Why are words shorter than three characters removed?

Apple's App Store Connect reference describes the keywords as "each greater than two characters". The packer follows that exactly. You can switch the rule off if you want to keep short words, for example two-character Japanese words.

Why does the packer remove words from my name and subtitle?

Apple's search guide advises not repeating any word that is in your app name, subtitle or category, and the App Store Connect reference says your app is searchable by name and company name. A repeat uses bytes without adding a new word. The packer cannot see your category or company name: remove those words yourself.

What happens with words that do not fit?

The packer keeps your priority order and adds words until the 100 bytes are used. A word that is too long is listed under "Did not fit" and the packer continues with later, shorter words that still fit. Words are never cut in half.

Does it work for Japanese, Chinese, Arabic and Hebrew?

Yes. Japanese, Chinese and Thai items have no spaces between words, so each comma-separated item is kept whole. Arabic and Hebrew are split at spaces like other scripts. Bytes are counted in UTF-8, so a Japanese character uses 3 bytes.

Free tool

App Store keyword field packer

Paste your keyword ideas in priority order plus your app name and subtitle. The packer splits phrases into single words, removes repeats and words already in the name or subtitle, and fills the 100-byte keyword field with commas and no spaces. Free, no sign-up, runs in your browser.

App name

Subtitle

Keyword ideas, most important first

Phrases are split into single words. Japanese, Chinese and Thai items are kept whole.

Language of the keywords (for lowercasing)

RemoveWords shorter than 3 characters (Apple: each keyword must be longer than two characters)Generic terms like “app” and “game” and English filler wordsEnglish plurals of words already included (English only)

Packed keyword field

Paste your keyword ideas. The packing runs in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.

How it works

Ideas are split at new lines, commas, semicolons and 、. Phrases become single words, lowercased with your language’s rules (Turkish dotted “İ” works). Words in the name or subtitle are dropped, ignoring case and accents. Then it removes, in this order: symbols and emoji (Apple: special characters carry no extra weight), words shorter than three characters, generic terms (“app”, “game”) and English filler words, and duplicates and English plurals.

What is left is added in your order, separated by commas without spaces, until 100 UTF-8 bytes are used. The result reports bytes used, bytes left, words that did not fit and every removed word with its reason. Rules come from Apple’s search guide and App Store Connect reference. The packer cannot judge trademarks, competitor names or whether people search a word.

Examples

English app with a name and subtitle

Name Lingua: Learn Languages, subtitle Spanish, French & German, ideas: language learning / learn spanish, vocabulary app / flashcards; grammar / italian lessons / speaking practice / Spanish verbs

learning,vocabulary,flashcards,grammar,italian,lessons,speaking,practice,verbs: 78 bytes, 22 left. Removed: language (plural of “languages” in the name), learn (name), spanish twice (subtitle), app (generic).

German with umlauts

Name Kalorien Zähler, subtitle Ernährung & Diät, ideas: Kalorienzähler, Ernährungstagebuch, Diät Plan, abnehmen, Gewicht, Rezepte, App

kalorienzähler,ernährungstagebuch,plan,abnehmen,gewicht,rezepte: 65 bytes for 63 characters, 35 left. Removed: diät (subtitle), app (generic).

Japanese, no spaces

Ideas: 語学学習、英会話；単語帳,アプリ

語学学習,英会話,単語帳,アプリ: 16 characters but 42 bytes, 58 left. Each item stays whole.

Frequently asked questions

Why are words shorter than three characters removed?: Apple's App Store Connect reference describes the keywords as "each greater than two characters". The packer follows that exactly. You can switch the rule off if you want to keep short words, for example two-character Japanese words.
Why does the packer remove words from my name and subtitle?: Apple's search guide advises not repeating any word that is in your app name, subtitle or category, and the App Store Connect reference says your app is searchable by name and company name. A repeat uses bytes without adding a new word. The packer cannot see your category or company name: remove those words yourself.
What happens with words that do not fit?: The packer keeps your priority order and adds words until the 100 bytes are used. A word that is too long is listed under "Did not fit" and the packer continues with later, shorter words that still fit. Words are never cut in half.
Does it work for Japanese, Chinese, Arabic and Hebrew?: Yes. Japanese, Chinese and Thai items have no spaces between words, so each comma-separated item is kept whole. Arabic and Hebrew are split at spaces like other scripts. Bytes are counted in UTF-8, so a Japanese character uses 3 bytes.

Embed or cite this tool

Free to link to or quote. If you use it in an article or a post, this line credits the tool:

<a href="https://localaso.com/tools/keyword-field-packer">App Store keyword field packer</a> by LocalASO

App Store keyword field checker: check a field you already have
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