App Store · GUIDE 01
Prepare App Store screenshots: an iPhone & iPad checklist
There is no single App Store screenshot size. Start with the device groups your app supports, match an accepted pixel size in Apple’s current table, and inspect the result in App Store Connect. A reference image is not an upload-ready asset.
Editorial diagram · illustrative, not a store screenshot.
Start with your supported devices
Before opening a design file, write down which platforms and devices your release supports. Separate iPhone, iPad and Mac work: a desktop reference is not a substitute for an iPad asset. Apple’s screenshot specification is organized by display group, not just by the marketing name of a phone. Use that table to identify your upload slots rather than guessing from the physical screen size.
For each group, record the accepted portrait and landscape sizes, the source capture device, language, and filename. Keep this manifest beside the exported files. If your release supports iPadOS, plan a separate iPad review: a phone interface enlarged to fill a tablet does not establish that the image accurately represents your tablet experience.
Compare real iPhone and iPad references on Snaps
Browse the iOS app screenshot library and compare how real listings present phone and tablet interfaces. Record the device and source app beside each reference, then return to Apple’s current specification for the dimensions of your own export. Snaps is a reference library, not an export validator.
Match pixels, not appearances
Apple’s screenshot specifications (linked below) accept .jpeg, .jpg and .png files and prohibit alpha channels or transparency. These are requirements, not styling suggestions. Inspect the exported file’s actual pixel dimensions in your image editor or operating system, not the dimensions of a frame around it in your design tool.
This preparation checklist deliberately does not reproduce Apple’s dimensional matrix. Open Apple’s screenshot specifications, select the exact display group for your upload, and copy its accepted orientation and dimensions into your manifest. Check required groups and fallback notes there before exporting; do not assume that any phone-sized image fits every slot.
Understand when scaling helps
Apple explains that when the interface is consistent across device sizes and localizations, you can provide screenshots at the highest required resolution and let App Store Connect scale them down. That is a workflow convenience, not a reason to ignore meaningful layout differences. Read the fallback notes for the specific groups in the official table.
If navigation, content density or available features differ on a smaller device, prepare tailored captures. Review each localization separately. A translated headline that fits on the source canvas may become cramped after scaling; an image that shows English UI is not automatically an adequate localized experience.
Walk a file through review
Take a screenshot from your own current build. Confirm that the visible feature is available to the audience you are addressing. Export to an accepted format, inspect dimensions and transparency, and upload it into the intended device and language slot in App Store Connect. Preview the listing rather than judging only the full-size export.
Look for clipped headings, unreadable interface labels, accidental personal information and a mismatch between the marketing claim and the actual UI. If upload fails, compare the file metadata with the exact slot’s specification first. Changing a filename will not repair an incorrect pixel size or an alpha channel.
Worked manifest: an unfinished upload decision
Hypothetical own-build example, not a verified upload: file saved-route-en-US.png; build demo-42; language en-US; device family iPhone; candidate slot iPhone with Dynamic Island (medium display); orientation portrait; inspected file dimensions 1206 × 2622 pixels; format PNG; alpha absent. This is an illustrative file record, not a claim that these dimensions are accepted for that slot.
Status: HOLD. Before upload, compare those measured pixels with the current Apple specification for the selected group, record the accepted-size match and then preview the en-US slot in App Store Connect. The original UI shows a saved route with no personal information; reviewer task is to confirm that the headline matches the shipped feature. A separate iPad manifest is still needed if the release supports iPadOS.
Pre-submission checklist
Confirm supported devices and current required display groups. Verify every export’s dimensions, orientation and format. Remove transparency. Review the actual app experience and localized wording. Inspect scaled and custom device variants. Check ordering in App Store Connect and revisit Apple’s accurate-metadata rules before submission.
Use Snaps to study how real publishers present their apps, then create original assets in your own capture and design tools. Snaps is a free reference library, not a screenshot generator, editor, file validator or submission service.
Sources & further reading
Editorial revision dated 21 October 2026. Apple screenshot specifications and Google Play preview-assets guidance were retrieved directly for this revision; other linked editorial and legal pages were not reverified. This is not a complete specification matrix or a report of an upload test. Requirements can change; confirm the current source before upload.