How to Translate an App Name for the App Store

To translate an app name, keep the brand users recognize, adapt the words that explain what the app does, and check that the complete name reads naturally in each market. Research local search wording before choosing a version, then review it with the rest of the listing.

Decide what should stay in the app name

List the parts of the current name that identify your product: its brand, a distinctive product term, and any words that explain its main purpose. Keep the brand consistent when recognition matters. Translate or adapt descriptive words when a direct carryover would be unclear or unnatural to people in the target language.

Do not translate a brand just because its spelling has a meaning in another language. If the name is also a common word, consider whether local readers will understand it as your product name. Keep recognizable spelling and pronunciation where possible, and only change it when the localized form is clearer and still identifies the same app.

Research natural wording in each market

Begin with the task your app actually helps someone complete. Write down a few short ways people might describe that task in the target language. A literal translation is one candidate, not the default: compare it with the wording used for the same kind of app in that market.

In Wow Keywords’ App Store localization workflow, add your public app and choose the markets you want to review. In Optimize, research local phrases and prepare localized listing fields, including app names, for review. Edit the suggested wording where needed, then read the name beside the localized subtitle so the two fields explain distinct things.

Look at the local search results for the phrases you are considering. Keep wording that describes your app accurately and returns apps serving a similar need. A phrase that is popular in conversation may still be a poor fit if it suggests a feature your app does not have. Use Wow Keywords to compare local phrases and review your listing choices market by market.

Review the translated name with your brand

Put the brand and local descriptor together, then read the full name as one phrase. Ask a fluent reviewer who knows the product to check meaning, spelling, and tone. Ask them what they think the app does from the name alone; revise wording that points to the wrong task or sounds like a list of search terms.

Keep the name short enough to scan. Remove repeated concepts and words that do not help people identify the product. If a localized descriptor makes the brand difficult to recognize, try a shorter phrase or retain more of the original name. The best choice is not always the version with the most translated words.

Review each market on its own. Languages differ in word order, compounds, spacing, and the way people describe the same task. Reusing one translated phrase everywhere can make a listing sound imported. Keep the underlying product promise consistent while adapting the phrasing to each audience.

Check the App Store name limit

Before finalizing a translation, check the current name limit and field counter in App Store Connect for the listing you are preparing. Count the complete localized name, including the brand, spaces, and punctuation. Do this after choosing the natural wording, since shortening a phrase word by word can change its meaning.

If the full name does not fit, remove filler first, then test a shorter local descriptor that still identifies the app. You can also keep the brand on its own and explain the task in the subtitle. Review both fields together so the subtitle adds useful information instead of repeating the name. For more on choosing a phrase that belongs in the name, see the guide to app name keywords.

After editing, read the name and subtitle aloud in the target language and compare them with the public listing. In Optimize, review the localized fields together before exporting or filling a draft version. Use the App Store keyword research tool to compare local phrases and search results before you choose one.