App screenshot guide
App Store vs Google Play Screenshot Requirements
The story can stay connected across stores, but the finished files should not be identical. Apple uses exact display slots; Google Play uses dimension ranges, ratios, device types, and promotional guidance.
Apple accepts one to ten screenshots in exact display-slot dimensions, while Google Play allows up to eight screenshots per device type within a 320–3840 px range and limits the long side to twice the short side. Build one master story, then reflow it into separate Apple and Google outputs rather than stretching one finished image.
App Store and Google Play requirements side by side
| Decision | Apple App Store | Google Play |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 1–10 screenshots | Up to 8 per supported device type; at least 2 to publish a listing |
| Phone dimensions | Exact accepted display-slot dimensions | Each side 320–3840 px; long side no more than 2× short side |
| Common portrait canvas | 1320 × 2868 is one accepted 6.9-inch iPhone size | 1080 × 1920 follows Google’s 9:16 recommendation pattern |
| Format | JPEG, JPG, or PNG; no alpha/transparency | JPEG or 24-bit PNG; no alpha |
| Device organization | Separate platform/display-size wells | Separate phone, tablet, Chromebook, TV, Wear OS, Automotive, and XR types |
| Scaling | Highest-resolution assets may scale to smaller device sizes when UI is the same | No equivalent Apple-style display-slot scaling promise |
| Promotional guidance | Accurately communicate the app experience | Additional recommendations influence eligibility and presentation on promotional surfaces |
Map one master element to two store outputs
Master element: “Plan the week”
Keep the benefit, current UI source, brand palette, and story position as reusable decisions.
Apple output
Reflow into an accepted iPhone canvas such as 1320 × 2868. Preserve the main UI focal point and confirm the exact destination slot.
Google output
Reflow into a valid Play canvas such as 1080 × 1920. Recheck caption wrapping, larger UI scale, and promotional-surface crop.
The relationship is semantic, not pixel-identical: the same promise and proof can use different whitespace, device scale, and crop in each store.
What changes for the Apple App Store
Exact display slots
Apple lists accepted pixel dimensions for each display family. A finished Google asset does not automatically match one of those slots. Apple may scale a supplied highest-resolution set to smaller sizes when the interface is the same, but you can supply custom assets through Media Manager.
Platform and localization wells
Review iPhone, iPad, and any other supported Apple platforms separately. Verify that screenshots are attached to the intended locale and that the same orientation choice tells a coherent story.
Number and file constraints
Apple permits one to ten screenshots in JPEG, JPG, or PNG and does not accept alpha channels or transparency.
What changes for Google Play
Ranges and aspect ratio
Google permits a wider dimension range, but the long side cannot be more than twice the short side. Its recommendations for 9:16 portrait and 16:9 landscape assets matter when you want screenshots to work well across discovery and promotional surfaces.
Device-specific listings
Phone, tablets, Chromebook, TV, Wear OS, Automotive, and XR can have different requirements. Large-screen screenshots use their own resolution and ratio guidance; Wear OS screenshots must show only the watch experience and must not be placed in a device frame.
Required versus recommended
Google explicitly separates mandatory content rules from highly recommended guidance. A technically accepted phone image may still be poorly suited to recommendations if key content is crowded, unreadable, or cropped.
What should stay connected
- The audience and primary user outcome.
- The first-three sequence: promise, UI proof, differentiator.
- Current source captures and safe demonstration data.
- Brand colors, type hierarchy, and tone of voice.
- Claim approvals and localization terminology.
- Semantic asset IDs and release version.
Do not force identical line breaks, UI scale, or background decoration. Consistency is a shared system, not a requirement that every pixel match.
A reliable two-store workflow
- Capture one clean source set at a useful native resolution.
- Write and approve the first-three story before layout.
- Build the Apple composition in an accepted display-slot size.
- Create a separate Google variant and reflow the same hierarchy.
- Review both sets at thumbnail size and on representative store surfaces.
- Validate dimensions, alpha, order, claims, and device destination.
- Export into separate versioned folders and upload manually.
Final comparison checklist
Accepted dimensions, correct device well, 1–10 files, no alpha, accurate current UI.
Valid dimensions, appropriate ratio, required count, no alpha, promotional crop reviewed.
- Neither output was stretched from the other.
- Caption wrapping is intentional in both variants.
- The first three assets tell the same prioritized story.
- Store-specific restrictions are labelled separately from recommendations.
- Every export is checked against the latest official documentation.
Official sources
Specifications can change. We review these pages monthly and update the visible verification date only after checking the source material.