App Name and Subtitle Keywords on iOS: Writing Within 30 Characters

On the App Store, your app name and subtitle are two short lines that appear together, with the subtitle shown below the name, and Apple gives you only 30 characters for each. This guide explains the limits, shows how to edit a draft down to size with exact character counts, and covers the matching rules on Google Play so you can write both listings at once.

The limits, from the platform owners

Apple App Store

• App name: up to 30 characters.
• Subtitle: up to 30 characters; it appears below the app name throughout the App Store.
• Keywords: 100 characters in total, separated by commas with no spaces (covered in more detail in our guide on whether spaces count in App Store keywords).
• Promotional text: up to 170 characters, which Apple says does not affect search ranking.
• Description: up to 4,000 characters, plain text only.

Google Play

• App title: 30 characters.
• Short description: 80 characters.
• Full description: 4,000 characters.

Google states that its limits apply to both full-width and half-width characters, so a title written in a script with wide characters is still counted at 30.

Why these two fields matter

Apple says that search results are based on a number of factors, including text relevance, which it describes as matches for the app's title, subtitle, keywords and primary category, plus user behavior such as downloads and ratings and reviews. So the name and subtitle do two jobs at once: they feed search matching, and they are read by people deciding whether to tap. A line that is perfect for matching but unreadable to a person fails the second job, and a line that is charming but vague may fail the first.

Apple's product page guidance says a name should be simple, memorable and easy to spell, should hint at what the app does, and should avoid generic terms or names too similar to existing apps. For the subtitle it says to summarize the app in a concise phrase, to use it to explain the value of the app in greater detail than the name does, and to avoid generic descriptions such as "world's best app".

Counting characters correctly

Count every visible mark: letters, digits, spaces, punctuation and symbols such as the ampersand. A name that looks short on a mockup can still go over once a colon and two spaces are added. Do not count by eye. Use a character counter before you submit, and confirm that App Store Connect accepts the text.

Here is a small table of invented examples for a made-up budgeting app called Penny Pilot (fictional, for illustration only). The counts were checked with a script.

The last row is a good reminder that fitting the limit is not the same as being good. A subtitle can be short enough and still say nothing.

Editing a draft down to 30

Start with the long version and cut in this order:

1. Remove words that repeat the name. If the name already says "Penny Pilot", the subtitle does not need to restate it.
2. Remove filler. Words such as "the", "your" and "best" take space and add little. Apple specifically says to avoid generic descriptions like "world's best app".
3. Swap long words for shorter ones. "Reminders" becomes "Alerts" only if it keeps the meaning.
4. Replace "and" with an ampersand, which saves two characters, as long as the result still reads naturally.
5. Cut the least important idea. If three ideas will not fit, keep the one a new visitor most needs.

Applying that to the draft that was one character too long:

• Start: Budget Planner & Bill Reminders (31 characters, 1 over).
• Trim the plural: Budget Planner & Bill Reminder (30 characters) fits but reads oddly.
• Better, rethink the line: Budget Planner & Tracker (24 characters) leaves room and reads cleanly.

When a trimmed line reads worse than the original, the right answer is usually to cut an idea and not to squeeze two ideas into one line.

What belongs in the name versus the subtitle

A useful split is to let the name carry identity and the subtitle carry meaning.

• Name: the brand, plus at most one short descriptor if it fits and sounds natural. If the name is only a brand and the descriptor is missing, a first-time visitor has nothing to go on except the icon and the subtitle.
• Subtitle: what the app does for a person, in everyday words. Because Apple describes the subtitle as appearing below the name throughout the App Store, assume it is read together with the name.

Words that appear in the name gain nothing from being repeated in the keyword field. Apple advises against repeating words that are already included in your app name, subtitle or category when you fill in keywords, and notes that the app is already searchable by app name and company name. Repeating a name word in the subtitle is not forbidden, but it spends characters that could explain the app.

Metadata rules Apple and Google publish

Apple's App Review Guidelines (2.3.7) say not to pack metadata with trademarked terms, popular app names, pricing information or other irrelevant phrases, and say app subtitles should not reference other apps or make unverifiable product claims. Apple's App Store search guidance adds that improper use of keywords is a common reason for App Store rejections, and its App Store Connect reference says names of other apps or companies are not allowed in keywords. Apply the same caution to names: do not borrow another brand's name to attract its audience.

On Google Play, the metadata policy says app titles must be 30 characters or less, and not to use emojis, emoticons or repeated special characters in its listed metadata elements, which include the app title, icon and developer name. It also says to avoid ALL CAPS unless it is part of the brand name, and it lists "App of the year" and "#1" as examples of performance or ranking claims that should not appear in this metadata, along with price and promotion text such as "10% off". A title like PENNY PILOT BUDGET (18 characters) would fall under the capitals rule unless the all-caps style were the real brand name.

Writing for both stores at once

Because both stores use 30 characters for the title, a good name can often work on both. The differences begin below the name:

If you only write one version, write the Apple name and subtitle first, since the tighter limit forces clear thinking, then expand the idea into Google's 80-character short description.

A checklist before you submit

• Does the name fit 30 characters, and does the store's console accept it?
• Does the subtitle fit 30 characters, and does the store's console accept it?
• Does a stranger understand what the app does from the name and subtitle alone?
• Is any word repeated across the name, subtitle, category and keyword field?
• Have you avoided other brands' names, trademarked terms and ranking claims?
• On Google Play, have you avoided emojis, repeated special characters and unnecessary capitals?

Frequently asked questions

How many characters can an iOS app name have? Apple's product page guidance states that an app name can be up to 30 characters long.

How long can the subtitle be? Apple states a subtitle can be up to 30 characters long and appears below the app name throughout the App Store.

Does the subtitle affect search? Apple lists the subtitle, together with the title, keywords and primary category, as part of the text relevance used in search results.

Can I put keywords in promotional text? No. Apple says promotional text does not affect search ranking and should not be used to display keywords.

Is the Google Play title also 30 characters? Yes. Google Play Console Help gives a 30-character limit for the app name, and the metadata policy repeats that titles must be 30 characters or less.

Related reading on this site

• Do Spaces Count in App Store Keywords? for the 100-character keyword field.
• App Store Title, Subtitle and Keyword Combinations for dividing words among the fields.
• Master App Store Optimization for the broader picture.

Sources

• Apple Developer, "Product page" guidance (app name up to 30 characters; subtitle up to 30 characters, concise summary, avoid generic descriptions; promotional text 170 characters and does not affect ranking): https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page/
• Apple Developer, "App Store search" (text relevance is matches for title, subtitle, keywords and primary category, plus user behavior; do not repeat words; keywords 100 characters; improper keyword use is a common reason for rejection): https://developer.apple.com/app-store/search/
• Apple Developer, App Review Guidelines, 2.3.7 (trademarked terms, popular app names, pricing information, irrelevant phrases; subtitles must not reference other apps or make unverifiable product claims): https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/
• Apple Developer, App Store Connect Help, "Platform version information" (names of other apps or companies not allowed in keywords; promotional text 170 characters, description 4,000 characters in plain text, app searchable by app name and company name, names of other apps or companies not allowed): https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/app-information/platform-version-information
• Google Play Console Help, store listing limits (title 30, short description 80, full description 4,000; limits apply to full-width and half-width characters): https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859152
• Google Play Developer Policy Center, metadata rules (title 30 characters or less; no emojis, emoticons or repeated special characters in listed metadata elements including title, icon and developer name; avoid ALL CAPS unless brand; no price, promotion or ranking claims): https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9898842