60 characters. That's the combined budget of your iOS title (30) and subtitle (30). Those 60 characters carry more ranking weight than any other metadata field you have. They're also the first text a user reads in search results. Getting them right is one of the highest-leverage things you can do in ASO.
The Title Formula
The most reliable formula for an app title: [Brand name]: [Primary keyword]. Simple, effective, tested across thousands of apps. "Headspace: Meditation & Sleep" ranks for meditation-related queries AND converts because the brand has recognition. "Calm: Sleep & Meditation" does the same for its primary keyword.
If your brand name is descriptive (e.g., "Budget Planner"), you can go even tighter by making the subtitle do the secondary keyword work while keeping the title clean.
Choosing Your Primary Title Keyword
Your primary title keyword should be: (1) directly relevant to your app's core function, (2) high enough in search volume to be worth the real estate, and (3) achievable given your app's download history and ratings.
"Photo editor" might be the most searched term in your category, but if you're a new app with 50 ratings, you won't rank in the top 50 for it. Choose a term where you can realistically land in the top 20 — ranking there still drives meaningful traffic.
Subtitle Strategy
Your subtitle serves two jobs simultaneously: it's a secondary keyword field AND user-facing copy that appears directly below your title in search results. It needs to both target a searchable term and read naturally to a human.
Avoid subtitle structures like: "Budget Tracker, Expense Manager, Money Planner" — this is keyword stuffing, it looks spammy to users, and Apple's algorithm has become better at deprioritizing it. Instead: "Track Spending. Reach Your Goals." — this can still contain target keywords while reading as a legitimate value proposition.
Android: The Short Description
Google Play's equivalent is the 80-character short description, which sits above the fold on the listing page. Unlike iOS, this is not a keyword metadata field in the traditional sense — Google indexes it, but the weight is distributed across your full listing.
Treat the Android short description primarily as conversion copy: what's the one-sentence pitch for your app that makes someone want to keep reading? Include a primary keyword naturally if you can, but don't sacrifice readability to cram one in.
Testing Your Title Before You Commit
Changing your title too frequently can hurt keyword rankings — it takes time for the algorithm to re-index and recalibrate. Test title options using Apple Search Ads (run ads for your candidate keyword and measure CTR) before committing to a change in production.