Which languages should you localise first?
The order is: English → Spanish → Portuguese (BR) → Hindi → Russian → German → Japanese → French → Indonesian. The first five cover roughly half of Google Play downloads, and store search matches the user's language — so in a language you have not localised, you simply do not appear in results. In our global sample of 6.000 apps the average is 17.9 languages, and 7% ship in two languages at most.
Data source: Shotyend ASO Index — a global sample of 6.000 apps compiled from public Google Play listing data on 2026-09-05.
Why two languages is not enough
In most categories we scanned, more than half of the apps ship in only one or two languages. Store search matches the user's language, so an untranslated listing is effectively invisible in that market.
Translating only the store listing — title, short description, long description and screenshot captions — already moves the needle and requires no code change.
How to prioritise
Look at where your current users come from, how many competitors already cover that language, and the download share of the language. The best opportunity is a high-share language your competitors ignore.
Frequently asked questions
How many languages should you localise?
At least five: English, Spanish, Portuguese (BR), Hindi and Russian together cover roughly half of Google Play downloads.
Is localising only the store listing enough?
Yes, as a first step. Translating the title, the 80-character short description, the long description and screenshot text requires no code change and makes you visible in that language's store search.
Is machine translation good enough?
Acceptable as a starting point for listing text, but always review the 30-80 character fields (title, short description) — a bad translation there hurts the install rate directly.
Which language is the most profitable to add?
One with a high download share where most competitors are NOT localised. When those two conditions overlap, search competition is low.
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