What do you need to ship App Store screenshots?
Published
Short answer
Four things: one set of images at the size the store requires, enough of them to tell a coherent story, files that pass the upload rules, and a source you can re-export when the copy changes. For the App Store that means a 6.9-inch iPhone set — one to ten images per localisation, PNG or JPEG without transparency1 (source 1). Google Play is a separate deliverable with its own rules, not a resize of the same files.
Key points
- The required work is smaller than the store’s size table suggests: one iPhone set, plus one iPad set if the app runs on iPad.
- The two stores are not interchangeable. Google Play rejects any screenshot whose long side is more than twice its short side2 (source 2), which rules out every App Store phone size.
- Most of the real cost is not the first set. It is the second one, after a rename, a redesign or a new language.
- Nothing here guarantees review approval. Store rules cover content as well as dimensions, and they change.
The whole job, in order
- Capture raw screens. Use a simulator or device whose native resolution matches your target size, so nothing is resampled before you start.
- Decide the story. A set is a sequence, not a gallery. The first image carries the most weight, because it is the one shown in search results.
- Design at the required size. One set at the largest required display, and let the store scale down.
- Export to the store’s file rules. Correct pixel dimensions, no alpha channel, one of the accepted formats.
- Keep the source editable. The set will change. What you keep after the first export decides how expensive the second one is.
What each store wants
| App Store | Google Play | |
|---|---|---|
| Required phone set | 6.9″ — e.g. 1290 × 2796 portrait | No fixed size; 1080 × 1920 is the norm |
| Count | 1 to 10 per localisation | Up to 8 per device type; at least 2 to publish |
| Formats | PNG, JPG, JPEG | JPEG or 24-bit PNG |
| Transparency | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Shape rule | Must match a listed pixel size exactly | Long side at most twice the short side; 320–3840 px per side |
| Extra asset | — | Feature graphic at 1024 × 500 |
The last row of that table is the one that surprises people. An App Store phone screenshot is roughly 1:2.17, which is outside Play’s limit2 (source 2). Shipping to both stores means two sets, not one set exported twice.
Where screenshot sets usually go wrong
- Transparency in the PNG. The export looks correct and the upload is refused. It is the single most common avoidable rejection.
- Text sized for a design canvas, not a thumbnail. Store search shows the first screenshot small. Headlines that read fine at full size disappear there.
- A flattened export with no source. The next copy change means rebuilding rather than editing.
- One set treated as universal. Different stores, different rules — and each localisation is its own upload.
Guides in this series
- How do you make App Store screenshots? — the end-to-end process, for someone with no designer to hand it to.
- Can AI generate App Store screenshots? — two very different things are sold under that name, and only one produces a file you can upload.
- How do you capture clean iOS Simulator screenshots? — getting the raw source captures right, before any marketing design happens.
- What screenshot sizes does the App Store require? — which display classes are mandatory, which are optional, and what Apple does with the ones you skip.
- What screenshot sizes does Google Play require? — why Play sets a shape rule instead of a size list, and why no App Store screenshot passes it.
- Why was your App Store screenshot rejected? — two different failures wear that name, and they have different fixes.
- How do you make App Store screenshots in Figma? — a working method, and the export detail that turns a finished file into a rejected upload.
- What are the options for making App Store screenshots? — four approaches compared, written by the maintainer of one of them and disclosing it.
- Do App Store screenshots need a device frame? — a rules question before it is a design question.
More are being written. This list only ever contains pages that exist.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a designer for this?
No, but you do need a consistent layout system: a repeating headline position, a shared background treatment and a device frame used the same way on every screen. Sets fail more often from inconsistency than from weak visuals.
How many screenshots should I actually upload?
The stores set only the limits — one to ten on the App Store, up to eight per device type on Play. There is no reliable public number for the ideal count, so treat any specific recommendation, including one on this site, as opinion rather than evidence.
Can one set serve both stores?
Not with the same files. The App Store demands exact pixel dimensions that Play’s shape rule rejects, so plan for two exports from one editable source.
Sources
- 1Screenshot specifications — App Store Connect Help — Apple Developer, iPhone and iPad display size tables. Read .
- 2Add preview assets to showcase your app — Google Play Console Help, phone screenshot requirements. Read .