PERRLA/Guides/APA 7/Mobile app

How to Cite a Mobile App in APA 7

An APA 7 mobile app reference lists the app's developer as the author, the year of the version you used, the app's name in italics, the version number in parentheses, the description [Mobile app], the store you got it from (App Store or Google Play Store), and the app's URL. The in-text citation is the developer and the year: (Lexi-Comp, 2026).

The format

Developer. (Year). Name of app (Version x.x) [Mobile app]. App Store. URL
Developer. (Year). Title of entry. In Name of app (Version x.x) [Mobile app]. App Store. URL

PERRLA APA Experts · Updated October 22, 2026
Checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition. Every example is formatted by PERRLA's reference engine.

First, the easy way: PERRLA

Paste the app's App Store link into PERRLA's reference search. PERRLA reads the listing and fills in the developer as a group author, the app's name, the current version number, the year that version came out, App Store as the source, and the link. It leaves off business endings like Inc., the way APA wants it.

Then check what came in against the app. The version and year: the listing gives the newest version and the year it came out, so if your phone has an older version, type yours and its year. The developer: PERRLA copies the name the store shows, so fix it if the store has it wrong (the CDC's listing says Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, with a capital F), and add an abbreviation like CDC in the Abbrev. box. And the app's name: PERRLA brings it in the way the store spells it, so if the store uses title case (CDC Vaccine Schedules), put it in sentence case. When you type a name in title case yourself, PERRLA points it out and offers to fix it for you.

Got the app from Google Play? PERRLA's search reads a Google Play link as a webpage, so add that one by hand. Choose Software, AI, & Mobile Apps, then A mobile app, or A reference entry in a mobile app for one entry inside an app, like a drug monograph. Add the developer as a Group Author (Organization), with an abbreviation like CDC in the Abbrev. box if it has one, and fill in Software or App Name, Version Number, Publication Year, the store in Mobile Platform Store, and the URL. The Software Platform box (iOS, Android) is used in your Turabian references; APA leaves it out.

Look up
Paste an App Store link, get the reference

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/uptodate-lexidrug/id313401238

Lexi-Comp. (2026). UpToDate Lexidrug (Version 9.6.0) [Mobile app]. App Store. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/uptodate-lexidrug/id313401238

Not using PERRLA yet? Here is how to build the same reference by hand.

The parts of the reference

1. Developer (author)

The author is whoever made the app, usually a company or an organization, written as a group author. Leave off business endings like Inc. or LLC.

Lexi-Comp.

Find the developer under the app's name in the store listing. An agency's app gets the agency's full name, and its abbreviation goes only in your in-text citations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If a person made the app, write their last name and initials, as with any author.

2. Year

Give the year the version you used came out, not the year the app first launched. Lexidrug has been on the App Store since 2009, but version 9.6.0 came out in 2026.

(2026).

The App Store shows each version's date in its version history. Google Play shows an "Updated on" date.

3. App name

Write the app's name in italics and in sentence case, keeping capitals that belong to a name, like UpToDate or CDC.

UpToDate Lexidrug

4. Version

Put the version number in parentheses after the name, with the word Version. It isn't italic.

UpToDate Lexidrug (Version 9.6.0)

Find it in the App Store's version history, or in the app's own About or Settings screen. Google Play's web listing doesn't always show one version number, so check the app's information on your phone. If you can't find a version, leave this part out.

5. Description

After the version, add [Mobile app] in square brackets, with no italics. It tells readers this isn't a book or a website.

(Version 9.6.0) [Mobile app].

6. Store and URL

Name the store where you got the app, then give the link to its listing. Use the store's own name: App Store or Google Play Store.

App Store. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/uptodate-lexidrug/id313401238

Downloaded the app from the developer's own website instead? Leave the store out and link to the developer's page for the app. If a different company distributes it, name that company where the store would go.

Examples

A mobile app from the App Store

UpToDate Lexidrug, the drug reference app many nursing and pharmacy programs use, version 9.6.0, released October 15, 2026. The App Store lists the developer as Lexi-Comp.

  • Parenthetical citation(Lexi-Comp, 2026)
  • Narrative citationLexi-Comp (2026)

An app from a government agency

The CDC's free immunization schedule app, version 13.1.18, released September 29, 2026. The agency's full name goes in the reference. The abbreviation shows up in the first citation and replaces the name after that.

  • Parenthetical citation(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2026)
  • Narrative citationCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2026)
  • Later citations(CDC, 2026)

An app from Google Play, with no version

Medscape for Android, last updated October 16, 2026. Google Play lists the developer as WebMD, LLC, and the reference drops the LLC. The listing doesn't show a single version number, so this reference leaves the version out. If you can see the version on your phone, add it.

  • Parenthetical citation(WebMD, 2026)
  • Narrative citationWebMD (2026)

An entry inside an app

When you use one entry, like a single drug monograph, cite the entry. After the developer and the year comes the entry's title, in plain text, then In and the app's details. This one is the amoxicillin monograph in UpToDate Lexidrug.

  • Parenthetical citation(Lexi-Comp, 2026)
  • Narrative citationLexi-Comp (2026)

In-text citations

An APA 7 in-text citation for an app gives the developer and the year, the same as any group author. Name the app in your sentence so readers know which one you used.

  • Parenthetical: (Lexi-Comp, 2026)
  • Narrative: Lexi-Comp (2026)
  • Naming the app: The UpToDate Lexidrug app (Lexi-Comp, 2026) lists the adult dose.
  • A developer with an abbreviation: the full name and the abbreviation the first time, (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2026), and just the abbreviation after that, (CDC, 2026)
  • An entry in an app: the developer or the entry's author and the year, like the app itself: (Lexi-Comp, 2026)

Apps don't have page numbers. When you quote one, name the entry or the screen in your sentence so readers can find the words.

Common mistakes

  • Lexi-Comp, Inc. (2026).Lexi-Comp. (2026).APA leaves business endings like Inc. and LLC out of the reference.
  • UpToDate Lexidrug (Version 9.6.0) [Mobile app].UpToDate Lexidrug (Version 9.6.0) [Mobile app].Only the app's name is italic. The version and the bracketed description are plain text.
  • Lexi-Comp. (2009).Lexi-Comp. (2026).Use the year of the version you used, not the year the app first came out.
  • (UpToDate Lexidrug, 2026)(Lexi-Comp, 2026)The citation names the developer. The app's name belongs in your sentence.
  • A reference for Google Maps because your paper says you used it to plan clinical travelNo referenceA general mention of a common app doesn't need a citation. Cite an app when you use information from it.

Quick checklist

  • The developer as the author, with no Inc. or LLC
  • The year of the version you used
  • The app's name in italics and sentence case
  • (Version x.x) in plain text, or nothing if there's no version
  • [Mobile app], then App Store or Google Play Store
  • The link to the app's listing
  • For one entry: the entry's title, then In and the app's details

Questions students ask

Where do I find an app's version number?

On an iPhone, open the app's App Store page and look at its version history, or check the app's About or Settings screen. On Android, look at the app's information in your phone's settings. If you can't find a version, leave it out of the reference.

Should I cite the app or the website?

Cite the one you used. Many clinical references, like Medscape and UpToDate, come as both a website and an app. If you read it in a browser, use the webpage format. If you read it in the app, use the app format on this page.

How do I cite one drug or entry inside an app?

Start with the author and year, then the entry's title in plain text, then In and the app's name in italics, the version, [Mobile app], the store, and the URL. In PERRLA, choose A reference entry in a mobile app. If the entry has no author, its title moves to the front, followed by the year.

Do I need a reference for apps like Instagram or Google Maps?

Not when you only mention them. APA doesn't require a citation for a general mention of a common app. To quote or discuss a specific post, cite the post itself, the way you'd cite any social media.

What if I downloaded the app from the publisher, not a store?

Leave the store out and end with the link to the developer's page for the app. If a different company distributes the app, name that company where the store would go. When the developer and the distributor are the same, APA gives the name only once, as the author.

Rules checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), Sections 8.4, 8.17, 8.21, 9.11–9.14, 9.18–9.21, 9.24, 9.29, and 10.10 (its mobile app and app entry examples). App Store details (developer, version, version date, and first release date) were checked against Apple's own listing data on October 21 and 22, 2026, and the Medscape listing (developer and Updated on date) against Google Play the same days.

PERRLA builds the app reference from its App Store link, with the developer, the version, and [Mobile app] in place.

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