How to name an app: ASO rules, limits and name checks

Knowing how to name an app well is part branding and part app store optimization. The name is the largest text on your store listing, it is one of the fields both stores search, and on the App Store it has to be unique before you can even create the listing. It is also the one piece of metadata most developers pick in an afternoon and then live with for years.

This guide covers the rules each store sets for app names, how the name affects search, a simple pattern that works for most indie apps, how to check that a name is free before you fall in love with it, what to do when App Store Connect says it is taken, and how to rename an app without losing what you have built.

Key takeaways

• Both stores cap the app name at 30 characters. Apple also requires at least two.
• Apple searches your name, subtitle, keywords and primary category; Google Play searches your title and descriptions. The name counts on both.
• A distinctive brand plus a short descriptive phrase ("Brand: what it does") is the safest pattern for a new app.
• Check the App Store, Google Play, trademarks and domains before you commit, and create the App Store Connect record early to hold the name.

What the stores allow in an app name#

Start with the hard limits, because they rule out more ideas than taste does.

Sources: Apple's App information reference and product page guide; Google's create and set up your app page and store listing best practices.

What you cannot put in a name#

Apple's App Review Guideline 2.3.7 says to "Choose a unique app name" and not to "pack any of your metadata with trademarked terms, popular app names, pricing information, or other irrelevant phrases just to game the system." Guideline 4.1(c) adds: "You cannot use another developer's icon, brand, or product name in your app's icon or name, without approval from the developer."

Google's metadata policy is more specific about format. In the title (and developer name), Google does not allow:

• emojis, emoticons or repeated special characters;
• ALL CAPS, "unless it is part of your brand name";
• text that indicates store performance or ranking, such as "#1" or "App of the year";
• price or promotional information, such as "10% off", and words like "Free" or "No Ads";
• references to Google Play programs, such as "Editor's choice" or "New";
• repetitive or unrelated keywords.

Google's best-practice page sums up the intent: "Make sure your title is unique, accessible, and avoid common terms," and make sure it does not "mislead users or cause them to mistakenly download the wrong app."

How your app name affects search#

On the App Store, Apple's search page says results depend on "text relevance (matches for your app's title, subtitle, keywords, and primary category), as well as user behavior (downloads, ratings and reviews, and more)." Apple also tells you not to repeat in the keyword field "any words included in your app name, subtitle, or category", which means every word in the name frees up space in your 100-character keyword field.

On Google Play there is no keyword field. Search reads your title, short description and full description, so the title carries more of the keyword load. Our guide to free ASO keyword research shows how to find the phrase worth putting there.

Search is only half the job, though. Apple's advice for the name itself is about people, not algorithms: "Choose a simple, memorable name that is easy to spell and hints at what your app does. Be distinctive. Avoid names that use generic terms or are too similar to existing app names."

How to name an app, step by step#

Step 1: Write down what the app does in the user's words#

Before brainstorming names, write one sentence in the words a stranger would type into the store: "track my habits", "split a bill", "learn Spanish verbs". That phrase is your descriptive half. If you have done keyword research, use the phrase with the best mix of demand and realistic competition; if not, start with the words your first users use when they describe the app to a friend.

Write the descriptive phrase first; the brand name is easier to judge once you know what it has to sit next to. Photo: fauxels / Pexels

Step 2: Brainstorm the brand half#

The brand is the part people remember and search for once they know you. Good brand names are short, easy to say aloud and easy to spell after hearing them once. Ways to generate candidates:

• Blend two words that relate to the job of the app.
• Use a real word from a neighboring idea (a tool, a place, an action).
• Add a prefix or suffix to a relevant word.
• Avoid trend prefixes that make the app look like a copy of a famous one.

Generate 30 to 50 candidates, then cut every one that is hard to spell, means something unfortunate in a language you plan to support, or sounds like an app you already know.

Step 3: Combine them into a name of 30 characters or less#

Most indie apps do well with one of two patterns:

• Brand: descriptive phrase, for example a made-up "Streakwell: Habit Tracker" (25 characters).
• Brand - descriptive phrase, the same idea with a hyphen.

The brand comes first so it survives when a store or a home screen truncates the name, and the phrase gives search something to match. Keep the phrase natural: one search phrase, not three stacked together, which reads as keyword stuffing to both reviewers and users.

A small script keeps you honest about the limits and the policy words. Save it as check-name.mjs and run it with node check-name.mjs "Streakwell: Habit Tracker" "Build streaks that stick":

// check-name.mjs: checks an app name and subtitle against store length limits
// and the most common metadata policy problems.
const [name = '', subtitle = ''] = process.argv.slice(2);

const banned = /(^|[^\p{L}\p{N}])(free|best|#1|no\.? ?1|top|new|sale|\d+% ?off|no ads|editor'?s choice)(?=$|[^\p{L}\p{N}])/iu;
const emoji = /\p{Extended_Pictographic}/u;
const problems = [];

const length = (text) => [...text].length;
if (length(name) < 2 || length(name) > 30) problems.push(`name is ${length(name)} characters (2 to 30 allowed)`);
if (length(subtitle) > 30) problems.push(`subtitle is ${length(subtitle)} characters (30 allowed on the App Store)`);
if (banned.test(name)) problems.push('name contains a ranking, price or promotional word');
if (emoji.test(name)) problems.push('name contains an emoji');
if (name.length > 3 && name === name.toUpperCase()) problems.push('name is ALL CAPS');

const words = (text) => text.toLowerCase().match(/[\p{L}\p{N}]+/gu) ?? [];
const repeated = words(subtitle).filter((word) => words(name).includes(word));
if (repeated.length) problems.push(`subtitle repeats words from the name: ${repeated.join(', ')}`);

console.log(problems.length ? problems.map((p) => `- ${p}`).join('\n') : 'No problems found.');

It does not replace reading the policies, but it catches the mistakes that cause the most rejections and the most wasted characters.

Step 4: Check that the name is free#

Run every shortlisted name through these checks, in this order:

1. The App Store. Search the store, or query Apple's public search endpoint, which needs no key:

   curl -s "https://itunes.apple.com/search?term=streakwell&entity=software&limit=10" | grep -o '"trackName":"[^"]*"'
   

   The search is fuzzy, so it returns similar names too; look for an exact match. No exact match is a good sign, not a guarantee: an app can hold a name while it is still in development, removed from sale, or sold only in other countries.

2. Google Play. Search the store for the brand part. Google Play does not document a uniqueness rule for titles, but its policy forbids names that could make people download the wrong app.

3. Trademarks. Search the USPTO trademark search, the EU's TMview and WIPO's Global Brand Database for the brand part in software and app classes. This is a first check, not legal advice; if the app matters to your business, ask a trademark lawyer before you launch.

4. Domain and social handles. You will want a website for the app, and for a company account Apple requires one.

5. App Store Connect. The definitive test is creating the app record. If the name is in use, App Store Connect tells you, with an error developers have quoted on the forums as "The App Name you entered has already been used".

Shortlist several names, because the first choice is often taken on the App Store. Photo: Jakub Zerdzicki / Pexels

Step 5: Hold the name#

On the App Store, create the app record as soon as you have chosen the name, even if launch is months away. Apple does not publish a reservation policy. When a company asked on the Apple Developer Forums how to hold a name through months of development, the answer was that you do not need to submit: complete the app record in App Store Connect and stop before submission. That is community advice, not an Apple guarantee.

On Google Play, the title is not reserved and can change later. What you cannot change is the package name. Google says "Package names for app files are unique and permanent, so please name them carefully" and they "can't be deleted or re-used in the future." Pick a package name that would still make sense if you renamed the app.

If you are opening your developer accounts at the same time, note that a company account on either store needs a DUNS number, which can take days or weeks to arrive. Our guide to the DUNS number for Apple Developer and Google Play accounts covers that process.

What to do when your app name is taken#

• Change the brand, keep the phrase. If "Streakwell" is taken, "Streakwell: Habit Tracker" will not work either, but a different brand with the same descriptive phrase keeps your search intent.
• Use a synonym in the descriptive half. Search for the phrase variants people actually use.
• Check whether you hold the rights. If you own a registered trademark for the name, Apple's intellectual property dispute forms include one for the App Store. Apple asks for a statement, under penalty of perjury, that you are or represent the rights holder.
• Do not count on a deleted record freeing the name quickly. In a September 2026 forum thread, a developer who moved an unreleased app to another account reported that the name was still blocked with a DUPLICATE.DIFFERENT_ACCOUNT error more than a week after the old record was removed. Plan around that delay, or contact Apple Developer Support.

How to rename an app without losing rankings#

On the App Store, Apple says you can edit the name "until you submit the app to App Review", and later "when you create a new version or the status of the app version permits editing." On Google Play you can edit the title in the store listing at any time.

A rename changes the words both stores match against, so treat it like any other metadata change:

1. Record your current keyword positions before the change. Our guide to App Store keyword ranking shows a simple tracking sheet.
2. Keep the brand and change the phrase, or the other way round, rather than both at once, so you can tell what caused any movement.
3. Move the words you drop into the subtitle, keyword field or short description so the app keeps matching them.
4. Update everything outside the store: website, press kit, social profiles and any directory or leaderboard listings.
5. Watch search for two to three weeks. If the app stops appearing for its own name, our guide to an app not showing in App Store or Google Play search walks through the causes.

An app name checklist#

• One-sentence description of the app in the user's words.
• Brand half that is short, easy to say and easy to spell.
• Full name 30 characters or less, with the brand first.
• No emoji, ALL CAPS, prices, "free", "#1" or other promotional words.
• No competitor names or trademarks you do not own.
• App Store and Google Play searched for the brand.
• Trademark databases, domain and social handles checked.
• App Store Connect record created to hold the name.
• Package name chosen to survive a future rename.
• Keyword field and subtitle written without repeating words from the name.

Your name travels further than the store#

A good name is also the name people see before they reach your store page: in launch posts, press coverage, directories and leaderboards. Before you publish, make sure the rest of the listing is ready too; for Android that includes the Google Play data safety form, which appears on the same page as your name and screenshots. Our guide to writing a store listing that converts covers the other fields.

AppRanker shows each listing's name and icon on a pay-to-rank app leaderboard where rank is set by what each listing has paid, and every row links straight to your App Store or Google Play page. When your new name is live, paste your store link on the AppRanker home page to see what each rank costs before you pay.

FAQ#

How long can an app name be?#

Up to 30 characters on both the App Store and Google Play. Apple also requires at least two characters. The App Store subtitle adds another 30 characters, and the Google Play short description adds 80.

Can two apps have the same name?#

Not on the App Store: App Store Connect rejects a name that is already in use and Guideline 2.3.7 asks for a unique name. Google Play does not document a uniqueness rule for titles, but its policy forbids names that mislead users or imply a relationship with another developer.

Should I put keywords in my app name?#

One short descriptive phrase, yes, because both stores search the name. Stuffing several keywords into it breaks Apple's Guideline 2.3.7 and Google's metadata policy, and makes the name harder to remember.

How do I check if an app name is taken on the App Store?#

Search the App Store, then create the app record in App Store Connect. The App Store Connect check is the definitive one, because an app can hold a name while it is in development or not sold in your country.

Can I change my app name after launch?#

Yes. On the App Store, change it with a new app version. On Google Play, edit the title in your store listing. Expect some movement in search for a few weeks and keep the old keywords elsewhere in your metadata.

Does the app name affect App Store ranking?#

Yes. Apple lists matches for your app's title among the text relevance factors in search, alongside the subtitle, keywords and primary category. User behavior such as downloads and ratings matters too.

Image credits#

• Cover, pile of wooden letter tiles: photo by Pixabay on Pexels, Pexels License. Cropped to 1200x630.
• Notebook with hand-drawn notes next to a tablet: photo by fauxels on Pexels, Pexels License. Resized.
• Sticky notes on a whiteboard: photo by Jakub Zerdzicki on Pexels, Pexels License. Resized.