Where iOS keywords come from
| Field | Limit | Indexed for search |
|---|---|---|
| App name | 30 characters | Yes — the strongest signal |
| Subtitle | 30 characters | Yes |
| Keyword field | 100 characters, hidden | Yes |
| In-app purchase display names | 30 characters each | Yes |
| Developer name | — | Yes |
| Description | 4,000 characters | No |
| Promotional text | 170 characters | No |
The keyword field is set per localization in App Store Connect, next to the description. Only you see it.
Rules for the 100-character keyword field
- Commas, no spaces:
budget,planner,expenses, notbudget, planner, expenses— spaces cost characters. - Don’t repeat words that are already in the name or subtitle; they count once across all three fields.
- Single words beat phrases. Apple combines words from the name, subtitle and keyword field into search phrases itself.
- One form is often enough. The App Store often matches singular and plural; check which form people search.
- No filler: “app”, “free”, “iPhone” and category names add nothing.
- No competitor brands or trademarks. Apple’s guidelines don’t allow other apps’ names or trademarked terms in metadata.
- Use every localization. Each language has its own name, subtitle and keyword field — more room for keywords.
Example: before and after
A meal planning app called “Mealy: Meal Planner” has this keyword field:
Before (95 characters): meal plan, meal prep, recipes, healthy, diet, shopping list, free, app, family, dinner, cooking
After (59 characters): prep,recipes,healthy,diet,shopping,list,family,dinner,cooking
“meal” and “plan” are already in the name, “free” and “app” are filler, and the spaces are gone. That frees 36 characters for new words such as “grocery”, “vegan” or “batch”. The free ASO keyword tool does this cleanup for you.
How to find keywords
- App Store search suggestions: type the start of a term and note what the store suggests.
- What the top apps use: the words in the names of apps that rank for a search show what Apple considers relevant — the ASO keyword tool lists them.
- Your reviews: users describe your app in the words they search for. See app reviews.
- Apple Ads search terms: the search terms report shows which searches lead to installs.
- Competitors: see competitor app analysis.
Google Play has no keyword field
Google Play reads keywords from the title (30 characters), short description (80) and full description (4,000). Mention your main keywords naturally a few times; repetition is against Google’s policy. Check it with the Google Play ASO tool.
After you change keywords
New keywords go live with the next approved app version. Give them two to four weeks before you judge the effect on app store ranking, and change one group of keywords at a time so you know what worked. More in app store optimization (ASO).