App Store Screenshot Guidelines: Requirements and Best Practices

July 31, 2026 · 8 min read

A screenshot can pass the upload validator and still be a poor store asset. Apple and Google each apply two layers of guidance: technical requirements that determine whether the file is accepted, and content rules that determine whether the image represents the app honestly and remains eligible for prominent placement.

This guide covers both layers. If you only need the pixel table, use the focused App Store and Google Play screenshot size checklist.

The requirements at a glance

Apple currently accepts several resolutions for its 6.9-inch iPhone and 13-inch iPad slots. Storeboard delivers 1290 × 2796 for iPhone and 2048 × 2732 for iPad, both accepted sizes. The current matrix lives in Apple's screenshot specifications. Google's phone-first standard is 1080 × 1920, with separate 7-inch and 10-inch tablet slots.

Show the app people will actually download

The safest rule is simple: every product claim in the gallery should be supported by a real screen or a real interaction in the current app. Apple's review guideline 2.3.3 asks screenshots to show the app in use, not only title art, a login page, or a splash screen. Google likewise requires screenshots to demonstrate the actual in-app or in-game experience.

• Use current production UI, not a speculative redesign.
• Do not show a feature that is still on the roadmap.
• Remove personal data, test accounts, notifications, and unrelated status-bar clutter.
• Make the real interface large enough to understand on a phone.
• Use a frame and marketing background only when the app remains the evidence.

The separate guide to Apple guideline 2.3.3 and AI-generated screenshots explains why Storeboard composites a supplied app screen after generating the marketing layer instead of asking an image model to repaint the UI.

Keep screenshot copy short and defensible

A screenshot headline should explain the benefit of the screen, not repeat every control visible inside it. Three to six words is usually enough for a strong headline. Add a short supporting line only when the benefit would otherwise be unclear.

Google's current guidance also recommends avoiding:

• Claims about rankings, awards, download counts, or store performance.
• Testimonials and price promotions inside the image.
• Calls to action such as "Install now" or "Try now."
• Small text, overloaded backgrounds, or copy that can expire quickly.
• Third-party characters, logos, or other material you do not have permission to use.

Read Google's complete preview asset requirements before submission. The rules cover feature graphics, screenshots, videos, accessibility, and device-specific exceptions in one place.

Treat the first three images as a complete pitch

A visitor may never swipe to screenshot four. Google also recommends prioritizing real UI in the first three images, even when a stylized background continues across the gallery. Build the opening sequence so it works without the rest of the set.

1. Lead with the outcome. Show the strongest finished state and name the main benefit.
2. Prove the core action. Show how a person reaches that result in the real interface.
3. Remove the main objection. Show speed, simplicity, collaboration, privacy, or another reason to believe.
4. Expand the story. Use later images for secondary workflows, devices, integrations, or personalization.
5. Close with confidence. End on a broad result or a memorable brand frame, without relying on a prohibited call to action.

Connected backgrounds are allowed, but every panel should still make sense alone. The panoramic screenshot guide shows how to balance continuity with standalone clarity.

Localize every word added to the image

Google recommends separate screenshots and promotional videos for every supported language when the asset contains text. Apple lets you upload screenshots by localization and falls back to another language when a localized asset is missing.

Adapt the message instead of translating it word for word. A German headline may need to be shorter, Japanese line breaks need different treatment, and an Arabic layout needs a right-to-left composition. The App Store localization guide covers the workflow in detail.

Run this pre-submission check

• Every file matches an accepted slot size and contains no alpha channel.
• The gallery shows the current app, with no invented screens or unsupported claims.
• The first three images explain the outcome, action, and reason to believe.
• Headlines remain readable at actual phone size.
• Google Play images contain no rankings, testimonials, prices, or install prompts.
• Each supported locale has adapted marketing text.
• Phone and tablet sets show UI that belongs to the corresponding device experience.
• Files are ordered correctly before upload, with no duplicate or stale version.

Once the set is compliant, test one meaningful creative decision at a time. The screenshot A/B testing guide explains how to compare directions without changing so many variables that the result becomes impossible to interpret.