App naming guides
The rules the stores enforce, the mistakes that cost a rebrand, and the checks worth doing on day 0.
How to check if an app name is taken
The four places an app name can collide, in the order that actually matters, and what a clear result does and doesn't mean.
7 min read
App Store app-name rules: 30 characters, reserved names and subtitle tricks
What Apple lets you put in the name field, how reservations work, and how to use the subtitle so the name can stay short.
6 min read
Google Play title rules and the rejections people actually get
Google's title policy is stricter than Apple's on marketing language. Here's what gets flagged and how to write a title that clears review.
5 min read
.com vs .app vs .dev vs .io: which TLD for an app in 2026
The four extensions app founders actually choose between, what each one signals, and when a taken .com stops mattering.
5 min read
Handle consistency: one name across X, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram
Why the handle should be chosen before the domain, each platform's length limits, and what to do when one network is taken.
5 min read
Why available isn't clear: trademarks 101 for indie devs
A domain and a handle don't give you the right to a name. How trademark classes work, how to run a basic USPTO search, and when to get a lawyer.
8 min read
npm, GitHub and Product Hunt: claim your dev namespaces on day 0
The three developer namespaces that are free to claim and almost impossible to recover, and how to check each one.
4 min read
Naming an app when the .com is taken: 7 patterns that work
The .com is gone for almost every good word. Here are the seven naming patterns that still get you a clean domain, a free handle and a name people can spell.
7 min read
The vibe coder naming checklist
Twenty checks in the order that matters, from saying it out loud to claiming the npm name, so your app's name is settled before you generate the first screen.
5 min read
Five app naming case studies: what worked, what it cost
Instagram, Slack, Threads, X and Cash App: five documented naming decisions, what each got right or wrong, and the lesson for a small team naming an app.
7 min read