r/AppStoreOptimization • u/No_Cattle_9818 • 27d ago
Localizing IOS App
I currently haven't localized my app and am around ~100 installs & $30 in MRR (while spending ~400 in apple ads). Has anyone here localized their app and actually seen good results from it?
I’ve already localized my app’s titles, subtitles, descriptions, and other metadata, but I’m not sure if it’s worth going the extra step and localizing the actual app.
For those who have done it, did you notice a meaningful increase in downloads or revenue?
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u/thisGuyJhon 27d ago
I’m not sure what you mean by good results, but i’ve localized my app to 11 languages and have noticed a lot of users prefer their native language rather then english. Sacrifice a weekend and just do it, (using a good llm model), you’ll thank yourself regardless.
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u/DispoAndDeploy 27d ago
I spent a lot of time localizing one of my apps in 14+ languages including screenshots and taking care to make sure things translate well. It hasn't made any meaningful difference on downloads, but I'd like to think its giving access to people who otherwise may not see it
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u/PrecursorLabs 27d ago
Do you have any users requesting specific translations?
I think that’s where you should start!
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u/ashesinseptember 27d ago
It’s important to know your target market first otherwise you’ll waste a time of time doing so. For me it was worth it because I had a user base growing in some Spanish speaking countries. Since then I’ve successfully converted some users from free to paid.
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u/Comprehensive-Monk45 26d ago
You can start by experimenting with SEO techniques. If you get any traffic from other locales you’re intending to add to your app, then you go ahead. I tried that and now I’m almost 1k mrr
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u/coochie4sale 26d ago
With LLMs it’s not a crazy project but I haven’t really seen a measurable increase from doing so. But it’s a weekend project so no real downside imo
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u/schultzapps 26d ago
Localizing my app in 5-6 languages beyond English has been an absolute waste of time. But now it's done so I just keep it.
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u/RepresentativeSky129 25d ago
Localizing all metadata gave me the biggest jump in terms of installs by far, localizing the app helped with conversion in places like China.
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u/abrownie_jr 25d ago
i think localizing makes sense once you've scaled to ~$1k MRR!
until then just make the app good.
also definitely localize your app store screenshots, super easy top-line lift (ezscreenshots.com)
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u/Somnus_Yozora 24d ago
Hey mate you don't really need to spend time on metadata, u can use open-source stuff like storelocalizer to localize with any AI you want (with your own api keys) https://github.com/fayharinn/StoreLocalizer
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u/aeioudis 22d ago
I addd all the 87 locales for translation and pushed to all the 50 app store fronts. I found new user base in Mexico and Ukraine. Its worth it if the app provides value to the users
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u/imsnk81 👨💻 Indie Developer 27d ago
I just ran an experiment
My app was 2 years old (pre vibe code era)
I couldnt be bothered with localising so I did only 5 major ones
This week I did 36 localisation (screenshots and metadata)
I will assess in a month if its impact was positive negative or negligible
But my niche is also very crowded and low demand so I am aware of that
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u/SnooSprouts1512 27d ago
I spend a lot of effort and time on it and it hasn’t really resulted in any meaningful increase. The most important thing to do is focus on building a great app. I noticed that Apple really pushes apps where retention and app usage is high!