App Store Connect vs Google Play Console: metadata differences every developer needs to know in 2026
If you ship on both iOS and Android, you already know the routine. Write your app title, paste it into App Store Connect, open Google Play Console, paste it again. Except the character limits are different, the field names are different, and the way each store uses metadata for search is different. One wrong assumption and you're either truncating your title mid-word or leaving ranking potential on the table.
Here's a concrete breakdown of where the two platforms diverge — so you can stop guessing and write copy that actually works for both.
Title field: 30 characters on both stores
This is the one that trips people up most often — especially if you still assume Google allows 50.
App Store Connect and Google Play both enforce a 30-character limit on your app title. Spaces count. You cannot rely on extra room on Play to fit a keyword phrase next to your brand name.
The practical consequence: one title string that fits both stores, full stop. Writing a longer title assuming Play will accept it is how you end up with a listing that gets cut off mid-word.
App Store subtitle
The App Store includes a subtitle field with its own 30-character limit. It appears directly below the title in search results and on the product page, and it's indexed for search on iOS. Treat it as a second keyword slot, not just a tagline. Google Play has no direct equivalent.
Google Play short description
Google Play has a short description field capped at 80 characters. It shows up in search results and at the top of the store listing before the user expands the full description. On Android, this is often the first line a potential user reads — it carries more weight than most developers give it. The App Store has nothing equivalent.
Long description: indexed differently on each platform
Both stores give you a long description field. They treat it very differently for search.
On Google Play, the long description (4,000 characters max) is actively indexed. Keywords you include here can influence your ranking. Repetition matters to a degree, though keyword stuffing still triggers penalties.
On the App Store, the long description is not indexed for search at all. Apple's algorithm relies on your title, subtitle, and a separate keyword field — 100 characters, comma-separated, invisible to users. Writing a keyword-dense long description for iOS does nothing for your ranking. Write it for conversion instead.
This is a fundamental strategic difference between the two platforms, and it changes how you should approach copy for each.
Keyword field: iOS only
The App Store has a dedicated keyword field limited to 100 characters. The terms you enter are invisible to users but indexed by Apple's algorithm. Google Play has no equivalent hidden field. On Android, your title, short description, and long description are your keyword inputs — all of it visible.
The implication: on iOS, you don't need to repeat in your description the keywords you've already put in the keyword field. On Android, you do need them in the visible copy.
Screenshots: different sizes, different rules
This is where the manual work compounds fast.
The App Store requires screenshots for specific iPhone screen sizes — 6.5", 6.7", and 6.9" — plus iPad if you support it. Google Play has its own device requirements. Aspect ratios and pixel dimensions differ across all of them.
If you're designing one set of screenshots and manually exporting each size in Photoshop, you're doing it six or more times per update. That's before you factor in localized screenshots across multiple languages.
The stores also differ on count. The App Store allows up to 10 screenshots per device size. Google Play allows up to 8. Both support a preview video, but the format and length requirements differ.
App preview video
App Store preview videos run 15 to 30 seconds and must be captured directly from the app — no marketing overlays, no voiceover. They autoplay in search results on iOS.
Google Play accepts a YouTube URL for your promo video. That means external footage, longer runtimes, and more production flexibility. The requirements are looser, and the video doesn't autoplay in search the same way.
Ratings and reviews: two separate inboxes
Both stores collect user reviews. Both live in separate consoles. App Store Connect shows iOS reviews. Google Play Console shows Android reviews. Check one and not the other and you're missing half your feedback.
Response behavior also differs slightly. On iOS, your reply is visible to anyone who views that review. On Android, the same applies — but Google Play also lets you update a reply after posting. Both platforms treat review content as a ranking signal, though neither publicly documents how much weight it carries.
Release management: phased rollout
Apple's phased rollout releases an update to 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, then 100% of users over seven days. You can pause at any point if something goes wrong.
Google Play's staged rollout lets you set a percentage manually and adjust it over time. The mechanics are comparable, but the controls sit in different parts of each interface and the defaults aren't identical.
Handling both stores without doubling your work
The differences above are real — but they don't have to mean twice the work. The problem isn't that the platforms are different. The problem is managing those differences across two separate consoles with no shared state between them.
OneStore was built for exactly this. Write your metadata once in a single editor. Live character counters enforce the 30-character App Store title limit and the 30-character title limit on both stores simultaneously as you type — you see exactly where each version stands before you publish. Push to both stores from one place.
Screenshot resizing works the same way. Drop one HD image. Every required format for iPhone 6.5", 6.7", 6.9", iPad, and Google Play devices comes out the other side. No Photoshop, no manual export loop.
Reviews from both stores land in a unified inbox. AI drafts replies in the reviewer's language. You stop checking two consoles.
The free plan covers 3 apps, both stores, no card required. If you want to see where your current listing stands before changing anything, the Store Listing Audit at onestore.so/tools scores it out of 100 — no account, no email required.
FAQs
What is the character limit for the app title on the App Store vs Google Play?
The App Store enforces a 30-character limit on your app title. Google Play Console allows up to 30 characters. Both limits apply to the title field specifically and can't be exceeded without truncation.
Does the App Store index the long description for search?
No. Apple does not index the long description for search rankings. The fields that matter for iOS ASO are the title (30 characters), subtitle (30 characters), and the hidden keyword field (100 characters). Write the long description for conversion, not keyword density.
Does Google Play have a keyword field like the App Store?
No. Google Play has no hidden keyword field. Your title, short description, and long description are what Google indexes for search — keywords need to appear in the visible copy.
What screenshot sizes does the App Store require?
The App Store requires screenshots for iPhone 6.5", 6.7", and 6.9" screen sizes, plus iPad if your app supports it. Each size has specific pixel dimension requirements. Google Play has its own separate device size requirements.
How does phased rollout work differently between Apple and Google?
Apple's phased rollout releases an update to 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, then 100% of users over seven days, with the option to pause. Google Play's staged rollout lets you set a percentage manually and adjust it over time. Both give you control over exposure — the interfaces and defaults just differ.
Can I use the same metadata for both the App Store and Google Play?
You can use similar metadata, but the field structures and character limits are different enough that you'll need platform-specific versions of at least your title and description strategy. The App Store title caps at 30 characters; Google Play does too. The App Store has a subtitle field; Google Play has a short description field. Treating them as identical is a common source of ranking problems.
What is the easiest way to manage metadata for both stores without duplicating work?
The most direct approach is a tool that enforces both stores' rules in a single editor and pushes to both platforms on publish. That's what OneStore does. Write once, the live character counters flag limit violations per store in real time, and you publish to Apple and Google from one place.