How to Localize for French (Canada) in the App Store

Apple's keyword reference allows 100 bytes, not 100 characters. Counted as UTF-8, the example below contains 52 one-byte and 1 two-byte characters (separators excluded). Only the accented letters cost two bytes, so the field holds between 50 and 100 letters depending on how many accents you use. The words below are a hypothetical keyword list for a habit tracker called Streakly; they are illustrations, not validated search terms, and each has at least three characters.

Joined with commas and no spaces after them, the field is:

habitudes,routine,objectifs,rappels,motivation,agenda,défis

That is 59 characters and 60 bytes: 54 bytes of keywords plus 6 commas, leaving 40 of the 100 bytes free. The byte counts assume UTF-8; confirm the final count in App Store Connect before you save.

The Canada row pairs English (Canada) as the default with French (Canada) as the additional language. Both are regional locales, and neither is the generic English (U.K.) or French that serve most of the table. For a Canadian audience that means a fr-CA keyword field and an en-CA keyword field, each with its own 100-byte budget.

The locales list in App Store Connect keeps fr-CA and fr-FR apart, which is why one French translation cannot fill both without a decision. Apple does not document whether a fr-FR keyword is matched for a fr-CA user, so check the Canadian storefront yourself on the Canada keyword page.

Apple's table reads these rows as follows: French (Canada) is never the default and an additional language in 1.

Start from what you already wrote for France and remove what a Canadian does not search. Words that are the same in both varieties do not need a second copy in the same listing; the field is for terms you do not already have elsewhere in the listing. Apple warns against repeating words from your name, subtitle and category.

French-Canadian listings share the byte cost of French: é, è, ê and ç take two bytes each. Hold the same discipline when you trim: every keyword at least three characters, commas and no spaces after them, and no duplicates between the name and the keyword field.

LocalASO checks keywords in 52 App Store storefronts, each in the storefront's local language, so you can compare your French (Canada) candidates with the English ones in one place. Keywords, ranks and listings stay in a database on your Mac. LocalASO is a one-time $29 purchase and the app needs a license key to run; the setup is in the localization docs and the price is on the pricing page. To test the field you just built, use the keyword field checker, or browse every language page. Neighboring languages: French, English (U.K.), English (U.S.).