Can App Store screenshots be pure marketing graphics?

Yes. Apple allows captions, device frames, backgrounds, and composed layouts — what it requires is that the screenshots accurately represent the app. A design built from real captures with marketing treatment on top is the standard practice; invented UI is not.

Do screenshots have to be raw captures of the app running?

They have to represent the app truthfully, and they do not have to be unedited screenshots. Capturing real screens and then composing captions, frames, and backgrounds over them is exactly the workflow most featured apps use.

Do I need different screenshots for iPhone and iPad?

Yes, if the app runs on iPad. App Store Connect asks for an iPad set in addition to the iPhone set — the 13-inch resolution covers the iPad range, just as the 6.9-inch set covers the iPhone range.

How many screenshots should I actually upload?

App Store Connect accepts up to 10 per display size per localization, but the first two or three are the only ones most browsers ever see — they appear in search results. Put your clearest value proposition in the first slot and let the rest deepen the story.

Do screenshots need to be updated with every app version?

No. Screenshots are edited on the product page independently of binary submissions, and Apple keeps the current set until you replace it. Refresh them when the interface changes meaningfully or when conversion data says the first slots underperform.

Are the same rules true for Google Play?

Largely — Play also accepts up to 10 screenshots per device type per language with no transparency, and it adds a mandatory 1024x500 feature graphic. The pixel dimensions differ, so Play assets are re-rendered from the design rather than cropped from the App Store set.

App Store screenshot guidelines and rules

The rules App Store Connect actually enforces on screenshots — what you may compose, what gets an upload rejected, and how the count, sizes, and localization slots work.

Last reviewed September 2026

What a screenshot must show

The rule underneath everything else: screenshots must accurately represent the app. Marketing treatment on top of real UI is allowed and expected — captions, device frames, branded backgrounds, composed layouts. What Apple flags is misrepresentation: features that do not exist, fabricated ratings or search results, or interfaces the app does not actually present.

How many, and at which sizes

App Store Connect accepts 1 to 10 screenshots per display size, per localization. An iPhone app must provide a 6.9-inch set — Apple scales it down to smaller displays automatically, so one well-composed set covers the modern iPhone catalog. An iPad app adds a 13-inch set. The exact pixel dimensions live in the App Store screenshot sizes reference.

File format rules

PNG or JPEG in RGB, flattened, with no alpha channel and no rounded corners — the store applies its own corner masking, so baking rounding into the image double-masks it. Uploads are per localization: each language your listing supports can carry its own set.

Captions, frames, and device imagery

Captions of two to three words stay legible in the search-result thumbnail, where only the first two or three screenshots are typically visible — that is where the clearest value proposition belongs. Device frames are optional: both framed and full-bleed styles are accepted, so pick one system and keep the whole set consistent rather than mixing.

Localizing screenshots

Every storefront language can carry its own screenshot set, and localized captions consistently outperform a single English set in non-English storefronts. The efficient pattern is to swap only the copy per locale and keep the composed layout identical — which is how BowlerLaunch generates localized decks from one design.

What gets a submission flagged

Alpha channels or transparency — App Store Connect rejects the upload outright. Flatten to RGB.
Pixel dimensions that are not an accepted size for the display class — re-export at the exact resolution.
UI that misrepresents the app: features that do not exist, invented search results or ratings, or a different app's interface.
Screenshots that imitate system UI the app does not actually present, such as fake notification banners implying functionality.
Rounded corners or device bezels baked into the image — the store applies its own masking.
Stale captures that show an interface the current build no longer has.

Frequently asked questions

Can App Store screenshots be pure marketing graphics?: Yes. Apple allows captions, device frames, backgrounds, and composed layouts — what it requires is that the screenshots accurately represent the app. A design built from real captures with marketing treatment on top is the standard practice; invented UI is not.
Do screenshots have to be raw captures of the app running?: They have to represent the app truthfully, and they do not have to be unedited screenshots. Capturing real screens and then composing captions, frames, and backgrounds over them is exactly the workflow most featured apps use.
Do I need different screenshots for iPhone and iPad?: Yes, if the app runs on iPad. App Store Connect asks for an iPad set in addition to the iPhone set — the 13-inch resolution covers the iPad range, just as the 6.9-inch set covers the iPhone range.
How many screenshots should I actually upload?: App Store Connect accepts up to 10 per display size per localization, but the first two or three are the only ones most browsers ever see — they appear in search results. Put your clearest value proposition in the first slot and let the rest deepen the story.
Do screenshots need to be updated with every app version?: No. Screenshots are edited on the product page independently of binary submissions, and Apple keeps the current set until you replace it. Refresh them when the interface changes meaningfully or when conversion data says the first slots underperform.
Are the same rules true for Google Play?: Largely — Play also accepts up to 10 screenshots per device type per language with no transparency, and it adds a mandatory 1024x500 feature graphic. The pixel dimensions differ, so Play assets are re-rendered from the design rather than cropped from the App Store set.

The Google Play side has its own dimensions and adds a mandatory 1024x500 feature graphic — see the Google Play screenshot sizes reference. Apple revises display classes occasionally; confirm against the official screenshot specifications before a submission if it has been a while since your last release.