How to Translate "What's New" to All Languages in App Store Connect (2025 Guide)

How to Translate "What’s New" to All Languages in App Store Connect (2025 Guide)

If you've ever thought "I'm tired of writing What's New in all languages in App Store Connect every time," you're not alone. This is one of the most common frustrations among iOS developers, especially those maintaining apps in 10+ languages. Let's solve this problem once and for all.

The Problem: App Store Connect Has No "Copy to All Languages" Button

You're ready to ship your latest update, but you need to fill the What's New in This Version field for every single language you support. Unlike some modern platforms, App Store Connect offers no bulk translation feature, no "copy to all languages" button, and no CSV import option. This means if you support 20 languages, you're looking at 1–2 hours of tedious, manual, error-prone work—and that's per update.

Imagine repeating this process every two weeks if you ship regular updates. The time compounds quickly, and the frustration grows with each release cycle.

Why this workflow is so painful

Beyond the obvious time drain, the manual approach introduces several problems that make the process even more frustrating:

• Copy‑paste errors to wrong language fields
• Character limit issues discovered too late
• No consistency across updates or apps

These issues compound when you're managing multiple apps or working under tight release deadlines. One wrong paste, and you've just told your German users about features in Spanish.

How Developers Currently Cope (And Why These Methods Fall Short)

In the absence of built-in bulk translation, developers have cobbled together various workarounds. Unfortunately, each comes with significant drawbacks that make them impractical for most teams:

• Manual copy‑paste with generic translators — Copy your English text into Google Translate, then paste each result into App Store Connect one by one. This is slow, error-prone, and produces literal translations that often miss context or sound unnatural.
• Only English everywhere — Some developers give up and use English for all markets. This hurts international adoption rates significantly and makes your app look unprofessional to non-English users who wonder why you didn't bother localizing.
• Spreadsheets of pre-translated phrases — Maintaining a library of generic phrases like "Bug fixes and improvements" works for routine updates, but becomes useless when you're announcing actual features that need proper translation.
• Hiring human translators — Professional translators deliver quality, but they're expensive (often $50-100+ per language) and slow. Waiting 3-5 days for translations means your urgent bug fix sits in limbo while users suffer.

None of these approaches scale well. What works for 3 languages becomes painful at 10 and completely unmanageable at 20+.

What Developers Actually Need

The ideal solution would combine the speed of automation with the quality of human translation, while integrating directly with App Store Connect to eliminate manual work. Specifically, developers need:

• Translate once, apply to all languages — Write your release notes in one language and have them instantly available in every language you support, without touching each field individually.
• Direct integration with App Store Connect — No copy-pasting between tools. Translations should publish directly to the right fields in the right languages.
• Automatic character limit handling — Different languages take different amounts of space. The tool should automatically adjust translations to fit within App Store Connect's character limits for each field.
• Fast enough for every update, affordable for indies — The solution needs to work for solo developers shipping weekly updates, not just large teams with translation budgets.

Until recently, no solution checked all these boxes. That's changed.

The Modern Solution: Automated App Store Localization

Thanks to advances in AI and direct App Store Connect integration, there's now a much better way. Modern localization tools designed specifically for App Store metadata can handle the entire workflow in minutes. Here's how the process works:

1. Write once in your primary language — Draft your "What's New" notes in English (or whatever your primary language is) just like you normally would.
2. Translate automatically to all supported languages in seconds — AI trained on App Store content generates contextually appropriate, ASO-aware translations that respect character limits automatically.
3. Publish directly to App Store Connect — With OAuth integration, translations go straight into the correct fields for each language, with no manual copy-pasting required.

The entire process—from writing your English release notes to having them live in 20+ languages—takes about 5 minutes. Compare that to the 1-2 hours you're currently spending, and the time savings become immediately obvious.

This isn't just about speed, though. Automation also eliminates the copy-paste errors, ensures consistency across all your updates, and frees you to ship updates on your schedule instead of waiting for translation work to finish.

Why "What's New" Localization Actually Matters

Some developers wonder if translating release notes is worth the effort. After all, won't users just update automatically? The reality is more nuanced. Release notes serve as a conversion lever, especially for returning users who've stopped using your app or are deciding whether to update.

Localized "What's New" sections increase update adoption rates—users are more likely to update when they understand what's improved in their native language. They also reduce support tickets for issues you've already fixed, because users can see that "the crash when opening photos has been resolved" rather than wondering if their specific problem is addressed.

To maximize impact, follow these best practices:

• Lead with the biggest user benefit — Put your most valuable change in the first line. Avoid internal jargon like "refactored the data layer." Instead, say "App loads 2x faster."
• Keep bullets short — One to two lines per bullet point works best on mobile screens. Users scroll quickly; make your points scannable.
• Respect locale norms — German and French users expect more formal language, while English and Spanish allow for a casual, friendly tone. Good translation tools understand these cultural differences.

When done right, your release notes become marketing copy that drives engagement, not just a compliance checkbox you're required to fill out.

Choosing the Right Tool for Your Needs

Several tools now offer automated App Store localization, but they differ in their approach, pricing, and feature sets. Here's what to consider when choosing:

• ReTranslate App Store Translator— Specifically built for iOS metadata with direct OAuth publishing to App Store Connect. The AI is trained on App Store content, so translations are ASO-aware and respect character limits automatically. Best for developers who want a set-it-and-forget-it solution.
• Runway — Designed for larger teams with complex workflows. Supports collaboration between developers and professional translators, but comes at a higher price point. Good if you need human review for every update.
• DeepL + custom scripts — Offers maximum control and high-quality translations, but requires you to build your own integration and manually publish to App Store Connect. No built-in ASO awareness or character limit handling. Best for developers comfortable with API work.

For most iOS developers, a tool with direct App Store Connect integration is worth the investment—the time savings and error reduction pay for themselves quickly.

Step‑by‑Step: Setting Up Automated Translation

Getting started with automated "What's New" translation is straightforward. Here's exactly what to do:

1. Connect your App Store Connect account via OAuth — This takes about 60 seconds. The tool will request read/write permissions for your app metadata. OAuth is more secure than sharing passwords because you can revoke access anytime.
2. Import your existing metadata for context — The system pulls in your current app name, description, and keywords. This helps the AI understand your app's tone and terminology, producing more consistent translations.
3. Write your "What's New" notes and click Translate All — Draft your release notes in your primary language, select your target languages, and hit translate. Results appear in seconds.
4. Optional: Spot-check key languages — If you have native speakers on your team or want to review your top markets (like Germany, Japan, or France), take two minutes to scan the translations. Most updates won't need changes.
5. Publish directly to App Store Connect — One click sends all translations to the correct language fields in App Store Connect. No copy-pasting, no field mix-ups, no character limit errors.

After the initial setup, subsequent updates take less than 5 minutes from draft to published. The workflow becomes so fast that translation stops being a bottleneck entirely.

Common Questions About AI-Powered Translation

Developers considering automated translation often have similar concerns. Here are the most common questions and their answers:

• Is AI translation good enough for production? Yes, for the vast majority of updates. Modern AI trained on App Store content produces natural-sounding translations that understand context. For routine bug fixes and minor features, you can publish directly. For major launches where marketing copy matters, spend 5 minutes reviewing your top 3-5 markets.
• Will Apple reject my app for using AI translation? No. Apple cares about quality and accuracy, not the method you used to create translations. As long as your release notes accurately describe your update and read naturally, the translation method is irrelevant. Thousands of apps use automated translation without issue.
• What about character limits? Good localization tools handle this automatically. They know that "What's New" fields have a 4,000-character limit and will condense translations that would exceed it. This is a huge time-saver because different languages expand at different rates—German can be 30% longer than English for the same content.
• Is it secure to connect my App Store Connect account? When you use OAuth (the industry-standard authentication method), you're not sharing passwords. Instead, you're granting limited, revocable permissions. You can disconnect at any time from your App Store Connect settings, immediately revoking the tool's access. This is much safer than third-party services that ask for your password.

The bottom line: automated translation has matured to the point where it's not just "good enough"—it's often better than rushed human translations done under tight deadlines.