Localize App Store Screenshots to Urdu
اردو
Pakistan + Indian Urdu speakers = ~230M speakers.
Why Urdu matters
Urdu reaches ~230M across Pakistan and northern India, a young, largely Android and highly price-sensitive audience where install volume matters more than ARPU. It is right-to-left and traditionally set in Nastaliq (a sloping, cascading calligraphic style where words step diagonally downward), which standard Arabic Naskh fonts cannot reproduce. Naskh is legible but instantly reads as 'not really Urdu' to native users, and the diagonal baseline means Nastaliq needs far more line-height than Latin or Arabic.
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اپنے گھر والوں کو فوری طور پر پیسے بھیجیں
Localization tips for Urdu
- 1 Set Urdu in a true Nastaliq face (Noto Nastaliq Urdu); Naskh Arabic fonts are readable but look foreign to Urdu readers.
- 2 Nastaliq cascades diagonally and stacks glyphs, so budget generous line-height well above Latin or Arabic, or one line's descenders collide with the next.
- 3 Mirror the layout for RTL but keep numerals and Latin brand names LTR; Urdu uses Eastern Arabic digits (۹۹۹) or Western digits depending on audience. Pick one.
- 4 Urdu and Hindi are the same spoken language written in completely different scripts, so you cannot transliterate one into the other with a lookup table.
- 5 Nastaliq's wide, overlapping forms occupy more visual width than a character count implies. Leave real slack around headlines.
- 6 Register skews formal and respectful (آپ, verb endings ‑یں/‑یے); avoid the casual تُو except for playful youth apps.
Fonts for Urdu
Noto Nastaliq Urdu (strongly preferred: true sloping Nastaliq with proper mark stacking), or as fallbacks Jameel Noori Nastaleeq / Noto Sans Arabic; a plain Naskh Arabic font renders Urdu upright and flat, which reads as amateur.
Most common mistake
Setting Urdu in a standard Arabic Naskh font: it renders and is readable, but the upright, non-cascading letters look wrong to Urdu speakers and signal a careless, auto-translated listing.
Urdu localization FAQ
What App Store Connect locale code should I use for Urdu?
Use ur when adding Urdu (اردو) screenshots in App Store Connect or Google Play Console. Using the wrong code means your localized screenshots never reach Urdu users.
Does text expansion affect Urdu screenshot design?
Urdu runs +20% vs English on average character count. You should design buttons and headlines with explicit overflow headroom, because text that fits in English will break in Urdu.
Does Shotlingo automatically localize screenshots to Urdu?
Yes. Shotlingo auto-translates your App Store screenshot text to Urdu (اردو) with AI that respects text expansion, RTL layout mirroring, and platform-appropriate fonts. Export the localized bundle ready for App Store Connect locale ur.
Do I have to translate my App Store screenshots to Urdu?
If Urdu is a major market for your app, yes. Unlocalized screenshots significantly reduce conversion, because users scroll past copy they cannot read. Even partial localization (headlines only) typically beats English-only.
Localize your screenshots to Urdu automatically
Shotlingo handles expansion, fonts, RTL mirroring, and App Store Connect locale codes for you. Free to try.
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