App Store subtitle: how to use 30 characters
Your subtitle is 30 characters that people read and Apple searches. How to pick the words, avoid repeats, and write one that still sounds human.
Your App Store subtitle is 30 characters that sit right under your app name, in search results and on your product page. Apple uses it for search, and people read it before they decide to tap. A good subtitle adds 2 or 3 search words your name does not cover and still reads like a sentence a person would say.
What the subtitle does
The subtitle appears directly below your app name. It has a hard limit of 30 characters, the same as the name. It does two jobs at once:
- Search. Apple treats the words in your name, subtitle and keyword field as the main text for matching searches.
- Persuasion. In search results, the subtitle is often the only description someone reads. "Swell report, wind and tides" tells a surfer more in 28 characters than a logo ever will.
Because both jobs share 30 characters, the best subtitles are plain, specific, and use words people actually type.
Rules for picking the words
Do not repeat your name. If your name is "Driftwood: Surf Forecast", spending the subtitle on "Surf forecast app" wastes it. Words already in your name count for search.
Do not repeat your keyword field. Same reason. Each word should appear in exactly one of the three fields: name, subtitle or keywords.
Use the words with the most searches you can realistically rank for. A word you rank 150th for does little. A word where you are at 12 and the apps above you are weak can move into the top 10.
Make it read like a phrase, not a list. "Swell, wind, tide, surf, wave" might match more words, but it reads like spam and converts worse. Commas are fine; five of them in 30 characters is too many.
Stay within Apple's rules. App Review Guideline 2.3.7 rules out other apps' names, trademarked terms, pricing claims and unrelated words in your metadata.
Three ways to structure a subtitle
| Pattern | Example (fictional surf app) | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Swell report, wind and tides | 28 |
| Who it is for | Forecasts for local surfers | 27 |
| The outcome | Know when to paddle out | 23 |
The first pattern usually wins for search because it carries the most searchable nouns. The third reads best but carries the fewest search words. Many apps start with the first, then test the others once ranks are stable.
Testing a new subtitle
- Write down your current ranks for the words in the old and new subtitle.
- Ship the new subtitle with your next version. The subtitle is tied to a version, so it changes when the version is approved.
- Wait 7 to 14 days before judging. Ranks move a few places a day on their own; read why your App Store rank moves every day before you panic over a single morning.
- Compare the weekly average, not one day against another.
- Watch the apps around you. If a competitor changed their subtitle the same week, your move might be theirs. How to find out which apps outrank you shows how to keep an eye on that.
Altitude runs this for you: it checks every keyword in your name, subtitle and keyword field daily, records the top 200 for each, and its listing check flags repeated words and length before you ship. See pricing or add your app.
Questions
Can I change the subtitle without a new version?
No. Like the name and keyword field, the subtitle ships with an app version. Promotional text is the field you can change any time.
Should the subtitle repeat my category?
Only if the word is something people search and it is not already in your name. The category alone does not make a word worth repeating.
Is 30 characters a hard limit?
Yes. App Store Connect will not accept a 31st character, and long subtitles can be cut short on smaller screens, so put the most important words first.