Category: App Localization

App Localization in China: Your Guide to China’s Android App Store

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Patrick Yip

Not long ago, the OneSky blog included some information about Chinese app stores as part of a larger post about Chinese mobile markets. Afterward, we got so many requests for more information on app localization in China that we’ve decided to publish regular content on the topic. In our first offering, we’ve put together a guide to Android app stores in China. Why focus on Android app stores? Because the Chinese market has over 200 of them. Navigating that world

Announcing OneSky Localization Academy

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Patrick Yip

Today, we’re excited to announce OneSky Localization Academy—a resourceful place for you to become an expert localization engineer, for free. Go to OneSky Localization Academy now! A new learning hub The Academy is full of best practices we’ve learned by working with thousands of companies on their internationalization setup, translation workflow, and internal infrastructure. You’ll start with the basics of how to localize an app from scratch, best practices in internationalization (i18n), and more! We just released the first course on the

Using Your Conversion Rate to Find Your Target Markets

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Christine Beuhler

The good news? Your app has gained a steady foothold in your market. The even better news? You’re ready to take the next step and expand your user base: in other words, it’s time for you to localize. But there are a lot of choices to make. Amongst the hundreds of countries, dozens of languages, and thousands of potential users, how do you decide which market is going to be the most profitable for you to enter and capture? We

How Line and Other Messaging Apps Localized Emoji, and Monetized Much More

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Patrick Yip

This post originally published on September 13, 2013. We’ve updated it here with the latest information, images, and resources. They’re cute. They’re funny. They’re profitable. Emojis are a global craze. And localization matters for them, too. In this post, we’ll show you how smart localizing has helped emojis spread around the world. It all started in Japan. In the 1990s, Japan’s largest mobile phone operator, NTT DoCoMo, launched a new model of pager. Along with the usual typing options, the

App Localization in Asia: Understanding the Distribution Channel

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Gracia Monica

Looking Eastward There are as many as 1.5 billion smartphone users in Asia. For developers who are unfamiliar with app localization in Asia, the question is no longer Should I try to gain a foothold in Asia? The question has become How do I properly localize my app to reach those 1.5 BILLION PEOPLE with smartphones? A big part of that equation is mastering East Asia’s diverse distribution channels. These channels provide access to the market, but they form an

How Localization Leveraged MailTime to Get Featured in 19 Countries

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Gracia Monica

This interview is part of our series “Bring It to the World,” which is crafted for developers of websites and apps that offer localized versions to users worldwide. We’re catching up with some of OneSky’s best-known users in order to ask them about their localization experiences, and to discover some of their secrets about building a global presence. In this instalment of the series, we chat with Charlie Sheng, CMO of MailTime, an email messaging app. MailTime now supports 12 languages,

The Tiny Change in Google Play That Might Hurt Your Overseas Downloads (and How to Fix It)

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Patrick Yip

We recently spotted a tiny update in Google Play that might affects billion of overseas Android users—and you might not have noticed it. The change affects the short description of apps. Previously labeled Promo Text, the short description is the first line of text that potential users see when looking at your app’s listing on Google Play. This short tagline can be the most important part of your Google Play profile for converting app searches to purchases. Pretty much every

Trying to Drive Growth? Why App Localization Makes Sense

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Patrick Yip

Why localization should be part of your growth strategy It’s Q1 of 2015. You’re still looking for ways to drive growth in the quarters ahead. Maybe a marketing campaign? Something else? Andy Carvell, Soundcloud’s mobile growth manager, shared his recipe for growth in a recent post on Medium. Carvell lays out a mobile growth strategy, with a wide range of ideas. High on his list? Going international. Carvell describes internationalization as a multiplier strategy because it “will act as a

Getting Negative App Reviews Abroad? What You Need to Know.

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Patrick Yip

Overcome the language barrier in app store reviews It’s no secret: bad app store ratings can damage your download rates. But even the best app will occasionally get a bad review. It’s almost inevitable. That’s true when you take your app abroad, too. And while you may have a bulletproof strategy for dealing with negative reviews at home, bad reviews in foreign languages may leave you puzzled, frustrated with the language barrier, or unsure of how to respond. But don’t

The Essential Guide to App Store Localization

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Patrick Yip

Some localization is better than no localization You may not be ready for a full-scale localization, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start to explore global markets. The key to it is Minimal Viable Localization (MVL). With MVL, you localize your app store description for different global markets, without actually translating the app itself. It’s a quick, affordable way to test the water in markets around the world, and get a sense of where your app may have major potential.