What does the name checker look at?
Your name, in the App Store country you pick. Your browser asks Apple's public search for iOS apps that match it, and the checker sorts what comes back:
- Same name. A live app with your name, once case, accents, spaces and punctuation are set aside.
- Same brand. Apps with the same part before a colon or dash. In "Pebble: Daily Habit Tracker", the brand is "Pebble".
- A letter or two off. Names that are almost yours, like "Pebbel" next to "Pebble".
- Other names with your brand. Apps whose names start with it or have it as a word.
Under that are the 6 closest live apps, each with a link to its App Store page. The checker also counts your name against Apple's 30-character limit as you type.
What are Apple's rules for an app name?
App Store Connect Help says the name must be at least two characters and no more than 30. You can edit it until you submit the app to App Review. After that, you can change it when you create a new version.
Apple's product page guide asks for a simple, memorable name that's easy to spell and hints at what the app does. It says to be distinctive, and to avoid generic terms and names too similar to existing apps.
The App Review Guidelines ask you to choose a unique app name and not to pack it with trademarked terms or popular app names. They also say you can't use another developer's brand or product name in yours without their approval.
Can two apps have the same name?
Not in the same localization. App Store Connect Help says you can use an app name for one app per localization. A localization is a version of your listing for one language, such as English (U.S.) or German.
What can I do if the name is taken?
Apple's help covers two cases:
- The app using it is yours. Rename that app in an update, or remove it from App Store Connect so a new app record can use the name. Apple warns that removing an app loses you the name, and the app can only come back if no other developer has taken it since.
- Another developer uses it, and you have trademark rights to it. Apple says you can submit a claim. The link is on its Add a new app page.
If neither fits, you'll need another name. The closest matches here show what's already live, so you can see how crowded a word is before you pick one.
Does no match mean the name is available?
No. It means no live app was found. Apple's search only shows apps that are live in that country's App Store. An app in App Store Connect that isn't out yet, isn't sold in that country or was taken off sale can still hold the name, and it won't show up here.
The only sure answer comes from App Store Connect itself. Apple's Add a new app page says what to do when the name you want is unavailable.
What about trademarks?
The checker doesn't look at them. A name with no match on the App Store can still be someone's trademark, and Apple's guidelines say not to use trademarks without permission. Look them up yourself in the countries you'll sell in.
Does it store anything?
No. Your browser asks Apple's public search directly, and nothing is saved, on our side or anywhere else.
Apple's rules from App Store Connect Help, the product page guide and the App Review Guidelines, checked October 21, 2026. To count your subtitle and keywords too, use the character counter and the keyword checker.