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App Store Optimization

App Title / App Name

Also known asApp NameDisplay Name

The primary name of your app shown on the App Store (up to 30 characters on iOS) and Google Play (up to 50 characters) — the single most keyword-weighted metadata field.

MWM data

State of April 2026

Median app-title length

21.0 chars

Half of titles are shorter, half longer

Top-10% title length

30.0 chars

The 90th percentile — long-tail of keyword-heavy titles

Titles over 30 characters

0.04%

iOS truncates around 30 chars in many surfaces

Titles with subtitle separator (": " or " - ")

35%

The "Brand: keyword" pattern remains common

Key takeaways

  1. 01App title is the top-weighted keyword surface on both stores — a keyword in the title outranks the same keyword anywhere else.
  2. 02Length cap: 30 characters on iOS (since iOS 11), 50 characters on Google Play. iOS truncates around 23-25 chars in many surfaces.
  3. 03Real catalog data: median app-title length is ~21 characters; 35% of titles use the "Brand: Descriptor" or "Brand - Descriptor" pattern.
  4. 04Best-practice structure: Brand + Descriptor — "Duolingo: Language Lessons", "Canva: Design, Photo & Video". Avoid keyword stuffing.

Your app title is the top-weighted keyword surface on both the App Store and Google Play. A keyword placed in the title generally outranks the same keyword placed in the subtitle, description, or keyword field. Title length is capped at 30 characters on iOS (as of iOS 11) and 50 characters on Google Play — but iOS truncates around 23-25 characters in many discovery surfaces (search results, browse cards, the home screen), so the practical title-design length is shorter than the technical cap.

Best-practice structure — the "Brand: Descriptor" pattern dominates the catalog:

  • Brand + Descriptor: "Duolingo: Language Lessons", "Headspace: Meditation & Sleep".
  • Brand - Descriptor: "Canva - Design, Photo & Video".
  • Brand only (when the brand IS the keyword): "Spotify", "TikTok", "WhatsApp".
  • Descriptor + Brand: "AI Photo Editor by App Lab" — less common, used when descriptor IS the strongest keyword.

Real data: 35% of cataloged apps use the colon or dash separator. The pattern works because it gives discovery surfaces a clean brand anchor + a descriptor that doubles as keyword inventory.

Avoid keyword stuffing. Both Apple and Google reject titles that read like SEO spam ("Photo Editor - Photo Filters - Photo Effects - Photo Frames - Best Photo App"). Stuffed titles also convert worse because users don't recognize the app as a real brand. The right move is to pick ONE high-priority keyword for the descriptor section and lean into clarity.

Changing your title is one of the most impactful ASO levers, but also the most visible: it shows up in every search result, notification, and home-screen label. Existing users will see the change and may briefly be confused. Test title changes in low-traffic territories first (smaller markets, separate locales), measure ranking impact, then roll out to core markets. Use Google Play Store Experiments for A/B testing the variants directly when possible.

How long real app titles run

The median app title is just 21 characters — well under the 30-character cap Apple and Google both enforce — so most apps leave keyword-bearing title space unused. The length distribution and the by-tier table show the pattern.

App-title length distribution across the catalogCharacter-length distribution of app titles. The 21-30 character range is the modal cluster — Apple's iOS title field caps at 30 characters; Google Play allows up to 50.050K100K150K200K1-10: 43,91511-20: 62,23421-30: 110,43531-40: 2741-50: 4851+: 12iOS cap zone1-1011-2021-3031-4041-5051+Title length (characters)
App-title length distribution across the catalog — Apps with ≥1,000 downloads in last 30 days, MWM catalog, State of April 2026.

Median app-title length by download-volume tier

Download tier (30d)Median title lengthTop-10% length
1K-10K downloads19.0 chars30.0 chars
10K-100K downloads24.0 chars30.0 chars
100K-1M downloads26.0 chars30.0 chars
1M+ downloads26.0 chars30.0 chars

Higher-download apps use slightly longer, keyword-richer titles, but with the catalog-wide median at ~21 of 30 available characters, the typical app forgoes roughly a third of its single highest-weight ASO field.

Quick answers

How long should my app title be?

iOS hard cap: 30 characters. Google Play cap: 50 characters. Real catalog median: ~21 characters. iOS practical cap: ~23-25 characters before truncation in many discovery surfaces (search results, browse cards). Most successful apps stay 15-25 characters total — short enough to render fully, long enough to include brand + one high-priority keyword.

Should I include keywords in my app title?

Yes — the title is the top-weighted keyword surface on both stores. Best practice: Brand + Descriptor where Descriptor includes your ONE highest-priority keyword. "Duolingo: Language Lessons" works; "Photo Editor - Filters - Effects - Frames - Best Photo App" gets rejected for spam. Pick one keyword, lean into clarity.

What's the difference between app title on iOS vs Google Play?

iOS app title (Name field) is capped at 30 characters; Google Play is capped at 50. iOS truncates around 23-25 characters in many surfaces; Google Play tends to show fuller titles. iOS also has a separate Subtitle field (30 chars, keyword-weighted) that Google Play replaces with Short Description (80 chars, keyword-indexed). Plan your title-and-subtitle (or title-and-short-description) jointly per platform.

How often can I change my app title?

Technically as often as you submit a new version — both stores allow it. Practically, change rarely: title changes affect every existing user (icon-label, notifications, search results), can confuse them temporarily, and reset some search-rank stability. Most mature apps change titles once a quarter or less, after extensive testing in lower-stakes markets.

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