App Store vs Google Play metadata: every field compared

The App Store and Google Play look similar from a user's side, but their metadata systems are built on different assumptions. Apple splits keywords into a hidden field and does not index your description. Google has no keywords field at all and indexes almost everything visible. If you copy one store's listing straight into the other, you leave rankings on the table in both.

Here is every field that matters, side by side, with the 2026 limits and — more importantly — what each store actually does with the text.

Text fields at a glance

Title: same length, different jobs

Both stores cap the title at 30 characters, and on both it is the single strongest ranking signal. Note that Google Play only dropped to 30 in 2021 — it used to allow 50 — so any guide telling you to pack keywords into a long Play title is out of date.

With 30 characters you get your brand plus roughly one keyword phrase. “Lumen: Habit Tracker” spends its budget well; “Lumen - The #1 Best App” wastes it on words nobody searches for.

The keyword split: hidden field vs indexed body

This is the biggest structural difference. The App Store gives you a 100-character keywords field that users never see. Google Play has nothing equivalent — instead it indexes your title, short description, and full description.

Practical consequence: on the App Store, write the description purely to convince a human, because it will not help you rank. On Google Play, the description does both jobs, so you have to balance readability against getting your target phrases in — usually two or three mentions across 4000 characters, placed where they read naturally.

Using the App Store keywords field well

Do not put spaces after your commas — each space costs a character you could spend on another term. Do not repeat any word already in your title or subtitle; those are indexed, so repeating them is pure waste. And do not add your own brand name — you already rank for it.

Promotional text: the field with no ranking value

The App Store's 170-character promotional text sits above the description and — this is the useful part — can be changed without submitting a new build. It is perfect for a sale, an event, or a “new in this version” note. It is not indexed, so keywords here do nothing for search. Google Play has no direct equivalent; the closest lever is editing your short description.

Screenshots and graphics

Google's feature graphic has no App Store analogue and is easy to forget — it appears at the top of your Play listing and in promotional placements, so a missing or ugly one is very visible. Both stores let you localize screenshots, and both will show whatever language you uploaded, even if it is wrong for the viewer.

Reviews and replies

You can reply publicly to reviews on both stores, but the mechanics differ. Google Play allows one reply per review, and you can edit it later. The App Store also supports public replies, but your reply appears after moderation rather than instantly. Neither store lets you reply privately, so every response is public-facing copy — write accordingly.

What this means for a two-store release

Maintain the fields as related-but-separate. Share the brand voice and the core value proposition, but write the App Store description for persuasion and the Google Play description for persuasion plus indexing. Fill the App Store keywords field with terms you cannot fit into the visible copy, and make sure the Play short description carries a keyword because it is doing ranking work the App Store subtitle does elsewhere.

The tab-juggling is the hard part — keeping two consoles, several languages, and two sets of rules straight in your head. Managing both listings in one place (with per-language counters against each store's exact limit) is most of why AppBoard exists. But even a spreadsheet with these limits pinned at the top will save you from the common mistakes.