App Store Connect New Languages for App Metadata: What to Localize First
Apple has expanded its App Store Connect localization support beyond the 39 languages documented as of July 2024, adding new entries to the locale shortcode reference for app metadata. The Apple added 11 new languages, bringing total supported metadata languages to 50, so the first step is opening that page and confirm the current list reflects 50 total supported languages.. If Apple's communications are accurate, the live reference should now show 50. Confirm before doing anything else. Documentation and UI updates don't always ship at the same time.
The App Store reaches users across 175 regions, and localized metadata is one of the few product page levers developers control directly, per Apple's locale shortcode documentation. Each additional supported language is another storefront where an app can present native-language descriptions, titles, and promotional content without defaulting to English.
Before going further, run this check:
Open the locale shortcode reference and count the entries against the 39 previously documented languages below
Open App Store Connect, select your app, go to App Information or Version Information, and check whether any new locales appear in the language dropdown
Note which fields are available per locale before drafting content
How App Store Connect's new languages change your localization baseline
The locale shortcode reference as of July 2024 listed these 39 languages:
| Language | Locale code | |---|---| | Arabic | ar-SA | | Catalan | ca | | Chinese (Simplified) | zh-Hans | | Chinese (Traditional) | zh-Hant | | Croatian | hr | | Czech | cs | | Danish | da | | Dutch | nl-NL | | English (Australia) | en-AU | | English (Canada) | en-CA | | English (U.K.) | en-GB | | English (U.S.) | en-US | | Finnish | fi | | French | fr-FR | | French (Canada) | fr-CA | | German | de-DE | | Greek | el | | Hebrew | he | | Hindi | hi | | Hungarian | hu | | Indonesian | id | | Italian | it | | Japanese | ja | | Korean | ko | | Malay | ms | | Norwegian | no | | Polish | pl | | Portuguese (Brazil) | pt-BR | | Portuguese (Portugal) | pt-PT | | Romanian | ro | | Russian | ru | | Slovak | sk | | Spanish (Mexico) | es-MX | | Spanish (Spain) | es-ES | | Swedish | sv | | Thai | th | | Turkish | tr | | Ukrainian | uk | | Vietnamese | vi |
Any rows beyond these 39 in the live reference are the new additions. Cross-check the current page to identify exactly which languages were added, then assess whether your existing user data already shows impression or install volume from those markets. If it does, you've been serving those users English metadata by default. That's the gap this update closes.
The useful part isn't the table. It's that Apple lets you update the selling copy in newly supported locales without waiting for a build to clear App Review, per Apple's property reference. If translation resources are limited, start with the fields that actually drive download decisions:
Promotional text: first visible copy for many users, editable without resubmission
App description: the primary content driving download decisions
Screenshots and media: localizable per storefront, no new build required
In-app event titles and long descriptions: directly visible to browsing users, editable independently of the release cycle
Subscription display names: updatable per locale without resubmission
Structural fields work differently. App name configurations and certain version-tied properties may require a new submission depending on how they're set up. Pricing start and end dates are editable only for future dates, on a per-storefront basis. The rough split: conversion-focused copy is yours to update anytime; structural and pricing fields carry more constraints.
Fields, flexibility, and the no-resubmission advantage
For most of what matters on a product page, translations can go live without tying them to a release. Promotional text, the full app description, in-app event titles and long descriptions, subscription display names, and screenshots are all localizable and editable at any time, according to Apple's property reference from earlier this year.
That flexibility doesn't extend to everything. Pricing start and end dates are editable only for future dates, on a per-storefront basis. Certain structural fields, including some app name configurations, require a new version submission. Know which bucket your target fields fall into before committing to a rollout timeline.
Consider a team that spots meaningful impression volume in two of the newly added markets but has been serving those users English metadata. They can add localized descriptions and promotional text this week, ship nothing to App Review, and start collecting locale-specific conversion data immediately. Whether to invest in screenshots and event content can wait for that signal to come in.
Rollout priorities: where to focus first across the new locales
Not every newly supported language represents equal opportunity. Three factors determine where to start: existing user or download volume in that region, whether the app is currently serving those users in English by default, and whether the target storefront activates additional compliance requirements once a locale is enabled.
Regional compliance is targeted but non-optional. Apple's metadata system includes storefront-specific requirements for mainland China, South Korea, and Vietnam, along with fields covering EU Digital Services Act status and regulated medical devices, according to Apple's property reference. If any of the newly added languages are primary to one of these markets, check whether enabling that storefront triggers required disclosures before publishing. They can't be deferred once the locale is active.
One change from last June pairs directly with this update. Custom product pages became searchable in App Store search results for the first time, with keyword assignment requiring no review submission, per the WWDC25 session. A developer who adds localized metadata in a newly supported language and pairs it with a localized custom product page can now surface that page in search, without waiting on App Review for either the metadata or the keywords. That combination didn't exist before this year.
Where to focus, in order:
Open the locale shortcode reference and identify the new languages against the 39 previously documented
Cross-reference against App Analytics data for existing installs or impressions in those regions
Localize conversion-critical fields first: description, promotional text, screenshots
Check storefront-specific compliance requirements before publishing in China, South Korea, Vietnam, or EU-regulated categories
For priority markets, pair new metadata with a localized custom product page and assign search keywords
How to add localized metadata in App Store Connect
Two paths: the web interface or the App Store Connect API. The API uses locale shortcodes, standardized identifiers like ar-SA for Arabic (Saudi Arabia) or vi for Vietnamese, that map directly to each supported language, per the locale shortcode documentation. Teams managing metadata across multiple apps or large regional footprints will find the API significantly more practical than manual entry.
In the web interface: open the app record in App Store Connect, select the new language from the available locales under App Information or the relevant version's localization settings, and complete the required fields. Fields that support localization without resubmission can be saved and published independently. Fields tied to the app version queue for the next release.
One ground-level check worth doing before committing to any workflow: open the language selector dropdown in App Store Connect and confirm the new locales actually appear, and that the relevant fields are active rather than grayed out. Documentation updates and UI updates don't always land simultaneously, and completing translations for a locale that isn't yet selectable is a frustrating way to find that out.
What to check, and what to watch
Start with verification. Open the locale shortcode reference, identify the new entries against the 39 previously documented, and confirm they're live in the App Store Connect UI. From there, App Analytics will show where existing impression or install volume makes the localization investment obvious. The no-resubmission flexibility for most conversion-relevant fields, as documented in Apple's property reference, means teams can publish and iterate without holding for a release.
Zooming out: Apple announced over 100 new metrics in App Analytics as part of its 2025 App Store Connect overhaul, including new subscription and monetization data, per the WWDC25 session. For developers entering new markets through these added languages, that analytics expansion matters. The conversion and retention signal needed to evaluate whether localization is working will actually be there.
Localization has sat on best-practice checklists for years without the data infrastructure to back it up. That's changing. Developers who move early into the new locales will have real conversion data from those markets before most others have started.
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