You registered the app with English as Primary Language, filled a polished en-US row, turned on the China storefront (or clicked add Chinese (Simplified) in the language list), and assumed Connect would serve Chinese copy on the China App Store. It will not — until the zh-Hans localization row holds complete metadata. Primary Language, added localizations, and storefront availability are three separate controls; conflating them leaves China buyers reading English fallback. This page maps that Connect structure for Western indie teams and shows where AppLocale writes the zh-Hans row you still need. Operator guidance only — no ranking guarantee, not legal advice, not investment advice. Seller: Fortune Insight, LLC.
China storefront still shows English (live diagnosis) · Connect localization for CN-first apps adding English · Chinese listing for indie developers
Western indie iOS developers — US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia — who:
If you already confirmed China is on and the live product page still serves English, use the China App Store still shows English diagnostic instead. If your app is zh-Hans-primary and you need English for the US storefront, see App Store Connect localization: add English or change primary locale?
App Store Connect stores language and geography in separate places. English-primary indie apps usually get stuck because one layer looks “done” while another is empty.
Set once when you create the app. For most Western indies this is English (U.S.). Primary Language defines which locale Connect treats as the app’s administrative home: default labels in some admin views, the locale teammates see first, and the fallback metadata Apple uses when a buyer’s language row is missing or blank. Primary Language English does not mean China gets English on purpose — it means English is your canonical row until you fill others.
Under the App Store tab, each language is its own row: en-US, Chinese (Simplified) / zh-Hans, and others. Each row holds independent name, subtitle, keywords, description, promotional text, What’s New, screenshots, and preview assets. Adding zh-Hans creates the row structure; it does not copy or translate your en-US text. Saving Primary Language as English while zh-Hans fields stay empty is a valid Connect state — and a common reason the China storefront shows English.
Pricing and Availability controls which countries and regions can install the app. Checking China makes the app discoverable on the China App Store. It does not insert Chinese characters into any field. Availability answers “can they download?” Localizations answer “what copy do they read?”
All three must align for a finished China presence: China available, zh-Hans row added, and zh-Hans text fields saved (plus zh-Hans screenshots if you want a fully native gallery).
Connect’s UI reinforces the wrong mental model in two ways:
You usually do not need to change Primary Language to ship Chinese metadata. Keep English primary if your team, support, and default marketing stay en-US-first. The work is completing the zh-Hans row, not reordering the app record.
Use this order in App Store Connect before you pay for copy help or switch Primary Language:
When steps 1–2 are green but 3–4 fail, you need zh-Hans copy — not a Primary Language change. AppLocale writes that row from your existing English listing.
AppLocale is a one-time human EN↔CN rewrite for indie teams who understand Connect structure but need paste-ready zh-Hans fields:
Human rewrite from your live listing — not a machine translation dump. We improve clarity and search intent from your existing copy.
New to field order? See Chinese App Store listing for indie developers or the AppLocale product page.
No. Primary Language is the locale you set when creating the app record — usually en-US for Western indie teams. It does not auto-fill a Simplified Chinese (zh-Hans) localization row. China storefront buyers see zh-Hans fields when that row is complete; otherwise Apple falls back to your primary English metadata.
Primary Language is the app's home locale in Connect admin. Localization rows (en-US, zh-Hans, etc.) hold separate title, subtitle, keywords, and description per language. Storefront availability under Pricing and Availability controls which countries can download — enabling China does not create or translate a zh-Hans row.
Adding zh-Hans creates empty fields. Primary Language staying English is normal and correct for en-US-first apps. The gap is unfilled name, subtitle, keywords, or description in the zh-Hans row — not the primary locale setting itself.
Almost never for Western indie apps. Switching primary locale is an admin structural move — it does not translate fields and can confuse teammates who work in English. Fill the zh-Hans localization row instead; keep English primary if your operations stay en-US-first.
Your live App Store listing URL, your current English listing (title, subtitle, description, keywords if populated), target locale (zh-Hans), and any deadline. Reply from the email address on your Stripe receipt — we deliver to that Stripe email within 24 hours.
$79 one-time via Stripe checkout. No subscription. Seller is Fortune Insight, LLC.
No. We improve clarity and search intent from your existing copy. We do not promise keyword position, search rank, or download growth on the China storefront or any other market.
Not a machine translation dump, not Connect login or submission on your behalf, not ranking guarantees, not QuantRadar, and not investment or legal advice. We do not invent reviews, ratings, or traffic numbers.
AppLocale — complete the zh-Hans row for your English-primary app
$79 one-time
Buy AppLocale on StripeDelivered within 24 hours after Stripe payment. After checkout, reply from your Stripe receipt email with your App Store URL and existing listing copy.
No ranking guarantees. Sold by Fortune Insight, LLC.
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