App Store vs Google Play:
Key Differences for ASO
Publishing on both stores requires two separate ASO strategies. The algorithms are different, the metadata fields are different, and what converts in one store does not always work in the other. Here is what you need to know.
Quick comparison
Keywords: completely different strategies
Apple App Store
Apple gives you a 100-character keyword field that is invisible to users but fully indexed. This is your primary keyword targeting tool. Do not repeat any word in the keyword field that already appears in your app name or subtitle. Use commas with no spaces to maximize the characters available.
Your app name carries the highest keyword weight, followed by the subtitle. A word in your app name will rank higher than the same word in the keyword field.
Google Play
Google Play has no separate keyword field. Keywords must appear naturally in your title, short description and full description. The full description (up to 4,000 characters) is fully crawled and indexed by the Play Store algorithm.
This means keyword density matters on Google Play in a way it does not on the App Store. Your primary keyword should appear 3-5 times in the description. Secondary keywords 1-2 times. Keyword stuffing is penalized, but natural repetition helps.
Google Play also benefits from external Google Search signals. If your app's website or landing page ranks for a search term, it can positively influence your Play Store ranking for that same term. This is a unique Google Play advantage that the App Store does not have.
Screenshots: different formats, different rules
App Store screenshots
The App Store displays the first 3 screenshots in portrait in search results. Landscape screenshots are shown smaller and are less effective in most categories. You can upload up to 10 screenshots. Device frames are allowed and recommended.
Required sizes change as Apple releases new iPhone models. As of 2026, 6.9" (1320 × 2868) and 6.5" (1284 × 2778) are required. Uploading only one set causes Apple to scale for other devices.
Google Play screenshots
Google Play shows screenshots in a horizontal scroll. The feature graphic (1024 × 500px) appears above the screenshots in search results on many surfaces and is often more important than the screenshots themselves.
Google is more lenient on exact pixel dimensions. You need a minimum of 320px on the shortest side and a maximum of 3840px. Most developers design at 1080 × 1920 for portrait phone screenshots.
- App Store: first 3 screenshots visible in search, portrait preferred
- Google Play: feature graphic (1024 × 500) is often the first thing seen
- App Store: up to 10 screenshots per device size
- Google Play: up to 8 screenshots, same set works across most Android devices
- Both stores support video previews, which can significantly improve conversion
Ratings and reviews
App Store
On the App Store, ratings reset when you release a major version update (changing the first number in your version string). This can be a problem for apps that accumulate thousands of ratings. Plan major updates carefully or use minor versions to preserve your rating count.
Apple's algorithm weighs both the rating average and the total number of ratings. An app with 4.8 stars from 500 ratings ranks higher than one with 4.9 stars from 20 ratings.
Google Play
Google Play ratings do not reset on updates. This is a significant advantage for established apps and a disadvantage when you are trying to recover from early bad reviews.
Google Play weights recent ratings more heavily than historical ones. A surge of recent positive ratings can improve ranking even for older apps with a mediocre overall average.
A/B testing
App Store: Product Page Optimization
Apple allows you to test up to 3 treatments against your original listing. You can test different icons, screenshots and app preview videos. Traffic is split automatically. Tests run for a minimum of 7 days.
The results show which variant drove more downloads. You then apply the winning variant manually. Apple does not automatically switch to the winner.
Google Play: Store Listing Experiments
Google Play's experiment system is similar but allows testing descriptions as well as graphics. You can set specific traffic split percentages (50/50 or custom). Google will show statistical confidence levels to tell you when a result is significant.
Both stores show conversion rate as impressions-to-installs. A 1% improvement in conversion rate on a listing with 10,000 monthly impressions means 100 more downloads per month with zero additional marketing spend. A/B testing is the highest-ROI ASO activity for apps with existing traffic.
What to prioritize when launching on both stores
If you are launching on both stores simultaneously, this is the order of priorities:
- App name: optimize for primary keyword on both stores, keep under 30 chars for iOS
- App Store: write a subtitle with your second keyword; fill the 100-char keyword field completely
- Google Play: write a compelling short description (80 chars) with your second keyword; write a full description that naturally includes keywords
- Screenshots: design for App Store first (stricter requirements), adapt for Google Play
- Feature graphic: create a dedicated 1024 × 500 graphic for Google Play search results
- Ratings strategy: use SKStoreReviewRequest on iOS, reply to early reviews on both platforms
- Localization: translate your listing into at least 3-5 languages for both stores
Where indie developers leave the most opportunity
Most indie apps do one of two things badly: they copy the App Store listing to Google Play without adapting it (missing the keyword density opportunity), or they ignore Google Play entirely and publish a bare listing.
A properly optimized Google Play listing with a good feature graphic, keyword-dense description and some ratings can rank significantly better than most competitors in mid-volume categories. It is one of the highest-ROI places to invest one to two hours of focused work.
On the App Store, the biggest missed opportunity is the subtitle. Developers often leave it generic ("The best app for...") instead of using it as a second keyword ranking field.
One tool for both stores
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