Secondary category (App Store)

An app can have a primary and a secondary category. The primary and the optional secondary category are both indexed by the search algorithm. Games can have up to two Games subcategories. Guideline 2.3.5 requires the most appropriate category, and Apple may change a category that is way off base. Apple does not say how much weight the secondary category carries compared with the primary one, so do not assume it is equal.

Category names are words Apple already indexes, and Apple advises not to repeat words from the name, subtitle or category in the keyword field. A well-chosen pair covers two sets of terms without using any of your 100 bytes.

A hypothetical habit tracker could pair Health & Fitness (primary) with Productivity (secondary). The words "health", "fitness" and "productivity" are then covered by the categories. The free bytes can go to terms the categories do not contain, such as "routine" or "planner".

1. List the two audiences that would plausibly use the app.
2. Pick the category whose browsing list matches your main audience as primary.
3. Pick the second audience as secondary, only if the app genuinely fits.
4. Check the strength of apps in each category with keyword difficulty.

• Choosing a category for popularity rather than fit.
• Leaving it empty when a second honest fit exists.

See the text relevance factors Apple lists and the title and subtitle guide.