App Store Optimisation (ASO) in China: Guide for International Developers

Getting an app published in China does not guarantee that users will find or download it. App store optimisation (ASO) improves an app’s visibility for relevant searches and its ability to turn store visitors into users. In China, that work covers Apple’s App Store and a range of Android stores, each with its own listing and submission process.

For international developers, the first challenge is usually understanding how local users search for the app. The next is making an accurate, convincing Chinese listing in the stores those users actually visit. This guide explains how to optimise your app store listing in China, how to test what works and how to ensure your app is discoverable in China.

What Is App Store Optimisation (ASO)?

ASO is the process of improving how an app is discovered and presented inside an app store. It has two goals:

1. Visibility: Help relevant users find the app through store search and browsing.
2. Conversion: Convert these searches and discovery into downloads

An app’s name, searchable metadata, category, icon, screenshots, description, ratings and reviews all play a part. Some fields affect where a store may show an app; others primarily help a person decide whether to install it. The distinction matters. Apple, for example, says its keyword field helps determine search results, while its promotional text does not affect search ranking. A good screenshot may increase downloads even if it doesn’t directly change the app’s position.

ASO also needs to look beyond the download. If people install an app but cannot register, load content or use its main features in China, more store traffic will not solve the problem. It is best to track a meaningful action after the first open, such as completing registration or using the core feature, alongside downloads. Ensuring the app functions properly is important for retaining users once they download it. 

Is ASO the Same as Paid Promotion or Ads?

No. Organic ASO improves the app’s listing and discoverability. Paid promotion buys exposure, such as ads in search results or other store placements. Both can support growth, but they should be measured separately. 

Why is ASO Different in China?

1. Android Distribution is Spread Across Several Chinese Stores

Google Play is not the standard distribution route on Android phones sold in Mainland China. Developers instead work with stores operated by phone manufacturers and other companies. The official AppInChina App Store Index, an index tracking the top app stores in China,  lists Huawei AppGallery, vivo App Store, Tencent MyApp, Xiaomi GetApps, OPPO Software Store and Honor App Market among the largest channels.

An app can have a separate listing, review history and performance report in each store. Publishing or changing the listing in one does not automatically update the others. Use the index to prioritise channels, but do not add its store audience figures together as though they represented unique people: users may access more than one store. For the publication process, see our guide to publishing an app in China.

2. Chinese Search Intent

The words people use to find a product in China may differ from a direct translation of its English category. Users may search by task, feature, local competitor, commonly used Chinese term, abbreviation or brand name. A developer should check actual search results and suggestions in the target stores before deciding which terms belong in the listing.

A Chinese app name should be clear, memorable and consistent with the approved product. On Android, changes to the registered name may also affect documentation. Xiaomi’s current rules, for example, require the app name and package name to match the app filing and require consistency between the store listing, installed name and relevant submission materials. Check the implications before treating a name change as a simple keyword edit.

3. Store Rules and Listings are Different

The Apple App Store has published guidance for names, subtitles, keyword fields, screenshots, previews and testing. Chinese Android stores have their own developer portals, asset specifications, approval processes and reporting. A field available in one store may be absent or used differently in another. Their complete search algorithms are not public, so a universal chart claiming that a particular field has a fixed ranking effect in every store would be misleading.

Store compliance is also part of getting and keeping an app available. The MIIT notice on the Mobile App Filing establishes the app filing regime; stores apply their own submission checks. A Commercial ICP License, software copyright documentation and sector-specific approvals are also compliance requirements that apps need to meet. Requirements depend on the app, service and distribution route; a Commercial ICP License should not be described as mandatory for every app. Resolve the publishing requirements before spending time optimising a listing that cannot go live.

What Should International Developers Do for ASO in China?

Start with the audience and the app’s readiness, then work through the discovery-to-usage journey:

Priority	Decision	Output
1. Store coverage	Which iOS and Android stores reach the intended audience, and where is the app already approved?	A store-by-store availability and ownership inventory
2. Chinese search intent	What terms do users type for the problem, features and brand?	A ranked keyword list with intent and competitor notes
3. Listing quality	What does each store permit, and what does a user see before downloading?	Approved Chinese metadata and store-specific visual assets
4. Product experience	Can a user install, register and use the core feature on local devices and networks?	A short list of friction points for the product team
5. Testing and measurement	Which changes improve visibility, downloads and activation?	A change log and per-store performance report

Do not launch the same generic translated listing in every Android store and assume the work is complete. Keep the core product promise consistent, but inspect each live listing and use the fields and visual format available on that platform.

How Do You Do ASO in China?

1. Understand Existing Presence and Choose App Stores

Search for the app’s English and Chinese names in Apple’s China storefront and the Android stores relevant to your audience. Record the live URL, publisher, app name, category, screenshots, rating, last update and whether the app installs and opens. Check for outdated, duplicate or unauthorised listings. Identify who controls each developer account and which analytics are available.

Choose the initial Android stores using audience fit, device coverage, and the App Store Index, then confirm that the app can meet each store’s technical and document requirements. On Apple, confirm Mainland China availability and the current Chinese localisation in App Store Connect. Apple explains how to localise app information; adding a localisation and making an app available in a territory are separate settings.

2. Research Chinese Keywords and Competitor Listings

Build a list of the app’s main functions, features and audience. Translate ideas into natural Simplified Chinese, then expand them using searches in the target stores, autocomplete suggestions where shown, competitor listings, customer language and support questions. For each candidate phrase, record:

• What the user appears to want, and whether the app actually satisfies it.
• Which apps and paid placements appear for that query in each store.
• Whether the phrase is a brand term, category term, feature term or specific use case.
• Its apparent competition and any reliable volume estimate available from a research tool.
• The baseline search position on a consistent device, location and date.

For example, an expense-tracking app should check whether users search for 记账 (record expenses), 支出记录 (spending record) or a more specific use case. The best term depends on what the app actually does and what appears for each query in the target store.

Third-party ASO tools, such as AppRadar or SensorTower, can help identify candidate terms and observe rankings, but their estimated search volumes and downloads are not the publisher’s first-party results. Validate important terms in the live stores. Do not use competitors’ trademarks without authorisation or add popular terms unrelated to the product. Apple prohibits irrelevant or protected keywords, and Xiaomi rejects unrelated or infringing terms.

3. Optimise the Name and Metadata within Each Store’s Rules

Apple’s product-page guidance states that the app name and subtitle can each contain up to 30 characters, and the keyword field is limited to 100 characters. Put a clear brand and product identity in the name; use the subtitle to explain the principal benefit or use case. Choose relevant keyword terms without needless repetition. Apple advises against stuffing keywords into the description, and says promotional text does not affect search ranking.

For Chinese Android stores, create a metadata sheet for each account rather than copying Apple’s template. Check the current console for the name, subtitle or one-sentence summary, keyword field if present, full description, category and edit restrictions. Xiaomi’s review rules explicitly discuss names, subtitles, keywords, one-sentence descriptions, longer descriptions and update notes, while also restricting misleading claims and unrelated terms. That establishes what Xiaomi reviews; it does not establish the ranking weight of each field. Each store has guidance for how to best list your app. 

Use this store-by-store checklist when preparing submissions:

Store	What to verify before editing	Why it matters
Apple App Store China	Chinese localisation, 30-character name and subtitle, 100-character keyword field, screenshots and category	Apple documents these fields and provides product-page testing and territory-level analytics.
Huawei AppGallery	Live Chinese listing, assets, category and publisher data in AppGallery Connect	Huawei manages its own store and publisher console.
Xiaomi GetApps	Name and subtitle consistency, keyword and short-description rules, at least four distinct screenshots, and required proofs	Xiaomi publishes detailed review rules.
vivo App Store	Current editable fields, asset specifications and live device display	Confirm current rules in the publisher account; do not assume Xiaomi or Apple limits apply.
Tencent MyApp	Listing ownership, name, description, visuals, category and promotion labels	Keep its organic and promotional performance separate from other stores.
OPPO Software Store	Current listing fields, images, approvals and device presentation	Check the live portal and listing before reusing assets.
Honor App Market	Its separate listing, documentation and analytics	Treat Honor as a separate publishing and measurement channel from Huawei.

This table identifies the work to check, not a common algorithm or a promise that every field affects ranking.

A good Chinese description answers three questions quickly: What does the app do? Who is it for? What can a user do first? Use specific, supportable claims. Keep terminology consistent with the actual interface and avoid promising features unavailable in China.

4. Localise the Icon, Screenshots and Product Experience

The first visible screenshots should communicate the app’s most important benefit in natural Chinese and show a genuine, current interface. Use short, readable captions and put the strongest use case first. Match the imagery to the users and functions you are targeting. Review the result on a real device, since a design that looks clear on a desktop may be unreadable in a store search result.

Apple says the first one to three screenshots can appear in search results when there is no app preview. Xiaomi’s published rules require at least four distinct screenshots and reject low-quality or inaccurate images. Check dimensions, ordering, text rules and video options separately in the other stores.

Then test the app, not only its listing. Verify installation, account creation, payment if applicable, content loading, customer support and the first core action on devices and networks used in China. A translated listing that leads to a broken login or an unusable feature can increase downloads while producing poor user outcomes. Review Chinese-language feedback for recurring complaints and fix the underlying issue before encouraging more traffic.

5. Test Different Changes to Icons and Screenshots

Write a test hypothesis before editing: for example, “A first screenshot showing the completed task will increase downloads among visitors to the China product page.” Decide which metric and comparison period will judge the change.

For iOS, Apple’s product page optimisation can test up to three alternate icon, screenshot or preview treatments against the original, with eligible users randomly assigned. It tests visual assets, not alternative keyword fields or app names. Use App Store Connect’s results and wait for a meaningful sample before choosing a winner. Custom product pages can support distinct campaign messages, but their results should not be mistaken for a change to the default organic listing.

For Android, use a native experiment if the specific store and account provide one. Otherwise, change a limited set of assets, note the approval and live dates, and compare similar periods while recording ad spend, promotions, product releases and seasonal events. A before-and-after lift is useful evidence, but cannot by itself prove which change caused it. Avoid changing every store, keyword and screenshot at the same time if you want to learn what worked.

6. Measure Visibility, Conversion and Useful Users

Create a baseline for each store before the first edit. Review results by store and by source where possible:

Measure	What it tells you	Caution
Ranking for a fixed set of Chinese queries	Whether relevant search visibility changed	Record the device, location and date; distinguish ads from organic results.
Impressions and product-page views	Whether more people saw or opened the listing	Definitions and availability vary by platform.
First-time downloads and conversion rate	Whether exposure turned into installs	Keep each store’s denominator and reporting method separate.
Activation and retention	Whether installs became useful users	Connect store or campaign data to in-app events only where attribution permits.
Ratings, reviews and crash or install failures	What prevents users from trusting or using the app	Diagnose themes and technical issues, not just the average star rating.

App Store Connect Analytics can filter acquisition by territory and source and reports impressions, page views, downloads and conversion. Its search-source total may include ads. Android stores may expose different fields and time ranges, so do not combine incompatible figures into a single “China ASO conversion rate.” Where first-party search-query data is unavailable, label rank tracking from a third-party tool as an estimate.

A useful client report starts with the baseline and states what changed, when it went live, what other campaigns were running, and what happened to first-time downloads and activation. For example, a rise in ranking with no increase in qualified users calls for a look at search intent, screenshots and the app experience. A rise in downloads driven by paid placement should be reported as paid acquisition, even if the listing was improved at the same time.

Can a Foreign Developer Do ASO Before Publishing in China?

Yes. Keyword research, competitor review, name evaluation, metadata drafts and screenshot concepts can be prepared before launch. But live ranking, conversion and reviews can only be measured properly after a listing is available. Confirm app filing, store eligibility, documentation, technical localisation and any category-specific approval as part of the publishing plan. Requirements should be checked for the particular app; there is no single Commercial ICP License rule for every ASO project.

How Can AppInChina Help?

AppInChina helps international developers improve their visibility and app listings in China. We can:

• Audit your current presence on the Apple App Store China and major Android stores, including listing quality, store coverage and publication gaps.
• Research Chinese keywords and competitors to identify searches relevant to your app and target users.
• Localise and optimise listings, including app names where appropriate, descriptions, keywords and screenshots, while checking each store’s rules.
• Support publishing and compliance where a local distribution route, filings or other documents are needed before the app can go live.
• Review results after launch and refine listings using the visibility, download and user data available from each store.

For Bini Games, we researched Chinese keywords and competitors, optimised its Apple App Store presence and helped its apps gain approval to run Apple Search Ads in China.

Contact AppInChina with your app and target audience. We can review which Chinese stores to prioritise, what is limiting your current listings and where ASO work is likely to have the greatest impact.