App Store Promotional Text vs Description
Promotional text is 170 characters you can edit without a new binary. The description is 4,000 characters that wait for a version. Neither one is your ranking field.
Quick answer
What is the difference between App Store promotional text and the description?
Promotional text is up to 170 characters and appears above the description on the product page for iOS 11 and later. You can update it without submitting a new app version. The description is up to 4,000 characters of plain text and changes only with a new version. Apple says promotional text does not affect search ranking and should not be used to display keywords. Name, subtitle, and the keyword field are the search fields.
- Promotional text: 170 characters, above the description, editable anytime
- Description: 4,000 characters, evergreen, changes with a version
- Promotional text does not affect App Store search ranking
- Use promo text for news, sales, and launches; use the description for the product
- Do not put your keyword list in either field
The two fields sit on top of each other on the product page and do opposite jobs. Promotional text is the sticky note you can change this afternoon. The description is the page you rewrite when the product actually changed. Mixing them up is how teams wait two weeks for App Review to fix a typo, or spend ranking characters on a sale that ends Tuesday.
Apple’s product page guidance is blunt: promotional text is for latest news, does not affect search ranking, and should not display keywords. The description is the features-and-functionality write-up, and you update it when you submit a new version.
Side-by-side
| Promotional text | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Limit | 170 characters | 4,000 characters, plain text |
| Where it shows | Above the description (iOS 11+) | Product page and at install |
| App Store search ranking | Does not affect ranking | Not a primary ranking field |
| Needs a new version? | No | Yes |
| Best use | News, sales, events, a new feature | Evergreen outcome + feature list |
| On Custom Product Pages | Can differ per page | Stays with the app version |
Change promotional text when the week changed. Change the description when the product changed. Rank with name, subtitle, and keywords.
What to write in promotional text
One current fact. Not a second subtitle. “Watch complications and a quieter today view — now on iOS 26” is news. “Habit tracker for busy parents” is a subtitle and belongs in the 30-character field that actually ranks.
| Example | Use |
|---|---|
| New: shared lists and offline maps for the weekend hike. | Feature launch |
| Student week: one month of Pro on us. Ends Sunday. | Time-limited offer |
| iOS 26 widgets are live. Add the today view to your Home Screen. | OS-aligned news |
Each line is dated or specific. When the event ends, you edit the field the same day — no binary.
What to write in the description
A concise paragraph, then a short feature list. The first sentence is what people can read without tapping more. Full structure, examples, and the “description generator” question live in how to write an App Store description. Version-specific changes belong in What’s New, which ships with the binary and is required after the first release.
Custom Product Pages can split promotional text
A Custom Product Page can carry its own promotional text, screenshots, and preview. The description stays with the app version. That is why a Search Ads landing page can announce “Built for mileage logs” without rewriting the default listing’s 4,000 characters. See Custom Product Pages and Apple Search Ads.
Promotional text vs description
No. Apple says you update the description when you submit a new version. Promotional text is the field you can change without a new binary.
No. Apple’s product-page guidance says promotional text does not affect search ranking and should not be used to display keywords.
At the top of the description on the App Store product page for customers on iOS 11 or later. Connect’s platform-version reference states the 170-character limit.
No. The subtitle is 30 indexed characters under the name. Promotional text is 170 conversion characters above the description. Repeating the subtitle wastes the only field you can edit this afternoon.
Sources, verified 2026-09-19:
Put this into practice with the ASO tool or the App Store screenshot generator.
Keep reading
App Store What’s New Text: What to Write
Apple gives you 4,000 characters and requires the field on every update. Play gives you 500. Neither box is a place to hide keywords.
How to Write an App Store Description That Converts
Apple’s description is 4,000 characters of conversion copy, not a keyword essay. Structure, first-sentence rules, and why a “description generator” still needs you.
App Store & Google Play Character Limits (2026)
Exact character limits for every App Store Connect and Google Play metadata field - name, subtitle, keywords, promo text, descriptions - plus how to use each one.
App Store Subtitle Examples That Fit 30 Characters
The App Store subtitle character limit is 30. Here are examples that rank and read, plus the mistakes that waste the second indexed line under your name.
App Store Keyword Field: How to Use All 100 Characters
Apple gives you 100 hidden characters. Most indies waste 20–30 of them repeating the title. How to format, what to skip, and worked examples.
Custom Product Pages Are an Indie Search Lever
Apple will show a Custom Product Page in App Store search when you assign keywords to it — instead of your default listing. That is not an ads-only feature. It is extra screenshot sets aimed at extra jobs, and most small teams never ship the second set.
Q4 ASO: Refresh Keywords and Screenshots Now
Organic ranking takes weeks to settle. September is the last clean window before Halloween and holiday search. What to change this week.
Free tools that help here
ASO Character Counter
Count characters for every App Store and Google Play metadata field against exact store limits. Live counts and over-limit warnings - nothing gets truncated at submission.
Screenshot Beautifier
Add polished backgrounds, padding, shadows, and rounded corners to any screenshot in seconds. Perfect for social posts, docs, and portfolios.
Promo text is news. Screenshots are still the proof.
A 170-character launch line still has to match the first frames. AppGrowthKit turns real app screens into editable, store-ready screenshot sets for App Store and Google Play.
Try AppGrowthKit for Free