Lazy ASOCharacter limits for every App Store field, and which ones are searchable
Updated 14 November 2026
App Store limits: name 30 characters, subtitle 30, keyword field 100, promotional text 170, description 4,000, what's new 4,000. Apple lists the name, subtitle, keywords and primary category as search factors. Apple says promotional text does not affect search ranking.
All the limits
| Field | Limit | Searchable? | Public? |
|---|---|---|---|
| App name | 30 characters (min 2) | Yes | Yes |
| Subtitle | 30 characters | Yes | Yes |
| Keywords | 100 characters (stated as 100 bytes in App Store Connect) | Yes | No |
| Promotional text | 170 characters | No, Apple says it does not affect ranking | Yes |
| Description | 4,000 characters, plain text | Not on Apple's list of search factors | Yes |
| What's New | 4,000 characters | Not on Apple's list | Yes |
| App Review notes | 4,000 bytes | No | No, App Review only |
Apple's search page lists these search factors: title, subtitle, keywords and primary category, plus user behavior such as downloads, ratings and reviews. It also says your primary and optional secondary category are indexed
What this means in practice
Name: the strongest field you have. Put the search first. A colon after the brand does little: in our scan, "Brand: search" performed like leaving the search out. Details: new app names research
Subtitle: how to use the 30 characters
Keywords: what goes in the 100 characters. Commas, no spaces, no repeats
Promotional text: sales copy you can change any time. Don't put keywords there
Description: Apple's search page does not list it, and in our scan it does not affect your App Store position. Stop stuffing it. It still matters: ChatGPT recommends apps based on their App Store description, so write it for people and AI. See does the description affect ranking
Each language has its own set
The limits apply per localization. Each language you add gets its own name, subtitle, keywords and the rest. Which localizations count where: App Store localization by country
Counting tips
- Letters, digits, spaces and punctuation all count
- Emoji and non-Latin scripts can use more than one unit per character. Check the counter in App Store Connect
- Count the keyword field in bytes, since that is how App Store Connect states it
Lazy ASO checks every field against these limits before it uploads anything, and only after your yes. Start with the free name check