App Localisation
App growth localisation
Check Australian app availability, store listings, in-app conventions, support and market-specific reporting before expanding reach.
App growth localisation means making an app's promise, main task and support work for people in a particular market.
For an Australian launch, check the listing, app experience, support and measurement: who can use the app, what they see in the store, whether they can complete the task and how they get help. Local spelling alone cannot answer those questions.
Define the market the app can serve
Start with the task the app promises. Identify the devices, accounts and Australian service areas where it works today.
An app may be available nationally while bookings, deliveries or staffed services cover only selected areas. Put a material limit near the promise it qualifies.
Check store distribution separately. Apple allows availability by App Store country or region; for customers, their Apple Account setting determines it. Neither store setting verifies eligibility for an in-app service.
For an App Store release, set availability in App Store Connect before submission for review. Choose all countries or regions, specific countries or regions, or pre-order; Apple says the App Store is available in 175 countries or regions.
Pre-orders require a release date and selected regions, and stop being possible in a region once the app is available there.
After setting availability, check each country or region's status under Pricing and Availability. Apple notes legal or regulatory requirements can make an app unavailable for download or use in some places, even where a release is otherwise planned.
Check the whole route
| Decision | Question |
|---|---|
| Listing | Do the words and images describe an experience available to the intended Australian visitor? |
| App | Are dates, amounts, language and time-sensitive actions clear in the main task? |
| Support | Can a person get useful help when that task fails? |
| Measurement | Does the reported market and store action match the decision being made? |
Follow the route from the store promise through sign-in, errors and any paid step. A listing may attract an eligible visitor whose address cannot be entered in the app. A usable task may still fail the service promise if a time-sensitive change has no workable help route.
Steps to Validate Australian App Localisation
- Define service coverage areasConfirm which parts of Australia the app’s core task supports (e.g., delivery zones, staffed services)
- Set App Store availabilitySelect Australia in App Store Connect under Pricing and Availability
- Localise metadataUpdate description, keywords, and screenshots using Australian English and local references
- Test in-app experienceValidate that dates, currencies, and time zones reflect Australian standards
- Verify support accessibilityEnsure the support URL provides clear contact details and response expectations
Match the listing to the market
App Store metadata follows language settings and localisation rules; an English listing is not confined to Australia. Check which listing and assets the intended visitor can actually see.
For Google Play, check the listing Australian users can see, including any custom store listing targeted to a particular user segment. Verify that its text and assets match the Australian experience.
Use current screens and accurate local references. If a screenshot shows a date, amount or place, it should represent the available experience. Australian wording helps only when the underlying promise is true.
An App Store localisation is metadata, not a translation of the app itself. If English is the primary language and the only metadata language provided, that metadata appears in English across App Store countries and regions. When a user's language has no matching localisation, Apple displays the next most relevant one.
When you add an App Store language, screenshots and most properties initially use the primary language's content; the description and keywords do not. Treat those defaults as a review task: verify each localised screenshot and claim reflects the Australian experience. Do not assume adding a language updated every asset.
App Store vs Google Play: Localisation Requirements for Australia
- Language Display RulesApple shows primary language content by default; Google Play allows custom listings for user segments
- Screenshot LocalisationApple uses primary language screenshots unless overridden; Google Play supports region-specific asset sets
- Support URL RequirementBoth require a functional support URL; Apple mandates it in App Store Connect
- Market Eligibility DeterminationApple uses Apple Account country; Google Play uses device location and account settings
Check the task and support
Check that key in-app details are clear and consistent for Australian users. See the supporting article on in-app conventions for detailed checks.
The Privacy Act 1988 applies to Australian Government agencies and organisations with annual turnover of more than $3 million, as well as some other organisations. Check whether the organisation is covered.
The Australian Privacy Principles govern covered entities' handling of personal information, including its collection, use and disclosure, access and correction.
Where Australian Privacy Principle 1 applies, the organisation must have a clearly expressed, up-to-date privacy policy and make it available free of charge. It must describe the personal information handled and why, how people can access or correct it, and how they can complain.
Map likely support problems, the hours when they can occur, the contact route and the responsible team. Apple requires a support URL leading to contact information; check each store's requirements in its console. Those fields do not show whether a response will arrive while it can still help.
Keep metadata and the app's own language support distinct when planning an Australian experience. Apple identifies languages on the App Information page as app metadata, which differs from adding languages to the app binary in Xcode. A translated store page alone therefore does not establish that the in-app task is available in that language.
Read the market result accurately
Keep the store, reporting period, market definition, listing and metric together. Before interpreting a market result, check what each reporting dimension and metric actually represents. See the detailed listing measurement article for store-specific definitions.
For Apple, a customer's Apple Account country or region setting determines the App Store market, not whether they can use an in-app service. Keep store availability and service eligibility distinct when defining and reporting an Australian market result.
Expand reach only for the audience whose listing promise, task and support route can be described accurately. Where a specific part fails, record the affected market and repair that part before extending the claim.
In this guide
- Adapting store listings for Australian usersCheck Australian storefront exposure, wording, screenshots and eligibility before updating an app store listing.
- Checking date, currency and language conventions inside an appReview in-app dates, time zones, amounts and wording across a complete Australian user task.
- Evaluating regional support needs before acquisition spendCompare Australian service coverage, support hours, issue ownership and help routes with a proposed app campaign audience.
- Measuring a localised listing against the right marketChoose the Australian market filter, listing, metric and denominator before judging localised app store content.
