App Store Subtitle Keywords: What to Write in 30 Characters

An app subtitle cannot be longer than 30 characters, and it appears below the app name throughout the App Store (Apple: product page). Apple lists the subtitle among the fields an app is searchable by (Apple: App Store search). Guideline 2.3.7 says subtitles follow the standard metadata rules and should not include inappropriate content, reference other apps or make unverifiable product claims (Apple: App Review Guidelines). Apple's guidance describes updating the subtitle when submitting a new version.

1. Add search words. Words the name lacks and the keyword field does not need, because words in the subtitle are already searchable.
2. Persuade a person. It sits on the product page and in search results, so it should say what the app does for whom.

A line that does only the first job reads like a keyword list and can break Apple's accuracy rules. A line that does only the second may waste the field.

For a hypothetical habit tracker named Streakly: Habit Tracker:

1. List the phrases from your research that the name does not hold. See finding keywords for a new app.
2. Choose the best one or two that fit together in a sentence.
3. Write three options under 30 characters and count them with the character counter.
4. Read each aloud. If a stranger would not click on it, rewrite it.
5. Remove any word that also sits in the name or keyword field; see repeat words in title and subtitle.

Name and subtitle are localized per language. A literal translation rarely carries the same search phrase, so research each market's phrases; see translating or transcreating keywords.

Change only the subtitle, note the date, and watch rank for the new phrase and a control keyword for a week. Apple does not publish how much the subtitle weighs against other fields, so the only way to know is your own measurement; the routine is in how long keyword changes take.

Users read name and subtitle together in search results, so read them as one line: Streakly: Habit Tracker followed by Daily Routine & Goals says what the app is and what it helps with. If the pair reads like two keyword lists glued together, rewrite the subtitle first, since it is the easier of the two to change. Keep a list of the three versions you rejected and why; it saves time at the next update.

The Optimize screen holds name, subtitle and keyword field per language, with the 30-character limits. See the Optimize docs and the subtitle glossary entry, or read the title and subtitle guide for more patterns.