Google Play ASO vs App Store ASO: what’s different

The goal is the same in both stores: rank for the searches your users make, and convince the people who find you to install. The work differs because the two stores read different fields, with different limits and different rules. A listing copied from one store to the other wastes most of what the second store offers.

The fields each store reads

The biggest difference is the description. On the App Store your keywords live in a hidden field nobody reads. On Google Play there is no such field: the words have to appear in text people can see, mostly the description. See how to write Google Play’s title and descriptions.

Keywords work differently

• On the App Store, a word counts once. Repeating it across the name, subtitle and keyword field adds nothing, so the craft is fitting as many different words as possible into 160 characters. Keyword field guide.
• On Google Play, the description is ordinary text, and a keyword you care about should appear in it naturally, more than once in a long description. Repeating a word until the text reads badly is keyword stuffing, which Google’s policies forbid.
• In both, the title carries the most weight, and a keyword that fits neither your app nor your listing won’t hold a ranking.

Google Play’s rules for titles

Google’s metadata policy is stricter about the title than many developers expect. A title, icon or developer name may not use emoji, words in capitals (unless it is your brand), or claims about performance, price or ranking such as “best”, “#1”, “top”, “free” or “no ads”. Apple rejects some of the same things, but Google names them explicitly.

How updates reach the store

On the App Store, the name, subtitle and keyword field change only with a new app version, so every metadata test costs a release. On Google Play you can change the title and descriptions at any time in Play Console; Google reviews the change and then shows it. That makes Google Play the faster place to try a new positioning.

Measuring is different too

• Rank depth. Apple’s search API returns up to 200 results for a term, so a tracker can show you climbing from 150 to 60. Google Play returns 30 results for a search, so below 30 you are simply not listed. Start with less competitive terms there, where you can see movement.
• Popularity. Apple publishes popularity scores for its top search terms through Apple Ads. Google publishes nothing comparable, so every Google Play popularity figure is an estimate.
• Reviews. App Store reviews are per storefront. Google Play shows reviews by language, and developers’ replies are public in both.
• Quality signals. Google has said that apps with poor technical quality, such as frequent crashes, can be shown less. Watch Android vitals in Play Console alongside your rankings.

Working on both stores

1. Research keywords in each store separately. The same term can be crowded in one and open in the other.
2. Write each listing for its own fields. Start from the same positioning, not the same text.
3. Use Google Play to test a new angle quickly, then carry what works into your next App Store release.
4. Track each store on its own keywords, and compare the two side by side: rating, new ratings, chart ranks and keywords in the top 10.

asorocket tracks Google Play apps next to App Store apps, and links an app’s two versions so you can switch between them and compare them in one view.