How to change App Display Name in Expo Managed app after publishing to App Store?

Question

We have an Expo managed app. Initially we’ve set expo.name to Bridge - Debit Card in app.json file. We successfully released it into both stores - App Store and Google Play.

But later we noticed that app display name (the app name on device desktop right under the app icon) looks clumsy. It looks like BridgeDe... on iOS.

So, we changed expo.name to simply Bridge, rebuilt the standalone app, and posted new binaries into both app stores again.

Google Play just ate new binaries without any problems, the new short app name appeared on Android devices.

But we can’t pass Apple verification during uploading .ipa file. We use Transporter app on Mac. It shows an error:

ITMS-90129: The bundle uses a bundle name or display name that is already taken.

But we have no apps with such name in AppStore.

We tried to return expo.name to old value Bridge - Debit Card and add CFBundleDisplayName (and later CFBundleName) with Bridge value into expo.ios.infoPlist, but no luck: app released in AppStore just fine (verification passed with old expo.name), but has a long and truncated name under app icon. So, that option simply didn't do a trick, nothing changed.

This is an app.json example of our app:

{
  "expo": {
    "name": "Bridge - Debit Card",
    "slug": "bridge-debit-card",
    "owner": "bridge",
    "ios": {
      "buildNumber": "1.0.4",
      "icon": "./assets/images/icon.png",
      "googleServicesFile": "./GoogleService-Info.plist",
      "infoPlist": {
        "CFBundleDisplayName": "Bridge",
      }
   }
}

Could someone suggest a solution how to achieve our goal: have shorter app name on device desktop and longer name in the App Store listings? Important note that our apps already published. I don't want to eject and change bundleIdentifier.

I will appreciate any help, any idea!

Answer 1

I figured out how to resolve this issue. The first time you create a build (using eas build) and submit it to App Store Connect, Expo will provide the name property from app.json as the name of your app's App Store listing (which has to be unique) and your app's display name (which is shown on the home screen and does not have to be unique). If you rebuild your app in a new version and change the name property in app.json to something else, only your app's display name will change, not your app's unique App Store listing name.