App subtitle

What is the App Store subtitle?

The app subtitle is the short descriptor that appears immediately below the app name in App Store search results and on the product page. Apple introduced it in iOS 11 (2017) as a 30-character field separate from the older app description. The subtitle is fully editable per locale and per Custom Product Page variant.

The subtitle is indexed for App Store search alongside the app name and the hidden 100-character keyword field. This gives it triple weight: it contributes to ranking, it conveys the value proposition in search results, and it appears prominently on the product page.

How should the subtitle be written?

The strongest subtitles do two things at once: they include relevant search keywords and they communicate the app's positioning. "Habit Tracker and Daily Goals" works as both keyword bait and a clear positioning statement. "Welcome to MyApp" wastes the 30 characters entirely.

The 30-character limit forces concision. Most teams iterate the subtitle several times in the first 90 days post-launch as keyword research surfaces what terms actually drive installs. Keyword tools (AppTweak, MobileAction) help identify high-volume queries that fit in 30 characters.

How does the subtitle differ across markets?

Subtitle translations rarely fit in 30 characters at the same length as the English source. German subtitles run 30-35 percent longer; a phrase that's 28 characters in English becomes 37 in German and gets cut off. Most teams rewrite per locale rather than translate literally, prioritizing the locale's natural phrasing over a one-to-one translation.