App Store Localizations

Your app is on the App Store, and you've just sorted out the translations for all the metadata. So you go upload them on iTunes Connect, and then obviously you check that they look right in iTunes, changing country to make sure each language looks right. English is unchanged and obviously looks okay. France - tick. Deutschland- tick. Nederland - Whoah! That's not right. My Dutch isn't that hot but I know it isn't identical to English. Check the rest, and it turns out Japanese has the same problem.

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Let's back up a step. Firstly, we're changing our region using the My Store setting at the bottom of the homepage of iTunes Store.

That's what we do for all the regions - and French works. Why doesn't Dutch? Why doesn't Japanese? I've been struggling to figure out what these two languages - or at least regional App Stores - have in common. And I have no ideas. Answers on a postcard to...

However, it is possible to check the localizations for Dutch and Japanese. The answer can be found in an Apple Support article, which I've summarised here.

On a Mac

  • In iTunes, select any regional store other than Nederlands
  • Quit iTunes
  • Go to System Preferences->International->Language and drag Nederlands up above English
  • Quit System Preferences
  • Run iTunes and select the Nederlands regional store.
  • Find your app. If you correctly uploaded Dutch metadata to iTunes connect, then your app's App Store page will now display in Dutch

On a PC

  • Forget the Windows language settings. They aren't used.
  • In iTunes, select any regional store other than Nederlands
  • Go to Edit->Preferences->General and select Dutch (Netherlands)
  • Quit iTunes
  • Run iTunes and select the Nederlands regional store.
  • Find your app. If you correctly uploaded Dutch metadata to iTunes connect, then your app's App Store page will now display in Dutch

The same principle works for Japanese.

Ben Blaukopf
in iOS

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