What Is the Character Limit for App Store Descriptions?

App Store Optimisation (ASO) is the discipline of maximising an app's visibility and conversion rate on the App Store and Google Play. Character limits are at the centre of ASO strategy — every character in the title, subtitle, and keyword field is potentially indexed by the store algorithm, and every character in the short description is shown directly to users deciding whether to tap through. Wasting characters on filler words or exceeding limits silently costs you ranking positions and conversion rate.

Character limits also matter operationally. Submission pipelines reject over-limit metadata with a validation error that blocks your release. Copy that was carefully written in English may overflow after translation into German or Finnish — languages that routinely expand 20 to 30 percent versus English. Checking every field against its limit before submission — and before localisation — prevents last-minute rewrites that compromise quality.

Hard limits vs display truncation

There are two types of character limits to understand. Hard limits are the maximum characters a store will accept in a field — exceeding them causes a submission error or field rejection. Display truncation occurs when a field renders shorter than its hard limit in a specific UI context. The Google Play long description, for example, has a 4,000-character hard limit but truncates at approximately 167 characters in some mobile listing views with a "Read more" link. Both types require different handling in your metadata strategy.

• Hard limit: the maximum the store accepts; exceeding it blocks submission or discards the field
• Display truncation: the amount shown before a "read more" prompt; affects conversion, not ranking eligibility
• Keyword indexing: whether the store algorithm reads the field for search ranking — differs between Apple and Google
• Localisation expansion: translated copy may exceed limits by 20–30% — always re-validate after translating

Apple App Store metadata is split across five primary fields. Three of them — the title, subtitle, and keyword field — directly influence App Store search rankings. The long description does not. Understanding this distinction is the foundation of effective Apple ASO.

Your app's name is one of the most important factors in how people find it. The name should be concise, easy to spell, and make clear what the app does.

Apple title — 30 characters

The app title is limited to 30 characters and appears in search results, the product page header, and the App Store tab of the device. It is the single most powerful ranking field for App Store search — include your primary keyword here if at all possible. A common format is "Brand Name: Primary Keyword" or simply "Primary Keyword App Name." Every character matters: do not use "–" or ": " where a space alone would work — punctuation consumes characters too.

Apple subtitle — 30 characters

The subtitle appears directly below the title in search results and on the product page. Its 30-character limit is the same as the title, and it is the second most important ranking field. Use it for a secondary keyword phrase or benefit statement that did not fit in the title. Phrases like "the #1 app for..." waste these 30 characters on copy that provides no ranking value and little conversion signal.

Apple keyword field — 100 characters

The keyword field is a comma-separated list of search terms, limited to 100 characters total (including commas, excluding spaces after commas). Use commas without following spaces: "yoga,meditation,breathing" saves 2 characters compared to "yoga, meditation, breathing." If the keyword field exceeds 100 characters, Apple ignores the entire field — not just the overflow text. Never include keywords already in your title or subtitle — Apple already indexes those and including them in the keyword field wastes the space.

Apple long description — 4,000 characters

The long description is visible on the product page after tapping "More." It is limited to 4,000 characters. Unlike Google Play, Apple does not index the long description for App Store search rankings — keywords here have no direct ranking value. Treat it as pure conversion copy: explain the app's value, list key features, include social proof, and end with a call to download. The App Store Metadata Character Counter validates this field alongside all others in one pass.

Google Play has a simpler field structure than Apple but different indexing rules. Google indexes keywords from both the short description and the long description — making both fields ranking assets rather than pure conversion copy. This changes the copywriting strategy significantly compared to Apple.

Google Play title — 30 characters

Google Play titles are also limited to 30 characters, matching the Apple limit. The title appears in search results, Play Store listings, and device app drawers. Include your primary keyword in the title for the strongest ranking signal — the title is the highest-weighted field in Google Play's algorithm. Google's guidelines explicitly prohibit keyword stuffing in titles, so the format should read naturally while including one clear keyword phrase.

Google Play short description — 80 characters

The short description is limited to 80 characters — more generous than Apple's 30-character subtitle but still tight. It appears on the listing card in search results and is the first text many users read. Unlike Apple's subtitle, Google indexes the short description for search ranking. Front-load your secondary keyword in the first 40 characters — that is what the most compact listing card views show before truncation. Write it for both conversion and keyword inclusion.

Google Play long description — 4,000 characters

The long description matches Apple's 4,000-character limit but has a critical difference: Google indexes it for search. Keywords that appear in the long description contribute to Play Store search rankings. Best practice is to use your primary keyword two to three times naturally within the text — in the opening paragraph, a feature list, and near the end — without keyword stuffing that Google penalises. The first 167 characters are displayed in some mobile views before truncation; treat those as prime conversion copy.

The two stores share some limits (title: 30 characters, long description: 4,000 characters) but differ significantly in field structure, indexing behaviour, and keyword strategy. The comparison below shows all primary fields side by side.

Strategic implications of the differences

Apple gives you 160 characters of indexed metadata (30 title + 30 subtitle + 100 keyword field). Every character in those three fields should be a keyword or part of a keyword phrase — there is no room for brand slogans or emojis in the ranked fields. Google gives you no hidden keyword field: you have 30 characters of title and 80 characters of short description as your primary keyword investments, with the long description as a secondary ranking asset.

What's New field character limits

The "What's New" or "Release Notes" field also has a character limit: Apple allows up to 4,000 characters; Google Play limits it to 500 characters. While neither store indexes release notes for search, they are visible to existing users during an update and can influence update adoption rate. Keep Google Play release notes concise — 500 characters is about three or four short bullet points.

The App Store Metadata Character Counter on Quasar Tools validates every field against its Apple and Google limit in one pass — before you touch App Store Connect or the Play Console. Here is the exact workflow.

Knowing the character limits is necessary but not sufficient. How you use those characters determines whether your app ranks for the right terms and converts users who see it in search results. These practices apply to every field.

Title optimisation

Your primary keyword should appear in the title wherever it fits naturally — not force-fitted at the expense of readability. A/B test different formats: "Brand: Keyword" vs "Keyword by Brand" vs "Keyword — Feature." Both Apple and Google allow title A/B testing through their respective store management tools. The title is your single highest-impact ranking field on both platforms; every test cycle that increases click-through rate compounds over time.

Keyword research before you write

Do not fill your keyword field or description with guesses. Use App Store search suggest, competitor listings, and keyword volume tools to identify terms users actually search. On Apple, prioritise keywords with high volume and low competition that are not already in your title or subtitle. On Google Play, prioritise keywords that fit naturally into readable sentences in the short and long description — keyword stuffing triggers penalties.

• Title: Include primary keyword, keep it readable, avoid punctuation that wastes characters
• Subtitle (Apple): Use secondary keyword, not brand slogans — this field ranks in App Store search
• Keyword field (Apple): No spaces after commas, no keywords from title/subtitle, no competitor names
• Short description (Google): Front-load secondary keyword in first 40 chars, write for both conversion and ranking
• Long description: First 167 chars are prime display real estate — lead with value proposition
• What's New: Focus on change communication, not marketing copy; users scanning updates want facts

Localising app metadata is where character limits cause the most operational friction. English is among the most compact major languages — a 30-character English title may require 38 to 42 characters in German or French to express the same meaning. This is not a translation error; it is a structural property of Germanic and Romance languages.

Languages that routinely exceed English limits

German and Finnish compound nouns can make a single concept that fits in 10 English characters require 18 or more. French and Spanish typically add 15 to 25 percent to English character counts. Russian and Polish can add similar overhead depending on the subject. Japanese and Chinese, being logographic, often produce shorter character counts than English for equivalent meaning — a 30-character Japanese title may contain more meaningful content than an English equivalent.

Building a localisation review process

The most efficient process: provide translators with the English copy alongside the character limit for each field. Ask them to flag any translation that exceeds the limit rather than silently truncating. Review flagged translations with a native speaker who understands the ASO context. Re-validate every locale through the App Store Metadata Character Counter after approval. Run this check again before each submission — metadata updated in one locale can inadvertently cause issues in previously-valid locales if shared strings are involved.