The 325 character limit is really inexcusable. My main problem is that I need to use all the space just to describe, in broad terms, what the app does. There is really no room to mention the specific features that differentiate my app from my competitors. If I add a great new feature, can I mention that in the description in order to drive sales? Probably not. Does that reduce my motivation to add new features? Yes somewhat - especially if the other option is adding stuff to an Apple app where I can use the app store description to drive sales.
This really shouldn't be such a big problem. Apple has it right with its 4000 char limit. Has anyone really thought "This description is unbearably long - I wish Apple would limit them to a couple sentences."? No, if it's too long, you read what you need to form your opinion and skip the rest. This is such a no-brainer that I really wonder if there is some sort of political reason for this. Has anyone checked the new Chrome app store to see if it also has a 325 description limit? On Aug 20, 10:05 am, TreKing <[email protected]> wrote: > On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 11:17 AM, Bret Foreman <[email protected]>wrote: > > > > > Their blurb in the Marketplaces is well under the 325 character limit. > > Their blurb in the Marketplace also actually describes what the app does, > unlike the quote you posted. > > On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 11:31 AM, Phill Wiggin <[email protected]> wrote: > > Maybe not "every shopper", but typically the majority of people that are > > looking for apps.... > > That's the point. Majority or not, what's the harm in giving more > information? The majority of people will get bored after two sentences and > move on. Oh well. No one is forcing them to read anything. But for the rest, > the OPTION to read more would be nice. > > > An application that costs no more than a box of cereal should not have > >>> any more descriptive text than a box of cereal. > >>> An app that costs as much as a DVD should not have more text than you see > >>> on a typical DVD box. > > >> The logic behind those statements is so stupid I'm not going to justify it > >> with an answer. > > > No need to be rude. > > True. Sorry. But there's also no need to make nonsensical statements that > have no basis or reason. > > > From a marketing standpoint, those statements aren't far off. Then again, > > Marketing rarely has much to do with logic > > Stating that the value of something somehow correlates to the amount of text > used to describe it and comparing Android apps to cereal and DVDs sounds > pretty far off to me. > > > So Locale is what, an app judges use to identify the person who's phone is > >> ringing in their courtroom? > > > I expect your question is rhetorical... But considering the results, the > > Marketing is sound. In their case, it was better to deliver a shocker that > > drew people in rather than explain the technical details of their app. > > Of course it is rhetorical. > What results? Their app popularity? I somehow doubt that one quote is the > driving factor for their success. > It's also good to note that that quote is not what they use as their > description. > And do you suppose their description would be that short if it didn't need > to be? > > > In the end, the important thing is: Know your audience. The majority of > > app-store shoppers are a certain demographic. > > Right. And there are A LOT of apps that cater to A LOT of different people > and purposes. 325 characters might be fine for something simple like Locale > but is inadequate for many other apps where elaborating on features is what > sets you apart. > > > I wouldn't be surprised to find that most of that demographic react better > > to short bursts of information and taglines (e.g. effective marketing), > > rather than 100% accurate app descriptions. > > I wouldn't either, but what is the harm in giving people the option? > > > Besides, full details of your app should be found on your website. > > Of course. But AGAIN, I'm not talking about "full details" - I'm talking > about enough space to properly DESCRIBE, PROMOTE, and SELL your product. If > you feel you can do that in 325 characters, congratulations. I really don't > and it would be nice to have the OPTION to be as detailed and verbose or > simple and to-the-point as I felt I needed to be to sell my product. > > As a user, it would be nice to have the OPTION to read as much as I wanted > to determine if an app was worth my time without having to navigate to a > website or download the app and try it out to find out if it does what I > want. > > > So, anyone that _really_ wants to know what you've got to offer will > > probably be willing to open the browser and see all you have to say.... > > Whether that's 325 characters or 325k. > > Yes, and the majority of people that you referred to that don't have the > attention span to read more text won't bother, won't see the full potential > of your app, and will just move on. Given the options of: > > a) reading more right on your description page > b) having to click through to your website > c) having to install the app to see what it's really about > > I have to believe that this majority you speak of that has the attention > span of a 3-year-old would prefer the convenience of option a. > > It's seriously boggling my mind that any developers would be opposed to the > idea of the OPTION of adding more text. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > TreKing <http://sites.google.com/site/rezmobileapps/treking> - Chicago > transit tracking app for Android-powered devices -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
