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Dirk Doughertyafc02802013-05-08 18:37:11 -07001page.title=Localization Checklist
Joe Fernandez33baa5a2013-11-14 11:41:19 -08002page.tags=localize,localization,resources,formats,l10n
Dirk Doughertyafc02802013-05-08 18:37:11 -07003@jd:body
4
5<div id="qv-wrapper"><div id="qv">
6<h2>Checklist</h2>
7<ol>
8<li><a href="#target-languages">1. Identify target languages</a></li>
9<li><a href="#design">2. Design for localization</a></li>
10<li><a href="#strings">3. Manage strings for localization</a></li>
11<li><a href="#translate">4. Translate UI strings</a></li>
12<li><a href="#test">5. Test your localized app</a></li>
13<li><a href="#prelaunch">6. Prepare for international launch</a></li>
14<li><a href="#support">7. Support international users</a></li>
15</ol>
16<h2>See Also</h2>
17<ol>
18<li><a href="{@docRoot}distribute/googleplay/promote/badges.html">Google Play Badge Builder</a></li>
19<li><a href="{@docRoot}distribute/promote/device-art.html">Device Art Generator</a></li>
20<li><a href="#gp-trans">Translations in Google Play</a></li>
21<li><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/installing/installing-adt.html#tmgr">ADT Translation Manager Plugin</a></li>
22</ol>
23</div></div>
24
25<p>Android and Google Play give you a worldwide audience for your app, with an
26addressable user base that's growing very rapidly in countries such as Japan,
27Korea, India, Brazil, Russia, and elsewhere. </p>
28
29<p>To maximize your app's distribution potential and earn high ratings from
30users around the world, we strongly encourage you to localize your app. </p>
31
32<p>Localization involves a variety of tasks throughout your app's development
33cycle, and advance planning is essential. Some of the tasks include
34translating your UI strings and localizing dates and times, layouts, text
35direction, and finally your Google Play store listing. </p>
36
37<p>This document helps you identify key aspects of localization to prepare for
38and the tasks you'll need to perform, to get your app ready for a
39successful worldwide launch on Google Play.</p>
40
41
42<h2 id="target-languages">1. Identify target languages and locales</h2>
43
44<p>A basic but important step in preparing for localization is identifying the
45countries where you will distribute your app and the languages spoken there.
46Google Play lets you distribute your app broadly to hundreds of countries, reaching
47users who speak a variety of languages. </p>
48
49<p>For international users, you can manage your app on three main dimensions:
50country, locale, and language. Of those, language is the key consideration for
51localization, although locale is also significant because of differences in
52formats for dates, times, currencies, and similar information. Users control
53both the language and locale used on their Android devices and in turn those
54affect the display of your app, once installed.</p>
55
56<p>Typically, you would decide which countries to target first, based on overall
57market size and opportunity, app category, competitive landscape, local pricing
58and financial factors, and so on. Then, based on your country targeting, you
59would determine the languages you need to support in your app. </p>
60
61<p>You will need to decide when to localize into some or all of the languages in your targeted countries. In some countries it might make most sense to deliver an app
62in a major regional or international language only, rather than in all locally
63spoken languages. Similarly, based on overall market size, you might decide to
64deliver your app in only a small number of key languages and offer English or
65another language for other countries. You can add more languages in the future
66as your app's userbase grows.</p>
67
68<p>Localizing your app is particularly important in countries where there is a
69large market opportunity and English or another international language is not
70widely used. Once you have identified your target languages, you can focus your
71development, translation, testing, and marketing efforts to these markets.</p>
72
73
74<table>
75<tr>
76<td><p>Related resources:</p>
77<ul style="margin-top:-.5em;">
78<li><strong><a href="http://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=138294&topic=2365624&ctx=topic">Supported locations for distributing applications</a></strong> on Google Play.
79.</li>
80</ul>
81</td>
82</tr>
83</table>
84
85
86<h2 id="design">2. Design for localization</h2>
87
88<p>After you've determined your target languages for localization, assess what
89you'll need to do to support them in your app and plan the work early. Consider
90the vocabulary expansion, script requirements, character spacing and wrapping
91constraints, left-to-right and right-to-left support, and other potential
92factors in each language.
93
94<h4>Design a single set of flexible layouts</h4>
95
96<p>As you create your layouts, make sure that any UI elements that hold text are
97designed generously. It’s good to allow more space than necessary for your
98language (up to 30% more is normal) to accommodate other languages.</p>
99
100<p>Also, elements should be able to expand horizontally or vertically to
101accommodate variations in the width and height of UI strings or input text. Your
102text strings should not overlap borders or the screen edge in any of your target
103languages.</p>
104
105<p>If you design your UI carefully, you can typically use a single set of
106layouts for all of the languages you support. See <a
107href="{@docRoot}training/basics/fragments/fragment-ui.html">Building a Flexible
108UI</a> for more information.</p>
109
110<h4 id="rtl">Use alternative layouts where needed</h4>
111
112<p>In cases where your UI can't accommodate text in one of your target
113languages, you can create an <a
Scott Main27c57552013-08-01 11:31:38 -0700114href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/resources/providing-resources.html#AlternativeResources">alternative
115layout</a> for that language only.
Dirk Doughertyafc02802013-05-08 18:37:11 -0700116Android makes it easy to declare sets of layouts and other resources to load for
117specific languages, locales, screen sizes, and so on, simply by tagging them
118with the appropriate resource qualifiers. </p>
119
120<p>Although you can use alternative layouts to work around isolated issues, they
121can also make your app harder to maintain over time. In general, using a single,
122more flexible layout is preferred. </p>
123
124<h4 id="rtl">Support RTL layouts and text</h4>
125
126<p>If you are distributing to countries where right-to-left (RTL) scripts are used,
127should consider implementing support for RTL layouts and text display and
128editing, to the extent possible. </p>
129
130<p>Android 4.1 introduced limited support for bidirectional text, allowing apps
131to display and edit text in both left-to-right (LTR) and right-to-left (RTL)
132scripts. Android 4.2 added <a
133href="http://android-developers.blogspot.fr/2013/03/native-rtl-support-in-
134android-42.html">full native support for RTL layouts</a>, including layout
135mirroring, so that you can deliver the same great app experience to all of your
136users. </p>
137
138<p>At a minimum, for Android 4.2 users, it's simple to add basic RTL layout
139mirroring, which goes a long way toward meeting the needs of RTL users. </p>
140
141<h4 id="formats">Use system-provided formats for dates, times, numbers, and
142currencies</h4>
143
144<p>Where your app specifies dates, times, numbers, currencies, and other
145entities that can vary by locale, make sure to use the system-provided formats,
146rather than app-specific formats. Keep in mind that not every locale uses the
147same thousands separator, decimal separator, or percent sign. </p>
148
149<p>Android provides a variety of utilities for formatting and converting
150patterns across locales, such as {@link android.text.format.DateUtils DateUtils} and
151{@link java.text.DateFormat DateFormat} for
152dates; {@link java.lang.String#format String.format()} or {@link java.text.DecimalFormat DecimalFormat} for
153numbers and currency; {@link android.telephony.PhoneNumberUtils
154PhoneNumberUtils} for phone numbers; and others.</p>
155
156<p>If you hard-code your formats based on assumptions about the user's locale,
157your app could encounter problems when the user changes to another locale. The
158easiest and most reliable approach is to always use system-provided formats and
159utilities.</p>
160
161<h4 id="default-resources">Include a full set of default resources</h4>
162
163<p>Make sure that your app can run properly regardless of language or locale by
164providing a complete set of default resources. The app's default resources are
165those that are <em>not marked</em> with any language or locale qualifiers, for
166example those stored in <code>res/drawable/</code> and <code>res/values/</code>.
167If your app attempts to load a resource that isn't available in the current
168language or in the default set, the app will crash. </p>
169
170<p>Whatever the default language you are using in your app, make sure that you
171store the associated layouts, drawables, and strings in default resource
172directories, without language or locale qualifiers. </p>
173
174<table>
175<tr>
176<td><p>Related resources:</p>
177<ul style="margin-top:-.5em;">
178<li><strong><a href="http://android-developers.blogspot.fr/2013/03/native-rtl-support-in-android-42.html">Native RTL Support in Android 4.2</a></strong> &mdash; Blog post that explains how to support RTL in your UI.</li>
179<li><strong><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/resources/string-resource.html#Plurals">Quantity Strings (Plurals)</a></strong> &mdash; Developer guide describing how to work with string plurals according to rules of grammar in a given locale. </li>
180<li><strong>{@link java.util.Locale Locale}</strong> &mdash; Reference information about how to use locale data determine exactly what CLDR data or version of the Unicode spec a particular Android platform version uses.</li>
181</ul>
182</td>
183</tr>
184</table>
185
186
187<h2 id="managing-strings">3. Manage strings for localization</h2>
188
189<p>It's important to manage your app's UI strings properly, so that you deliver
190a great experience for users and make localization straightforward.</p>
191
192<h4 id="strings">Move all strings into strings.xml</h4>
193
194<p>As you build your app, remember that it's a best practice to keep all of your
195UI strings in a single file that's easy to update and localize. Declare
196<em>all</em> of your strings as resources in a default <code>strings.xml</code>
197file. Do not hard-code any strings into your compiled code&mdash;hard-coded
198strings are much more difficult to extract, translate, and load properly.
199
200<p>If you keep all of your default strings in a <code>strings.xml</code> file,
201you can quickly extract them for translation, and once the translated strings
202are integrated back into your app with appropriate qualifiers, your app can load
203them without any changes to your compiled code.</p>
204
205<p>If you generate images with text, put those strings in <code>strings.xml</code> as well,
206and regenerate the images after translation.</p>
207
208<h4 id="style">Follow Android guidelines for UI strings</h4>
209
210<p>As you design and develop your UI, make sure that you pay close attention to
211<em>how</em> you talk to your user. In general, use a <a
212href="{@docRoot}design/style/writing.html">succinct and compressed style</a>
213that is friendly but brief, and use a consistent style throughout your UI.
214</p>
215
216<p>Make sure that you read and follow the Android Design recommendations for <a
217href="{@docRoot}design/style/writing.html">writing style and word choice</a>.
218Doing so will make your app appear more polished to the user and will help users
219understand your UI more quickly. </p>
220
221<p>Also, always use Android standard terminology wherever possible&mdash;such as
222for UI elements such as "Action Bar," "Options Menu," "System Bar,"
223"Notifications," and so on. Using Android terms correctly and consistently
224makes translation easier and results in a better end-product for users.</p>
225
226<h4 id="context">Provide sufficient context for declared strings</h4>
227
228<p>As you declare strings in your <code>strings.xml</code> file, make sure to describe the
229context in which the string is used. Add comments before each string that may
230need clarification. This information will be invaluable to translators and will
231help you manage your strings more effectively over time.</p>
232
233<p>For example, background information to provide might include:</p>
234
235<ul>
236 <li>What is this string for? When/where is it presented to the user?</li>
237<li>Where is this in the layout? For example, if its a button, translations are
238less flexible than if it were a text box. </li>
239</ul>
240
241<p>Here's an example: </p>
242
243<pre>&lt;!-- The action for submitting a form. This text is on a button that can fit 30 chars --&gt;
244&lt;string name="login_submit_button"&gt;Sign in&lt;/string&gt;</pre>
245
246<h4 id="xliff">Mark message parts that should not be translated</h4>
247
248<p>Often strings contain contain text that should not be translated to other
249languages. Common examples might be a piece of code, a placeholder for a value,
250a special symbol, or a name. As you prepare you strings for translation, look
251for and mark text that should remain as-is, without translation, so that
252translators do not change it. </p>
253
254<p>To mark text that should not be translated, use an
255<code>&lt;xliff:g&gt;</code> placeholder tag. Here's an example tag that ensures
256the text “%1$s will not be changed during translation (otherwise it could break
257the message):</p>
258
259<pre>&lt;string name="countdown"&gt;
260 &lt;xliff:g id="time" example="5 days&gt;%1$s&lt;/xliff:g&gt;until holiday
261&lt;/string&gt;</pre>
262
263<p>When you declare a placeholder tag, always add an <code>id</code> attribute
264that explains what the placeholder is for. If your app will later replace the
265placeholder value, be sure to provide an example attribute to clarify the expected
266usage.</p>
267
268<p>Here are some more examples of placeholder tag usage:</p>
269<pre>&lt;resources xmlns:xliff="urn:oasis:names:tc:xliff:document:1.2"&gt;
270 &lt;!-- Example placeholder for a special unicode symbol --&gt;
271 &lt;string name="star_rating"&gt;Check out our 5
272 &lt;xliff:g id="star"&gt;\u2605&lt;/xliff:g&gt;
273 &lt;/string&gt;
274 &lt;!-- Example placeholder for a for a URL --&gt;
275 &lt;string name="app_homeurl"&gt;
276 Visit us at &lt;xliff:g id="application_homepage"&gt;http://my/app/home.html&lt;/xliff:g&gt;
277 &lt;/string&gt;
278 &lt;!-- Example placeholder for a name --&gt;
279 &lt;string name="prod_name"&gt;
280 Learn more at &lt;xliff:g id="prod_gamegroup"&gt;Game Group&lt;/xliff:g&gt;
281 &lt;/string&gt;
282 &lt;!-- Example placeholder for a literal --&gt;
283 &lt;string name="promo_message"&gt;
284 Please use the ”&lt;xliff:g id="promotion_code"&gt;ABCDEFG&lt;/xliff:g&gt;” to get a discount.
285 &lt;/string&gt;
286 ...
287&lt;/resources&gt;</pre>
288<!--<pre>&lt;string name="contact_info"&gt;
289 You can see our posts at &lt;xliff:g id="social_account_id"&gt;@superApp&lt;/xliff:g&gt;
290&lt;/string&gt;</pre>-->
291
292<table>
293<tr>
294<td><p>Related resources:</p>
295<ul style="margin-top:-.5em;">
Scott Maind7abd972013-11-04 18:33:43 -0800296<li><strong><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/resources/string-resource.html">String Resources</a></strong> &mdash; Developer guide explaining how to use string resources in your UI.</li>
Dirk Doughertyafc02802013-05-08 18:37:11 -0700297<li><strong><a href="{@docRoot}design/style/writing.html">Writing Style</a></strong> &mdash; Android Design guidelines for voice and style in your UI.</li>
298<li><strong><a class="external-link" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XLIFF">XML Localisation Interchange File Format (XLIFF)</a></strong> &mdash; Background information on XLIFF.</li>
299</ul>
300</td>
301</tr>
302</table>
303
304
305<h2 id="translate">4. Translate UI strings and other resources</h2>
306
307<p>Translating your app's UI strings and resources to your target languages is
308the key phase of localization, and it's the one that requires the most care and
309planning.</p>
310
311<p>In general, it's recommended to work with a professional translator to ensure
312that the work goes smoothly, stays on schedule, and results in a high-quality
313product that will enhance the value of your app. If you are considering machine
314translations as an alternative, keep in mind that automated translations are less
315reliable than high-quality professional translations and may not produce as good an
316experience for your users.</p>
317
318<h4>Prepare for translation</h4>
319
320<p>Getting high-quality translation output depends in part on your input. To get
321ready for translation, make sure that your <code>strings.xml</code> file is well organized,
322well commented, and accurate.</p>
323
324<p>Here are some ways to prepare your strings for translation:</p>
325<ul>
326 <li>Make sure your strings are formatted correctly and consistently.</li>
327 <li>Follow the strings recommendations listed in <a href="#strings">Manage
328strings for localization</a>, above.</li>
329 <li>Clean up the <code>strings.xml</code> file and remove unused strings.</li>
330 <li>Place comments in the file to identify the owner, origin, and the version
331of the file, as well as any special instructions for translators.</li>
332<li>Identify existing translations, if any, and include those in an outgoing
333zip file or other package that you will send to translators.</li>
334<li>Identify drawables or other resources that require translation and include
335them in the outgoing package for translators.</li>
336<p>Additionally, consider translating your app's store listing details &mdash;
337app title and description, release notes, and so on &mdash; as
338well as other international marketing materials.</p>
339<li>Create a terminology list that explains the meaning and usage of key terms
340used in your product, your market, or the underlying technology. Add the list to
341the outgoing package.</li>
342</ul>
343
344<h4 id="send">Send your strings for translation</h4>
345
346<p>Early in the development cycle, contact professional translation vendors for
347your target languages to get an idea of cost, lead time required, turnaround
348time, and so on. Then select a vendor and secure their services, making sure to
349include multiple iterations in the cost as a safeguard. Google Play can help you
350do this &mdash; see <a href="#gp-trans">Purchase professional
351translations</a>, below.</p>
352
353<p>As soon as your app's UI strings and design are stable, work with your
354development team to extract all of the strings and other resources from the app
355and package them together for the translator. If appropriate, you can version
356the outgoing package for later identification. </p>
357
358<p>When the outgoing package is ready, send it to the translator or share it
359with them over a cloud platform such as Google Drive. Keep a record of what you
360sent and when you sent it, to cross-reference against returning translations and
361billing invoices from the translator.</p>
362
363<p>When your translations are complete, take a preliminary look at the
364translations. Check that all files were translated, check for potential encoding
365issues, and make sure that declaration formats are intact. </p>
366
367<p>If everything looks good, carefully move the localized directories and files
368back into your app's resources. Make sure to tag the directories with the
369appropriate language and locale qualifiers so that they'll later be loaded
370properly.</p>
371
372<p>After the translations are merged back into your app, start <a
373href="#testing">testing the localized app</a>.</p>
374
Dirk Doughertyd296e252013-11-06 14:33:01 -0800375<h4 id="gp-trans">Purchase professional translations through Google Play
376<br />App Translation Service</h4>
377
Dirk Doughertyafc02802013-05-08 18:37:11 -0700378<div class="sidebox-wrapper">
379<div class="sidebox">
Dirk Doughertyd296e252013-11-06 14:33:01 -0800380<h2>App Translations in Google Play</h2>
Dirk Doughertyafc02802013-05-08 18:37:11 -0700381
Dirk Doughertyd296e252013-11-06 14:33:01 -0800382<p>Hear from developers who have used the Google Play App Translation Service in <a
383href="{@docRoot}distribute/googleplay/spotlight/localization.html">Developer
384Stories: Localization in Google Play</a>.</p>
385
386<p>To make it easy to export your app's strings and import
387the finished translations into your project, try the <a
Dirk Doughertyafc02802013-05-08 18:37:11 -0700388href="{@docRoot}sdk/installing/installing-adt.html#tmgr">
Dirk Doughertyd296e252013-11-06 14:33:01 -0800389ADT Translation Manager Plugin</a>.</div>
Dirk Doughertyafc02802013-05-08 18:37:11 -0700390</div>
391
Dirk Doughertyd296e252013-11-06 14:33:01 -0800392<p>Google Play App Translation Service can help you quickly find and purchase translations of your app.
Dirk Doughertyafc02802013-05-08 18:37:11 -0700393In the Developer Console, you can browse a list of third-party vendors who are
394pre-qualified by Google to offer high-quality translation at competitive prices.
395You can upload the strings you want translated, select the languages you want to
396translate into, and select your translation vendor based on time and price.</p>
397
398<p>Once you've purchased translations, you'll receive an email from your vendor.
399Your translations are a direct business agreement between you and your vendor;
400you'll need to work directly with the vendor to manage the translation process and
401deliverables and resolve any support issues. </p>
402
403
404<h2 id="testing">5. Test your localized app</h2>
405
406<p>Once you've received your translated strings and resources and moved them
407back into your app, you need to test the app to make sure that it's ready for
408distribution to your international users. </p>
409
410<p>Manual testing can help you discover localization issues in your layouts and
411strings that can affect user satisfaction and, ultimately, your app's user
412rating. </p>
413
414<h4 id="native">Set up a test environment</h4>
415
416<p>To test your localized app, you'll need to set up an environment consisting
417of multiple devices (or virtual devices) and screen sizes, based on the markets
418and form factors you are targeting. Note that the range of devices in specific
419regions might be different. If possible, match your test devices to the actual
420devices likely to be available to users.</p>
421
422<h4 id="native">Look for common localization issues</h4>
423
424<p>On each test device, set the language or locale in Settings. Install and
425launch the app and then navigate through all of the UI flows, dialogs, and user
426interactions. Enter text in inputs. Some things to look for include:</p>
427
428<ul>
429 <li>Clipped text, or text that overlaps the edge of UI elements or the
430screen</li>
431 <li>Poor line wrapping</li>
432 <li>Incorrect word breaks or punctuation</li>
433 <li>Incorrect alphabetical sorting</li>
434 <li>Incorrect layout direction or text direction</li>
435 <li>Untranslated text &mdash; if your default strings are displayed instead of
436translated strings, then you may have overlooked those strings for translation
437or marked the resources directory with an incorrect language qualifier. </li>
438</ul>
439
440<p>For cases where your strings have expanded in translation and no longer fit
441your layouts, it's recommended to simplify your default text, simplify your
442translated text, or adjust your default layouts. If none of those resolves the
443issue, you can create a custom layout for the language. </p>
444
445<h4 id="default-test">Test for default resources</h4>
446
447<p>After you've tested your app in all of your supported languages and locales,
448make sure to test it again in an <em>unsupported language</em> and locale. This
449will help you make sure that your app includes a full set of default strings and
450resources, so that your app is usable to all users, regardless of their
451preferred language. </p>
452
453<h4 id="native">Review with native-language speakers</h4>
454
455<p>During or after testing, it's recommended that you let native speakers review
456your localized app. One way to do that is through beta testing with regional
457users &mdash; Google Play can help you do this. See <a href="#beta">Plan a beta
458release</a> for more information.</p>
459
460
461<h2 id="prelaunch">Prepare for international launch</h2>
462
463<p>Getting your app translated is a key part of localization, but to help your
464product attract users and gain visibility, you should prepare for launch in your
465target countries and create a broader launch and marketing plan for
466international users. </p>
467
468
469<h4 id="listing">Localize your Google Play listing</h4>
470
471<div class="sidebox-wrapper">
472<div class="sidebox">
473<h2>Localize your Google Play listing</h2>
474<p>Highlight what's great about your app to all of your users! Localize your
475listing in the Developer Console: </p>
476<ul>
477 <li>App title and description</li>
478 <li>App screenshots on phones and tablets</li>
479 <li>Promotional graphics and videos.</li>
480</ul>
481</div>
482</div>
483<p>If you want your app to be successful in international markets, it's
484essential to localize your Google Play store listing. You can manage your
485localized listing in the Developer Console.</p>
486
487<p>Well before launch, decide on your app title, description, promotional text,
488marketing names and programs, and other text and images. Send your
489listing text and images for translation early, so that you have them ready when
490beta testing begins. When your translated text is available, you can add it
491through the Developer Console.</p>
492
493<p>Also, since you've made the effort to create a great localized app, let users
494know about it! Take screenshots of your UI in each language, for phones and 7-
495and 10- inch tablets. You can upload screenshots to the Developer Console for
496each language you support. These will be of great value to users browsing your
497app listing in other languages. </p>
498
499<p>It's also essential to create localized versions of your promotional graphics
500and videos. For example, your app's feature graphic might include text that
501should be translated, for maximum effectiveness, or you might want to take a
502different visual approach in one country than you do in another. You can create
503different versions of your promotional graphics for each language and upload
504them to the Developer Console. If you offer a promotional video, you can create
505localized versions of it and then add a link to the correct localized video for
506each language you support.</p>
507<h4 id="beta">Plan a beta release in key countries</h4>
508
509<div class="sidebox-wrapper">
510<div class="sidebox">
511<h2>Easy beta testing</h2>
512<p>Google Play now lets you set up groups of alpha and beta testers, anywhere
513around the world. Check out this powerful feature next time you sign in to the
514Developer Console.</p>
515</div>
516</div>
517
518<p>Before launching your app, it's always valuable to get real-world feedback
519from users &mdash; even more so when you are launching an app in a new language,
520country, or region. In those cases, it's highly recommended that you distribute
521a pre-release version of your app to users across your key markets and provide
522an easy means for them to provide feedback and report bugs. </p>
523
524<p>Google Play can help you set up a beta program for your app. After you sign
525in to the Developer Console and upload your APK, you can set up groups of users
526for alpha testing and beta testing the app. You can start with a small group of
527alpha testers, then move to a larger group of beta testers. Once users are
528added, they access your app's store listing and install the app. User feedback
529from alpha and beta testers goes directly to you and is not posted as public
530reviews. </p>
531
532<p>The feedback you receive will help you adjust your UI, translations, and
533store listing to ensure a great experience for users. </p>
534
535<h4 id="beta">Plan for international marketing</h4>
536
537<p>For highest visibility across countries, consider an international marketing
538or advertising campaign. The scope of the campaign might vary based on the
539budget you can support, but in general it's cost-effective and productive to do
540regional or country-specific marketing at launch and after. </p>
541
542<h4 id="badges">Create localized Google Play badges</h4>
543
544<p>If you are preparing international marketing, make sure to include a <a
545href="{@docRoot}distribute/googleplay/promote/badges.html">localized Google Play
546badge</a> to tell users you're on Google Play. You can use the badge generator
547to quickly build localized badges that you can use on web sites or marketing
548materials. High-resolution assets are also available.</p>
549
550<h4 id="deviceart">Create Localized Device Art</h4>
551
552<p>If you feature product shots of your app running on Android devices, make
553sure that those shots look great and reflect the latest in Android devices. To
554help you create high-quality marketing materials, use the drag-and-drop <a
555href="{@docRoot}distribute/promote/device-art.html">Device Art Generator</a> to
556quickly frame your screen shot on a Nexus device. </p>
557
Dirk Doughertyd14295c2013-05-14 23:25:49 -0700558<h4 id="deviceart">Check your Optimization Tips</h4>
559
560<p>As you prepare for launch, make sure to sign into the Developer Console and check
561your app's Optimization Tips. The Optimization Tips let you know when you are missing parts of your localized store listing and provide other helpful reminders for a successful localized launch.</p>
Dirk Doughertyafc02802013-05-08 18:37:11 -0700562
563<h2 id="support">Support International Users after Launch</h2>
564
565<p>After you launch your app internationally, you should be prepared to support
566users in a variety of languages and time zones. The extent of your international
567user support depends on your budget, but at a minimum you should watch your
568ratings, reviews, and download stats carefully after launch.
569
570<p>Here are some suggestions: </p>
571
572<ul>
573 <li>Use the app stats in the Developer Console to compare your downloads,
574installs, and uninstalls, and ratings across languages and countries&mdash;If
575your downloads or ratings are not keeping up in specific languages or countries,
576consider options for improving your product or changing your marketing approach.
577</li>
578 <li>Check reviews regularly&mdash;Google Play translates all user reviews for
579you, so you can stay in touch with how international users feel about your app,
580what features they like and what issues are affecting them. By watching reviews,
581you can spot technical issues that may affect many users in a particular
582country, then fix and update your app.</li>
583 <li>Respond to reviews if possible&mdash;It's good to engage with
584international users in their language or a common language if possible. If not,
585you can try using translation tools, although results may not be predictable. If
586your app gets very popular in a language, consider getting support help from
587native-language speakers. </li>
588 <li>Make sure there's a link to any support resources on your web site.
589Consider setting up language-specific user groups, Google+ communities, or other
590support forums.
591</ul>
592
593<p>By following these practices for localizing your app, promoting and marketing
594to international users, and providing ongoing support, you can attract many new
595users to your app and maintain their loyalty.</p>
596
597<p>Make sure to read the <a
598href="{@docRoot}distribute/googleplay/publish/preparing.html">Launch
599Checklist</a> to learn more about how to plan, build, and launch your app on
600Google Play. </p>