In this article, you will learn how to translate your Google Play store listing with SimpleLocalize. The integration imports the store listing of your app from Google Play, keeps it next to your app translations, and uploads the translated texts back to Google Play.
Need a one-off translation without an account? Use the free Google Play Localizer: paste a Google Play link, translate the listing into 87 languages and download it for fastlane.
Features
- Import from Google Play: fetch the title, short description and full description of your app in every language.
- Character limits: every key gets the Google Play character limit and a description, so translators and AI translations stay within the limits.
- Language mapping: choose which Google Play language each project language is imported from and pushed to.
- Push to Google Play: upload the translated texts to your store listing in one change.
Service account key
SimpleLocalize uses a Google Cloud service account to read and update the store listing of your app:
- Open the Google Cloud console, select or create a project, and enable the Google Play Android Developer API.
- Go to IAM & Admin, Service accounts, create a service account (no roles are needed), open it, go to Keys, click Add key, Create new key, choose JSON and download the file.
- Open Play Console, go to Users and permissions, click Invite new users
and enter the email address of the service account (
...@...iam.gserviceaccount.com). - On the App permissions tab, add your app and allow Store presence, Edit store listing, pricing and distribution, then send the invitation.
It can take a few minutes until Google Play accepts a new service account.
Connect your app
- Open your project, go to Settings, Integrations, and choose Google Play. You can also choose Google Play on the Import translations screen of a new project.
- Paste the link to your app, for example
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.example.app, or just the package name. - Choose the service account JSON key file and click Connect app.
SimpleLocalize checks the key with Google before saving it. It is stored encrypted and never shown again; disconnect the app to remove it.
Languages
Each project language is mapped to a Google Play language. SimpleLocalize detects the mapping from the language key,
for example pl becomes pl-PL and he becomes iw-IL, and you can change it in the Languages section. Choose
Not on Google Play to skip a language.
Click Add languages to add Google Play languages that the project does not have yet. Languages your app already has a store listing in are selected, so you can add them with one click.
The mapping is stored in the google-play::locale attribute of the language, so one project can use different
codes for the App Store and Google Play.
Import from Google Play
Click Import from Google Play to download the store listing of every mapped language. The texts are saved as
translation keys in the google-play namespace:
| Key | Google Play field | Character limit |
|---|---|---|
title | App name | 30 |
short_description | Short description | 80 |
full_description | Full description | 4000 |
Empty fields are created as empty keys in the default language, so you can fill them in and translate them like any other key. Importing again updates the texts from Google Play, but never clears texts you added in SimpleLocalize.
Push to Google Play
Click Push to Google Play in Settings, Google Play, or in the project actions menu. Only the fields that changed are uploaded, and all languages are saved in one change. A new language needs at least the app name. Empty keys are skipped, so existing texts on Google Play are not cleared.
Changes to your store listing are published to Google Play, and Google may review them before they appear.
Limitations
- Release notes (What's New) are not synchronized yet, because Google Play keeps them per release.
- Graphics, screenshots and videos are not synchronized.