App Store Screenshot Sizes & Best Practices (2026 Guide)

Your screenshots are the first real look people get at your app. In App Store and Google Play search results they often show before your description is read, so they do much of the work of deciding whether someone taps in or scrolls past. Getting them right has two parts: meeting each store's technical requirements, and designing a set that explains the app quickly.

This guide covers both. The size table is checked against Apple's App Store Connect help and Google's Play Console help (linked in Sources), and the rest is practical advice on ordering, captions, frames, localisation and preview videos.

Required screenshot sizes

Apple groups iPhones and iPads into display classes and accepts a few exact pixel sizes for each. Google Play takes a different approach: it sets rules on dimensions and proportions rather than listing exact sizes.

Apple App Store

In practice you need one iPhone set, either 6.9" or 6.5". If you only upload 6.9" screenshots, Apple scales them down for the smaller display classes. If your app runs on iPad, you also need a 13" iPad set. Each display class takes 1 to 10 screenshots, as .jpeg, .jpg or .png files, and images can't include transparency.

Google Play

The Google Play rule that catches people out is that a screenshot's longer side can't be more than twice its shorter side. Raw screenshots from modern phones are taller than that, at around 2.17 : 1 to 2.24 : 1. For example, a Pixel 11 screenshot is 1080 × 2424. You'll need to crop them or place them on a 9:16 canvas. For the exact resolution and aspect ratio of each current phone, see our phone screen sizes and aspect ratios reference.

How many screenshots, and in which order

Apple allows up to 10 screenshots per display class, and Google Play allows up to 8 per device type. You don't have to fill every slot, but you do need to think carefully about the first few.

Most people never scroll through the full set. In search results and on the product page, they see the first screenshots (or your preview video) and decide from those. A useful way to plan the order:

1. Screenshot 1: the core promise. Show the single most important thing the app does, with a caption that says it in plain words. If someone sees only this image, they should understand what the app is for.
2. Screenshots 2 and 3: the main features. Show the features that make people choose your app over the alternatives, each shown in use.
3. Screenshots 4 onwards: supporting detail. Cover secondary features, customisation, integrations, and anything that reassures, such as privacy, offline use or accessibility.

Put each screenshot to one job. A set where every image says one clear thing reads much faster than a set where each image tries to show five features at once.

Captions and headlines

Most successful store screenshots put a short caption above or below the app screen. The caption does the explaining, so the screen doesn't have to be self-explanatory at thumbnail size.

• Keep captions short. Aim for three to six words that can be read at a glance on a phone, such as "Split bills in seconds" or "Track every workout".
• Lead with the benefit, not the feature name. "Never miss a payment" says more than "Reminders".
• Use large type with strong contrast. Store screenshots are shown small in search results, and thin or low-contrast text disappears.
• Keep the style consistent across the set. Use the same position, font and colour treatment on every screenshot so the set reads as one sequence.
• Avoid claims you can't back up. Google's store listing guidance specifically warns against text that implies ranking or awards, such as "#1" or "Best", in its graphic assets.

Apple's App Review Guidelines ask that screenshots show the app in use, not just title art, a login page or a splash screen. Captions and overlays are fine, but the app itself should always be visible.

Device frames vs full-bleed

There are two common styles:

• Full-bleed: the app screen fills the whole screenshot, sometimes with a caption band. This style shows the most UI and works well for games and immersive apps.
• Framed: the app screen sits inside a phone or tablet frame on a coloured background, with a caption above. This style leaves room for captions and gives the set a polished, consistent look. It also turns an over-tall raw screenshot into a shape that fits Google Play's 2 : 1 limit.

Neither style is a rule. Framed screenshots are the more common choice for utility and productivity apps; full-bleed is more common for games. Two exceptions: Google advises against device imagery in the feature graphic because it dates quickly, and Wear OS listings must not use device frames at all.

The same trade-off applies outside the stores. When you show app screens to stakeholders or partners, framed screens usually read better. We cover that in our tips for better iGaming presentation decks.

Localisation

Both stores let you upload different screenshots for each language you support. It's worth doing for your largest markets:

• Translate the captions, not just the store description. A screenshot with English captions in a Spanish listing looks unfinished.
• Capture the app in that language if it's localised, so the UI in the screenshot matches the caption.
• Leave room for longer text. German and French captions are often longer than English ones, so design caption areas with spare space.
• Check local formats such as dates, currencies and names in your sample data.

If you don't provide localised screenshots for a language, both stores fall back to your default assets. So start with the languages that bring the most installs rather than trying to cover all of them at once.

App previews and preview videos

Both stores let you add video, but they handle it very differently.

• App Store app previews are uploaded video files. You can add up to 3 per display class. Each one must be 15 to 30 seconds long, up to 500 MB, and up to 30 frames per second, as .mov, .m4v or .mp4. For current iPhone display classes, Apple accepts 886 × 1920 (portrait) or 1920 × 886 (landscape). An app preview plays before your screenshots, so it effectively takes the first position in the set.
• Google Play preview videos are a YouTube URL rather than an uploaded file, and you can add one. The video plays from your feature graphic, which is used as its cover image. Google highly recommends a video for games, and some Play placements require one.

A preview doesn't replace good screenshots. Many people never press play, and the screenshots still carry the listing for them.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Uploading the wrong pixel size. App Store Connect only accepts the exact sizes listed for each display class. A screenshot that's a few pixels off will be rejected, so export at the listed sizes rather than resizing by eye.
• Leaving transparency in PNGs. Neither store accepts screenshots with an alpha channel. Flatten images onto a solid background before you export.
• Showing placeholder or personal data. "Lorem ipsum", test accounts and real customer names all look unprofessional or cause privacy problems. Create a clean demo account with realistic sample content.
• Outdated UI. Screenshots that no longer match the app confuse new users and can be flagged in review. Update them whenever a major screen changes.
• Captions that are too small. Always preview your set at the size it appears in search results on a phone. If you can't read a caption there, it's too small.
• Mixed styles. Screenshots made at different times with different fonts, frames and backgrounds make the listing look patched together. Treat the set as one design.

How to make App Store screenshots in PhoneShotter

You don't need a designer to produce a clean, framed set. Here's a quick workflow using PhoneShotter, which runs in your browser:

1. Capture your screens. Take screenshots on a current device, or export frames from your design tool, at the native resolution. Use realistic data and clear any debug overlays.
2. Open PhoneShotter and add a screenshot. Paste it or upload it. Processing happens in your browser, so unreleased screens stay on your machine.
3. Choose the frame and angle. For store screenshots, a straight-on phone frame is usually best. Save angled views for feature graphics and presentations.
4. Add the status bar and Dynamic Island overlays if your screenshot was cropped or cleaned, so the frame looks complete.
5. Export as PNG. Place the framed phone on a canvas at the exact store size, for example 1320 × 2868 for Apple's 6.9" class or 1080 × 1920 for Google Play. Add your caption above it.
6. Repeat for each screenshot with the same frame, angle and caption position, so the set looks consistent.

Try PhoneShotter for your next release. It's free and doesn't need an account.

Sources

• Apple: App Store Connect screenshot specifications
• Apple: App Store Connect app preview specifications
• Apple: App Review Guidelines
• Google Play Console Help: add preview assets to showcase your app