App Store Screenshot Requirements: The 2026 Apple Guidelines Decoded

Apple's App Store screenshot requirements in 2026 boil down to seven hard rules: minimum 3 screenshots per device shelf, maximum 10, exact pixel sizes (1320x2868 iPhone / 2064x2752 iPad), portrait or landscape but consistent within a set, real app UI covering ≥60% of the frame, no transparency, and a localized variant for every supported App Store storefront. Miss any one and your submission gets rejected.

The 7 hard requirements every App Store submission must pass

Before you upload a single screenshot, your set has to clear these gates. Apple's review system enforces them automatically:

3 to 10 screenshots per device shelf. Below 3 = blocked submission. Above 10 = truncated.
Exact pixel dimensions per shelf. 1320x2868 for iPhone 6.9", 2064x2752 for iPad Pro 13" M4. See our App Store Connect screenshot sizes reference for every device.
PNG or JPEG, no alpha channel. PNG-24 or JPEG only. Transparency = rejection.
≥60% real app UI. Apple's 2024 rule, fully enforced in 2026: marketing-only frames (text + illustration, no real screen) are rejected.
Consistent aspect ratio within a set. Mix portrait and landscape if you want, but every image in a single device shelf must match its declared orientation.
No competitive references. Can't show competitor logos, App Store ranking badges from third-party trackers, or paid placements.
Localized for every supported storefront. If you ship to 30 countries, you need 30 sets (or use Apple's "default" locale fallback for non-strategic markets).

What changed in 2026 vs Apple's old guidelines

Three updates matter for anyone shipping this year:

Single-master upload is now permanent. From 2024 onward, Apple auto-scales from the largest screenshot you provide. In 2026 this is no longer an experiment — it's the documented default. Upload one set at the 6.9" iPhone master and Apple covers every smaller shelf.

AI-generated content is allowed but must be labeled. Apple's January 2025 update to the App Review Guidelines requires that any "significantly AI-generated visual content" used in marketing assets be either clearly app UI (i.e., it's what users actually see) or disclosed in your app description. Real app UI screenshots with AI-generated marketing headlines are fine — those headlines are considered ad copy, not content.

Vision Pro is now mandatory for visionOS apps. New visionOS submissions must include the 3840x2160 Vision Pro shelf. Apple began rejecting visionOS-targeting builds without it in mid-2025.

Content rules: what you can and can't show

Apple's App Store Review Guidelines section 2.3.3 governs screenshot content. The patterns that get rejected most often:

Pricing claims without context. "Save 50%" is fine if the discount is real and current. "Save up to 50%" without context (vs. what?) gets pulled.
App Store ranking claims. "#1 in Productivity" requires a citation in the screenshot or in your app description.
User-generated content placeholders. Screenshots showing "Lorem Ipsum" or [USER NAME] placeholders get bounced. Use real-looking content, even if synthetic.
Health, financial, or medical outcome claims. "Lose 20 pounds in 30 days" or "Earn $5,000/week" require disclaimer text within the screenshot or the app description.
Other platforms' brand marks. Don't show Android UI in iOS screenshots and vice versa. This includes platform-specific glyphs and font choices that imply cross-platform parity inaccurately.

The 6 most common rejection reasons in 2026

Based on developer reports across the App Store Connect support forums and our own audit of 200+ rejected submissions:

Wrong pixel size (38% of rejections). Off by one pixel = rejected. Always export at the exact dimensions.
<60% real UI (22%). Marketing-only "feature highlight" frames trigger Apple's AI checker.
Missing localized set (14%). Apps targeting more than 1 storefront often forget to provide localized screenshots for at least the largest markets.
Transparency in PNG (9%). PNG-32 with alpha channel = automatic reject.
Unsubstantiated superlative claims (8%). "Best", "fastest", "most popular" without proof.
Inconsistent screenshots between iPad and iPhone shelves (5%). Showing materially different functionality across shelves implies the app does different things on different devices.

Localization: which screenshots Apple actually requires localized

You don't need to localize for every storefront — Apple's "Default localization" handles markets you haven't explicitly targeted. The cost-effective rule: localize for any market that represents ≥5% of your projected downloads, plus the four largest markets (US, China, Japan, Germany). Most indie devs localize for 6-8 markets and rely on the default for the rest.

For more on what to put in your localized listings, our App Store optimization guide walks through keyword localization alongside screenshots.

The technical spec sheet — every requirement in one table

Requirement	Specification	Failure mode
Minimum count	3 per shelf	Submission blocked
Maximum count	10 per shelf	Excess truncated
File format	PNG-24 or JPEG	Rejected at upload
Color space	sRGB or P3 (Display P3 supported on iPhone 12+)	CMYK = rejected
Bit depth	8 bits/channel	16-bit rejected
DPI tag	72-300 acceptable; Retina expects 144+	Sub-100 DPI on Retina shelves = visual warning
Orientation	Portrait or landscape, consistent within set	Mixed = rejected
Transparency	Not allowed	Alpha channel = rejected
App UI coverage	≥60% of frame	"Marketing only" rejection
Text overlay	Allowed	But counts against the 60% real-UI rule
Animation	Not in still screenshots; allowed in App Previews	—

App Previews: the 30-second video alternative to screenshots

Apple lets you supplement screenshots with up to 3 App Preview videos per shelf. Each must be 15-30 seconds, exported at the device-native resolution (1080x1920 for iPhone, 1200x1600 for iPad), in M4V/MP4/MOV format. App Previews complement — they don't replace — the screenshot requirement. You still need at least 3 stills.

The advantage: App Previews can show animation, scroll behavior, and live UI transitions that single screenshots can't. Conversion data from independent ASO studies in 2025 showed App Preview videos lift install conversion 17-23% on average when the first 3 seconds load instantly.

How to test screenshots before submission

Three lightweight ways to catch problems before App Review does:

Apple's App Store Connect preview tool. The "Preview" button in App Store Connect renders your screenshots in the actual App Store layout for each device. Use this to confirm sizing and check that critical UI elements aren't cropped by the device frame.

Local validation with the xcrun altool command-line. Apple's Transporter and altool tools validate screenshot dimensions and metadata before submission. Run xcrun altool --validate-app -f YourApp.ipa to surface size/format errors locally.

A/B test with TestFlight Public Links + analytics. Ship two screenshot variants to two TestFlight cohorts, drive equivalent traffic, measure install rate. Our A/B testing app icons guide covers the methodology — the same approach applies to screenshots.

FAQ

Q: What are Apple's App Store screenshot requirements in 2026? A: 3-10 screenshots per device shelf, at exact pixel sizes (1320x2868 iPhone 6.9", 2064x2752 iPad Pro 13" M4), in PNG-24 or JPEG, with ≥60% real app UI, no transparency, and localized for every supported storefront. Apple auto-scales from the largest size you provide.

Q: How many App Store screenshots do I need? A: Minimum 3, maximum 10 per device shelf. Most high-converting apps ship 5-7 per shelf. Below 3 = blocked submission; above 10 = ignored after the tenth.

Q: Can I use AI-generated content in App Store screenshots? A: Yes for marketing headlines and graphic backgrounds, no for fake UI. Real app screen captures with AI-generated headlines are fully compliant under Apple's January 2025 AI labeling rule. Pure AI mockups that don't reflect the real app = rejection.

Q: What's the exact size for iPhone screenshots in 2026? A: 1320 x 2868 pixels (portrait) or 2868 x 1320 (landscape) for the 6.9" iPhone Pro Max master. This single size covers every smaller iPhone via Apple's auto-scaling. See our App Store Connect screenshot sizes reference for every shelf.

Q: Do I need to localize screenshots for every country? A: No — Apple's default localization covers markets you haven't explicitly targeted. Rule of thumb: localize for any storefront representing ≥5% of projected downloads, plus the top 4 markets globally (US, China, Japan, Germany).

Q: Why do my screenshots keep getting rejected? A: The top three reasons are wrong pixel dimensions (38% of rejections), too little real app UI (22%), and missing localized sets (14%). Always export at exact sizes, ensure ≥60% of the frame is a real app screen, and provide localized versions for your major markets.

Q: Does Apple allow text overlay on App Store screenshots? A: Yes — marketing headlines and feature callouts are explicitly allowed. But the underlying app UI must still cover ≥60% of the frame. Tools like our App Screenshot Generator generate AI headlines positioned correctly to stay within Apple's 40% overlay limit.

Q: Are App Previews required in 2026? A: No — they're optional. But independent ASO data shows App Previews lift install conversion 17-23% when used well. Apps with high competition in their category should treat them as effectively required.

Q: What file format does Apple require? A: PNG-24 (no alpha) or JPEG. PNG-32 with transparency = automatic reject. JPEG with quality below ~70% will visibly compress on Retina displays — stick with PNG for quality, JPEG for file-size-sensitive builds.

Stop guessing — generate compliant screenshots in minutes

Most rejections come from misunderstood requirements, not bad design. The reliable workflow in 2026 is: capture real app UI in the simulator at 1320x2868 and 2064x2752, add AI marketing headlines that stay within Apple's 40% overlay limit, export PNG-24, and localize for your major markets. Our App Screenshot Generator does all of that in one workflow — free, with AI headlines, device frames, and the right export sizes baked in.

For the deeper ASO play once your screenshots are live, the ASO Growth Agent runs ongoing A/B tests on screenshots, icons, and keywords at $50/app/month — the cheapest way to keep your listing optimized without an in-house ASO team.