App store listing basics: screenshots, keywords and description

Every listing field, and the limit each store sets

Most of a listing is short text. The limits are tight, so draft everything in a document first and count before you paste anything into App Store Connect or Play Console.

Two fields catch people out. Apple's keywords field is invisible to shoppers but counts in bytes, not characters. Google has no keywords field at all, so the words you want to be found for have to sit naturally in the title and descriptions.

Name and subtitle: say what the app does in 60 characters

Your brand name alone rarely tells a stranger anything. I would spend the 30 characters of the name on the brand plus a plain description of the job, such as a salon name followed by "Book Appointments". Then use the subtitle for the second most useful fact, such as the area you serve or the main thing users can do. Apple's own guidance says the subtitle should explain value rather than repeat the name.

Google is stricter about what goes into the title. Its metadata policy rules out emoji, repeated special characters and all caps unless that is your brand. It also bans text that claims store performance, ranking or a price promotion, with examples such as "#1", "Popular", "10% off" and "New". Google also warns that repetitive or irrelevant keywords in the title or descriptions can get an app suspended.

Keep the name you use on both stores the same. Users who hear about you on Instagram and search on Android or iPhone should find the same words.

Apple's 100 keyword bytes

This is the field I would rewrite most often. It holds 100 bytes of terms separated by commas, with no spaces after the commas. Apple's product page guidance says to skip plurals of words you already have, category names, the word "app" and duplicates. The help pages add two more rules: each keyword must be longer than two characters, and names of other apps or companies are not allowed.

Bytes matter if you sell in the UAE. An English letter is one byte, but Arabic letters take more than one byte each, so an Arabic keyword list fills the field faster than its length suggests. Count the bytes, not the letters, before you save.

My rule: one keyword list per language, built from the words a customer would type, not the words your team uses internally. A clinic calls it "patient scheduling". A patient types "book doctor".

Screenshots carry the listing

People look at the images before they read a word. Apple says the first one to three screenshots appear in search results when there is no app preview, depending on orientation. So the first three should each show one real screen and one short caption about what that screen does for the user.

For iPhone and iPad, Apple accepts screenshots at the highest required resolution and scales them down for smaller devices if your interface is the same across sizes. If the app runs on iPad, the 13-inch size is required, at 2064 x 2752 or 2048 x 2732 pixels in portrait. Check the screenshot specifications page for the current iPhone size before you export, because Apple updates the device list.

Google lets you publish with two screenshots, but to be eligible for promotion and recommendations an app needs at least four, at 1080 px or more on the shortest side. I would plan four to six from the start. Google's guidance also says to keep taglines under 20% of a screenshot, and to leave out words like "Best", "Free" or "Sale", calls to action like "Download now", store badges and fingers tapping the screen.

Description and promotional text

Write the first sentence for someone who will not tap "more". Apple says it is the line users can read without expanding. On Google Play, the 80-character short description does the same job. Lead with who the app is for and the main task it does.

Below that, a few short paragraphs: what users can do, what they need (an account, a membership, a booking), and how to get help. Apple's description is plain text, so no HTML formatting. Promotional text sits above the description on the App Store and can change without submitting a new version, which makes it the place for a seasonal message. Apple says it does not affect search ranking, so do not fill it with keywords.

A fill-in checklist before you submit

Copy this into a document, fill in each line, and only then open the store consoles. If a line is blank, the listing is not ready.

• App name (30 characters max, same on both stores): ______
• Apple subtitle (30 characters max): ______
• Google short description (80 characters max): ______
• Apple keywords, comma-separated, counted in bytes (100 max), one list per language: ______
• First sentence of the description, written for someone who reads nothing else: ______
• Full description under 4,000 characters, plain text, no ranking or price claims: done / not done
• Apple promotional text (170 characters max), or left blank on purpose: ______
• Screenshots: 4 to 6 per store, first three each showing one real screen with a short caption: done / not done
• Google feature graphic, 1024 x 500, not dominated by white, black or dark gray: done / not done
• Google icon, 512 x 512 PNG, under 1024 KB, no misleading symbols: done / not done
• Support URL that leads to real contact details, and a privacy policy URL: ______
• Video, if any: Apple preview under 30 seconds; Google YouTube link that is public or unlisted with ads off: done / not done

What I prepare on each package

Every package includes store submission help. Launch ($999) covers up to 10 screens, Growth ($1,699) up to 25 and Scale ($2,500) up to 50, and the screen count shapes the listing too: a 10-screen app has fewer screens worth showing, so choosing the four that explain it matters more. I prepare and publish your listing, and the checklist above is what I would ask you to fill in first. Store fees are third-party fees and are not included in the package price.

Approval is decided by Apple and Google and cannot be guaranteed. If the app is rejected, I fix and resubmit at no cost. For the reasons apps get rejected in the first place, see my separate guide on rejections.