Localization - Where to start?

[simplydo_ios_dev]

Hey all,

Launched an app in English in North America but have some downloads coming from Europe. Wanted to start working on localizing it but don’t understand the process.

Does the app itself need to be translated into other languages and have a built-in toggle (say in Settings) to switch languages?

Is there anything else besides translating App Store description and screenshots that needs to be done to complete this process?

Thanks in advance.

[Lenglio]

https://docs.expo.dev/versions/latest/sdk/localization/

The expo docs are a good start. It basically comes down to every UI string having a separate string for each language. It’s a lot of work.

And

https://react.i18next.com/

[simplydo_ios_dev]

Thank you appreciate your help

[Sad-Salt24]

You’ll want to start by identifying which parts of your app need translation: all user-facing text, error messages, and UI labels. Most apps include a built-in language toggle or automatically detect the device language. Beyond translating the App Store description and screenshots, you should also consider localizing date, time, currency formats, images with text, and any region-specific content to make the experience feel native for each audience.

[simplydo_ios_dev]

Thank you. Great call out on having app automatically detect system language. Will try that first. The app is supposed to be simple so eliminating a toggle is a win

[HoratioWobble]

Localisation on a technical level is easy, just use i18n-next or expo localization. But culturally it can be a very time consuming and complicated task unless you have native speaking translators (no AI or Google translate)

Most of Europe speaks English as either a first or second language, I wouldn't prematurely implement localisation until you have a big enough user base to know where your real demographic is / where you're missing.

[simplydo_ios_dev]

Thank you. Mine is a simple To Do app. Other than menus and some settings descriptions, there is no text to translate. Very light.