources

Keep reading

AppOrient

Planning a store launch?

AppOrient is being built to help with the research, the listing text and the store images in one place. It is not open to the public yet, and there is no waitlist.