App Naming

Apps with names under 20 characters get ~40% more installs in 2026.

8-point naming checklist

Before committing:

1. Brandable, not descriptive — "Vectra" beats "BestPhotoEditorApp"
2. Memorable + spellable on first hearing — no unusual spellings, numbers, hyphens
3. One or two syllables ideal
4. .com or .app domain available — query 8 registrars at once via Namechk
5. USPTO clear in your filing class — Class 9 (downloadable software), Class 42 (SaaS) — pre-search at tmsearch.uspto.gov
6. App Store name not taken — search App Store + Google Play
7. No Apple-protected terms — "Apple," "iPhone," "iPad," "Apple Watch," "Mac," "App Store," "Siri," "Vision Pro," "AirPods", "Genius"
8. Bundle ID reverse-DNS — com.example.appname

2026 naming patterns that worked

Pattern A — "[Noun] AI" (Cal AI, Photo AI, HeadshotPro, Rizz AI, Plant AI)

Telegraphs "AI tool that does [obvious thing]." Apple algorithm indexes "AI" as high-volume keyword.