What app store screenshots are and why they matter
App store screenshots are the images a user sees on your App Store or Google Play listing before they ever open the app. They sit above the fold on most listings, often alongside or before the description, and for a lot of visitors they're the only "preview" they'll look at before deciding to tap Install or move on.
That makes them part of App Store Optimization, or ASO — the practice of making a listing itself convert better, separate from how highly it ranks in search. AppShots doesn't control rankings, downloads, or how the store's algorithm treats a listing. What a screenshot set can do is make the case for the app to someone who has already found it: show what the app does, who it's for, and why it's worth the tap.
Screenshots are different from an app icon (the small square that represents the app everywhere) and from a preview video (an optional short clip some listings include). Screenshots are static images, and on both major stores they're required — a listing needs a minimum number of them to go live, even if the publisher skips a video entirely.
Required sizes for iOS and Android
Both Apple and Google specify exact pixel dimensions for screenshots, and those dimensions are tied to specific device displays — a different iPhone size or a different Android aspect ratio can call for a different exported image. These specs get updated when either company adds a new device size, so a dimension that was correct last year isn't guaranteed to be correct today.
| Platform | Device class | What sets the exact size | Where to confirm current numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| iOS | iPhone (per display size Apple supports) | Apple's current App Store Connect screenshot specifications | Apple's App Store Connect help documentation |
| iOS | iPad | Separate dimensions from iPhone, same source | Apple's App Store Connect help documentation |
| Android (Google Play) | Phone | Google Play's screenshot requirements, based on aspect ratio and min/max dimensions rather than one fixed size per device | /blog/android-app-store-screenshot-sizes |
| Android (Google Play) | Tablet / Chromebook | Same ruleset, wider allowed aspect ratios | /blog/android-app-store-screenshot-sizes |
The practical takeaway: don't memorize a number and reuse it forever. Export at the size the store currently asks for, for the specific device class you're submitting against, and check the current spec before a major submission if it's been a while since the last one. We've broken out the full current Android table separately — see Android app store screenshot sizes — because Google Play's rules are easy to get wrong when you're working from an old screenshot of someone else's screenshot.
How many screenshots to use, and in what order
Both stores allow a set of screenshots per listing, but using the maximum isn't automatically the right call. What matters more is the first two or three — those are the ones a visitor sees before scrolling or tapping through, and on many listings they're the ones that show up in search result previews before the user even opens the full page. If those first few don't communicate what the app is and why it's useful, the rest of the set is doing very little work.
A workable order to design against:
- The hook. What the app is and the single biggest reason to want it — not a login screen, not a splash screen.
- The core feature. The thing people actually use the app for, shown doing that thing.
- A second feature or differentiator. What makes this app different from the obvious alternative.
- Supporting features. Anything else worth showing, roughly in order of importance.
- Trust or breadth. Platform availability, range of use cases, or anything that answers "is this legitimate and does it cover my situation."
Screenshots are widely treated as one of the stronger levers a publisher controls on a listing page, precisely because — unlike ranking — they're something you fully control. There's no single universal lift figure to quote here, because it depends heavily on category, audience, and how bad the starting screenshots were; the honest version of "do they help" is that they're worth treating as first-class design work, not an afterthought exported straight from a simulator.
Design best practices
A few patterns separate screenshots that work from ones that don't:
- Captions that add information, not decoration. A short headline over each screenshot should tell the viewer something the raw UI doesn't — the benefit, not just the screen name.
- Legible text at thumbnail size. Screenshots get scaled down in search results and store listings. Text that's readable at full size can disappear at thumbnail size; design for the smallest size it'll actually appear at.
- Consistent device frames and style across the set. Mixing frame styles, background colors, or font treatments across screenshots reads as unfinished.
- Honest UI. Apple and Google both review screenshots for accuracy — they're expected to reflect the real app, not a mocked-up version of features that don't exist yet. Review standards shift over time on both platforms, so it's worth checking each store's current review guidelines before a submission rather than relying on last year's rules.
- Localization. If the app ships in multiple languages or regions, screenshots — including the captions — generally need localized versions rather than a single English set reused everywhere, since the store listing itself is localized.
One platform-specific note: iOS and Android screenshots can't simply be reused across stores. The dimensions differ, the device frames look different, and in some cases the system chrome visible in a raw screenshot differs too. Treat the underlying marketing concept — the hook, the order, the message — as reusable, and the exported images as platform-specific.
We go deeper on captions, frame choices, and layout in how to make good app store screenshots.
Examples of effective app store screenshots
The clearest way to see the difference between a working set and a weak one is side by side, rather than described in the abstract. A weak set tends to repeat the same idea across every image, lean on raw UI with no caption at all, or bury the actual value of the app behind screens three and four. A working set front-loads the strongest feature, keeps one message per screen, and keeps the visual style consistent from first screenshot to last.
For a browsable set of real examples across categories, see inspiration.
Tools for creating app store screenshots
Once the message and order are planned, the remaining work is production: device mockups, backgrounds, text layout, and exporting at the correct size for every device class you're submitting against. That's a lot of repetitive layout work to do by hand in Figma or Photoshop for every device size and every language.
Two broad paths:
Free tools. Free generators and templates can get a first set of screenshots out the door, and they're a reasonable starting point for a single device size or a quick test. The tradeoff is usually fewer export sizes covered automatically, fewer template options, and more manual resizing when a new device class needs covering. See app screenshot generator (free) for what that path looks like in practice.
Paid, purpose-built generators. These typically handle multiple export sizes at once, give more control over mockups and layout, and remove most of the manual resizing work when Apple or Google adds a new device size. AppShots is built for exactly this: turning raw iOS and Android screenshots into store-ready images with device mockups, headlines, and feature callouts, exported at the sizes each store currently expects — without needing Photoshop, Figma, or a dedicated designer.
For a broader comparison of what to look for in either kind of tool, see what is the best app store screenshot generator and app screenshot generator. If you want to see what's included at each plan, check pricing, or go straight to signup and build a set from your own screenshots.
FAQs
Do I need Figma or Photoshop to make app store screenshots? No. Device mockups, captions, and backgrounds can all be assembled in a dedicated screenshot tool instead. Design software is still an option if you want full manual control, but it's not a requirement.
How many screenshots should I upload? Both stores allow a set per listing, but the first two or three carry the most weight since they're what most visitors actually see before scrolling. Prioritize those over hitting the maximum count.
Do screenshots need to be different for iOS and Android? Generally yes. The required pixel dimensions differ by platform and device class, and reusing one export across both usually means it's the wrong size for at least one of them. The messaging and order can stay the same; the exported files shouldn't.
What happens if my screenshots don't match the current size requirements? Submissions can be rejected or held up at review if images don't match the store's current specifications, which is why checking the current spec before a submission matters more than relying on a number from a past upload.
Are screenshots the same as a preview video? No. Screenshots are static images and are required to publish a listing. A preview video is a separate, optional short clip some listings include alongside the screenshots.