Keywords in Your App Name: How to Choose What Goes in the 30 Characters

• The name is at least two and at most 30 characters, and Guideline 2.3.7 repeats the 30-character limit (Apple: app information).
• The name is localized, so each language can carry its own name.
• A name can be used for one app per localization.
• Guideline 2.3.7 instructs developers to choose a unique name and not pack metadata with trademarked terms, popular app names, pricing information or other irrelevant phrases (Apple: App Review Guidelines).

Apple lists text relevance, which means matches in title, subtitle, keywords and primary category, together with user behavior as search factors (Apple: App Store search). Apple does not publish how much each field weighs. Many practitioners consider the name the strongest field, but that is an observation, not a documented rule. Test it for your own app; see the repeat words guide for a one-variable test.

1. Brand. It must be distinctive and legal to use. A strong brand is also searchable by itself once people know it.
2. Main phrase. Choose the phrase from your research with the best combination of relevance and a top 10 you can enter. See choosing keywords you can rank for.
3. Subtitle. Use it for the second-best phrase, without repeating name words.
4. Keyword field. Fill the rest, with no words already in name or subtitle.

• Pricing information, which Apple says not to pack into metadata, and unverifiable claims such as "best".
• Another app's name or a trademark you do not own.
• Filler such as "app", which takes characters and adds no match.
• A name so long it truncates on the product page or in search results.

Because the name is localized, a German listing can use a German phrase beside the brand while the English listing keeps the English one. The brand should stay recognizable. The localization guide shows how to choose the local phrase, and the localizations tool lists the languages Apple supports for metadata.

Apple allows editing the name until the app is submitted to App Review, and afterwards when you create a new version or the version status permits editing. Plan name changes together with a release, and record the date to read the rank change later; see tracking keyword rankings.

The Optimize screen covers the name, subtitle and keyword field per language with their limits, so you can compare options before you upload a draft to App Store Connect. LocalASO never submits an app for review. See the Optimize docs and the free character counter. The title and subtitle guide covers the pairing.