---
title: "App Store Promotional Text: 170 Characters, No Review Needed"
canonical: "https://asoitis.com/glossary/promotional-text"
description: "App Store promotional text explained: the 170-character limit, why Apple says it doesn't affect search, how to update it without review, and examples that work."
kind: "reference-library/glossary"
published: "2026-09-30"
lastUpdated: "2026-09-30"
verifiedAgainst: "Apple's product page guidance, App Store search guidance and App Store Connect reference, on Sep 30, 2026"
author: "Ahmed Gagan (https://asoitis.com/about)"
---

# Promotional text: the 170 characters you can change without a new version

> Promotional text sits at the top of your description, holds up to 170 characters, and can be updated whenever you like without a new app version. Apple says it doesn't affect search ranking, so don't spend it on keywords. Use it for timely, persuasive copy — a new feature, a sale, an award, an event — and localize it. Each custom product page can carry its own.

The only product page copy you can change today. Most apps leave it empty or waste it on keywords Apple ignores.

**Definition — Promotional text:** Promotional text is an optional, localizable App Store field of up to 170 characters that appears above your app's description and can be changed at any time without submitting a new version.

## Key facts

- **Limit:** 170 characters
- **New version needed:** No — Edit and save any time
- **Affects search ranking:** No — Apple says so explicitly
- **Localizable:** Yes — Per locale and per custom product page

## What Apple says about it

> Your app's promotional text appears at the top of the description and is up to 170 characters long. You can update promotional text at any time without having to submit a new version of your app.
>
> — [Apple — Creating your product page](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page/)

> …keep in mind that promotional text doesn't affect your app's search ranking so it should not be used to display keywords.
>
> — [Apple — App Store search](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/search/)

That second line settles an argument that still runs in ASO forums. Promotional text is conversion copy. It helps a visitor who's already on your product page decide; it does nothing to put your app in front of more people. For that, see [what drives impressions](https://asoitis.com/glossary/app-impressions).

## How it compares with the other text fields

**App Store text fields at a glance**

| Field | Limit | Used for search | Changing it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| App name | 30 characters | Yes | With a new version |
| Subtitle | 30 characters | Yes | With a new version |
| Keywords | 100 bytes | Yes | With a new version; custom product page keywords can go live without review |
| Promotional text | 170 characters | No — Apple says it doesn't affect ranking | Any time, no submission |
| Description | 4,000 characters | Apple advises against adding keywords to it | With a new version |

_Keywords are limited in bytes, so languages with multi-byte characters fit fewer. Limits from Apple's App Store Connect reference pages._

## What to write: five patterns that earn the space

Promotional text works best when it answers the question a visitor has right now: why this app, why today? These examples are written for fictional apps to show the shape; each fits the limit with room to spare.

**Examples, with character counts**

| Pattern | Example | Chars |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Launch | New in 3.0: scan a meal with your camera and get calories and macros in two seconds. Works offline, and your first week of Pro is on us. | 136 |
| Seasonal offer | Holiday reset: 50% off yearly Pro until January 5. Build the three habits you keep promising yourself, with reminders that adapt to your week. | 142 |
| Proof | Named an App of the Day in 12 countries. Join 400,000 people who plan their day in one visual timeline, synced across iPhone, iPad and Mac. | 139 |
| Feature news | Now with Live Activities: your focus timer on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, so you never unlock your phone just to check the clock. | 137 |
| Event | Marathon week: the in-app event starts Monday. Log 5 runs by Sunday to unlock the finisher badge and a free month of coaching plans. | 132 |

_Only claim what's true. Awards, user counts and prices in promotional text are still metadata App Review can hold you to. Apple itself suggests promotional text as a place for accolades._

## How to update it in App Store Connect

1. **Open the live version** — In App Store Connect, go to your app, then the App Store tab, and select the version that's currently on the store.
2. **Edit the field for each locale** — Promotional text is on the version page. Switch locales with the language menu; every localization has its own.
3. **Save — no submission needed** — The change doesn't go through a new version. Custom product pages have their own promotional text, edited on each page.
4. **Note the date** — Log the change and the date, then compare conversion rate by source for the week before and after.

> **It can't be A/B tested natively.** Apple's product page optimization tests cover icons, screenshots and app previews, not promotional text. Change one thing at a time and compare periods instead, or use different promotional text on custom product pages for different audiences.

## Common mistakes

- **Keyword stuffing.** It doesn't help ranking, and it reads badly to the person deciding whether to download.
- **Stale offers.** A "summer sale" still showing in October tells visitors nobody's minding the app. Put an end date in your calendar when you publish.
- **Repeating the subtitle.** The subtitle is already visible above it. Say something new.
- **Forgetting localizations.** If you localize screenshots but not promotional text, non-English visitors see the offer in English or not at all.
- **Leaving it empty.** Then your description starts at the top, and it's usually the least persuasive paragraph you wrote.

> **The Audit ($99).** The $99 audit covers promotional text as part of the listing teardown, alongside the title, subtitle and keyword changes that do affect search. https://checkout.dodopayments.com/buy/pdt_0NejYshqoh2VaXbk3wjzq?quantity=1&redirect_url=https%3A%2F%2Fasoitis.com%2Fcheckout%2Fsuccess%3Fplan%3Daudit

## Frequently asked questions

### Is promotional text indexed for App Store search?

No. Apple's App Store search guidance says promotional text doesn't affect your app's search ranking and shouldn't be used for keywords.

### Do I need App Review to change promotional text?

No. Apple says you can update it at any time without submitting a new version of your app.

### How often should I change it?

Whenever something true and timely changes: a release, an offer, an event, an award. Leaving the same text for months isn't wrong, but stale time-bound claims are.

### Where does promotional text appear?

Above your description on the product page, for devices running iOS 11 or later. It doesn't show in search result rows, which use your name, subtitle and screenshots.

## Sources

1. [Creating your product page](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page/) — Apple Developer
2. [App Store search](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/search/) — Apple Developer
3. [Platform version information (promotional text, keywords, description)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/platform-version-information) — Apple Developer
4. [App information (name and subtitle limits)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/app-information) — Apple Developer
5. [Product page optimization](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page-optimization/) — Apple Developer

## Related

- [App Store impressions](https://asoitis.com/glossary/app-impressions) — What promotional text can't move — and what does.
- [ASO for indie iOS apps](https://asoitis.com/guides/aso-for-indie-ios) — The fields that are indexed: title, subtitle and keywords, done properly.
- [ASO for habit tracker apps](https://asoitis.com/aso/habit-tracker-apps) — How a crowded category uses its limited words.
- [What an ASO audit actually checks](https://asoitis.com/blog/aso-audit-for-ios-apps) — Where promotional text sits in a full listing review.
- [All aso glossary](https://asoitis.com/glossary)


## Have it done for you

**The Audit — $99 one-time.** The audit goes through every word on your listing — title, subtitle, keywords and promotional text — and tells you what to change, starting with what matters most.

- Buy: https://checkout.dodopayments.com/buy/pdt_0NejYshqoh2VaXbk3wjzq?quantity=1&redirect_url=https%3A%2F%2Fasoitis.com%2Fcheckout%2Fsuccess%3Fplan%3Daudit
- 15-minute founder call: https://cal.com/ahmedgagan/asoitis-chat

## About ASOitis

ASOitis is a founder-run App Store Optimization (ASO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) agency for indie iOS apps. iOS only; organic ASO + GEO + funnel work, implemented for you. Reference library: https://asoitis.com/app-review, https://asoitis.com/reviews, https://asoitis.com/compare, https://asoitis.com/glossary, https://asoitis.com/aso