App Store Screenshot Sizes: The 2026 Guide

You finished the app. Then App Store Connect rejects your first upload because the image is 4 pixels off, and suddenly you are digging through forum threads from 2021 with size lists that no longer apply. App Store screenshot sizes have changed a lot, and most of what ranks on Google is outdated.

Here is the good news: Apple simplified the rules. You no longer need a separate screenshot set for every iPhone generation. For most apps, one iPhone size and one iPad size cover everything, and Apple scales those images down for smaller devices automatically.

This guide lists the current required dimensions straight from Apple’s official specifications, the upload limits, the optional sizes, the mistakes that get listings rejected, and a few practical tips for screenshots that actually convince people to download.

Current App Store screenshot sizes (2026)

The single source of truth is Apple’s screenshot specifications page in the App Store Connect help. Everything below comes from that page.

The headline change: only the largest display in each device family is required. If your app runs on iPhone, you need one set of 6.9-inch screenshots. If it runs on iPad, you need one 13-inch set. Apple generates the smaller sizes from those by scaling them down.

Here are the required sizes per platform:

Device class	Display size	Portrait (px)	Landscape (px)
iPhone	6.9”	1290 x 2796, 1320 x 2868, or 1260 x 2736	2796 x 1290, 2868 x 1320, or 2736 x 1260
iPhone (fallback)	6.5”	1284 x 2778 or 1242 x 2688	2778 x 1284 or 2688 x 1242
iPad	13”	2064 x 2752 or 2048 x 2732	2752 x 2064 or 2732 x 2048
Mac	16:10 ratio	1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, 2560 x 1600, or 2880 x 1800	Same (Mac screenshots are landscape)
Apple TV	1080p or 4K	Not applicable	1920 x 1080 or 3840 x 2160
Apple Vision Pro	Single size	Not applicable	3840 x 2160
Apple Watch	Varies by model	422 x 514 (Ultra 3), 416 x 496 (Series 11/10), 410 x 502 (Ultra 2/Ultra), 396 x 484 (Series 9/8/7), 368 x 448 (Series 6/5/4/SE), 312 x 390 (Series 3)	Not applicable

A few notes on that table:

The 6.9-inch iPhone set covers devices like the iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Any of the three accepted pixel dimensions works.
The 6.5-inch set is only relevant if you do not provide 6.9-inch screenshots. Provide the 6.9-inch set and you can ignore it.
For Apple Watch, pick one size and use it consistently across all your localizations. Mixing Watch sizes between locales is not allowed.
Mac screenshots must use a 16:10 aspect ratio. If your app targets Mac, capture at Retina resolution (2880 x 1800 or 2560 x 1600) so the listing looks sharp.

File format rules are simple: JPEG or PNG, no alpha channel, no transparency. A flattened PNG exported from any editor passes.

How many App Store screenshots can you upload?

You can upload 1 to 10 screenshots per device size, per localization. That limit comes from the same Apple specification, and it applies to each language version of your listing separately.

Ten slots sounds like a lot. In practice, most visitors never scroll past the first two or three, so treat the count as a budget, not a quota:

Use at least 3 to 5 screenshots. A listing with one lonely screenshot looks unfinished.
Put your strongest screens first. The first screenshots appear in search results before anyone taps into your product page.
Localize the text overlays if you localize the listing. A German listing with English captions wastes the localization.

Portrait or landscape is your call and depends on the app. Games often go landscape, productivity apps usually go portrait on iPhone. Whatever you pick, the first screenshot’s orientation determines how your gallery displays in search.

Optional App Store screenshot sizes

Everything beyond the 6.9-inch iPhone and 13-inch iPad sets is optional. Apple still accepts device-specific uploads for smaller displays if you want tailored artwork:

iPhone 6.3”, 6.1”, 5.5”, and 4.7” displays. Useful only if your layout changes meaningfully on smaller phones and the scaled 6.9-inch image misrepresents it.
iPad 11”, 10.5”, and 9.7” displays. Same logic. Most apps skip these.
Older legacy sizes (4-inch and 3.5-inch iPhones) still exist in the spec for apps that support ancient devices.

Should you bother? For most indie apps, no. The automatic downscale looks fine because the aspect ratios are close. Upload optional sizes only when you have a concrete reason, for example a UI that switches from tab bar to sidebar on certain devices, or marketing text that becomes unreadable when scaled down.

One thing that trips people up: optional does not mean invisible. If you upload a stale 6.1-inch set from two years ago, users on those devices see the old screenshots instead of your fresh scaled 6.9-inch ones. When in doubt, delete the old device-specific sets and let the required set scale.

App Store screenshot requirements that cause rejections

Wrong pixel dimensions are the obvious failure, but App Store Connect catches those at upload. The rejections that cost you review time come from content, not size. Apple’s review guidelines expect screenshots to show the app as it actually ships. Common mistakes:

Showing UI that does not exist in the app. Concept art, planned features, or mockups that differ from the real product get flagged.
Alpha channels or transparency in the file. The upload fails. Flatten the image before exporting.
Prices or claims that do not match the app. If a screenshot shows an in-app purchase at one price and the store listing says another, expect questions.
Placeholder or test content. Lorem ipsum text, debug overlays, or a status bar showing 3 percent battery all look careless and can draw reviewer attention.
Borrowed content. Images of other companies’ products, trademarks, or celebrity photos you do not have rights to.
Stretched or letterboxed images. Uploading a 6.5-inch image padded with black bars to hit 6.9-inch dimensions technically passes the size check but looks broken on the store.

The safe pattern is boring and effective: capture real app screens at native resolution, add your marketing text and background around them, and never show anything the shipping build cannot do.

Tips for App Store screenshots that convert

Meeting the requirements gets you published. It does not get you downloads. A few things consistently separate strong listings from weak ones.

Win the first three. In App Store search results, your first screenshots show up next to your app name before anyone visits your product page. Treat them like a billboard: one clear benefit per screenshot, readable at thumbnail size.

Use captions, but keep them short. A five-word benefit (“Track every workout automatically”) beats a feature list. Put the caption at the top, since the device frame usually sits lower in the composition.

Put your app in a device frame. Raw screenshots look like documentation. A screenshot composed inside a realistic device frame, on a clean background, with a short caption, looks like a product. Angled 3D frames add depth and make a flat UI feel dimensional, which is exactly the style you see on top-grossing listings.

Keep a consistent visual system. Same background style, same caption font, same frame treatment across all ten slots. The gallery reads as one story instead of ten random images.

Show the app doing its job. Real content, real data, real screens. If your app edits photos, show a photo mid-edit, not an empty state.

This is the part of the pipeline where a dedicated tool saves hours. SmoothCapture records your iPhone or iPad over USB straight from your Mac, places the capture inside a 3D device frame with backgrounds and captions, and exports clean frames you can use for both screenshots and preview videos. You design the composition once and reuse it across every slot.

Screenshots and app preview videos work together

Screenshots are half of the visual listing. The other half is the app preview, a video of up to 30 seconds that autoplays at the top of your product page. You can add up to three previews per device size, and they use the same display-size logic as screenshots: cover the largest device and Apple handles the rest.

The two assets should share one design language. Same frames, same backgrounds, same caption style. Visitors see the preview first (it occupies the first gallery slot when present), then swipe into your screenshots, and the transition should feel seamless.

Previews have stricter content rules than screenshots: footage must be captured from the app itself, and hands or fingers interacting with the device are not allowed. If you are planning one, our app preview video guide walks through the specs, capture settings, and export requirements in detail.

A practical workflow: record one longer session of your app’s best flows, then cut screenshots and preview clips from the same recording. SmoothCapture’s multi-clip timeline makes this easy, since you can record several takes, arrange them, add automatic zooms on the important taps, and export both the video and still frames from one project. It is free to record and edit, and a one-time $99 license (for up to 3 Macs, with a 30-day money-back guarantee) unlocks export when you are ready to ship. See pricing for details.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size should App Store screenshots be in 2026?

For iPhone, use the 6.9-inch display size: 1290 x 2796, 1320 x 2868, or 1260 x 2736 pixels in portrait (or the same values flipped for landscape). For iPad, use the 13-inch size: 2064 x 2752 or 2048 x 2732 pixels. These are the only required sizes for those platforms, per Apple’s specifications. Mac apps need 16:10 images such as 2880 x 1800.

Do I need screenshots for every iPhone size?

No. Apple only requires the 6.9-inch set (or a 6.5-inch set if you do not provide 6.9-inch images). Screenshots for smaller displays are optional, and if you skip them, Apple automatically scales your 6.9-inch screenshots down for those devices. Upload device-specific sets only when the scaled version misrepresents your UI on a smaller screen.

How many screenshots can you upload to the App Store?

Between 1 and 10 per device size, per localization. You need at least one to submit. Most successful listings use 5 to 10, with the strongest benefit-led screens in the first three positions, since those appear directly in App Store search results before a user opens the product page.

Can App Store screenshots include text and device frames?

Yes. Captions, backgrounds, device frames, and marketing text around your app’s UI are all allowed and are standard practice on top listings. The constraint is that the app UI shown inside the composition must be real. Fabricated screens, features that do not exist, or misleading claims are what cause rejections, not the decoration around the screenshot.

What format do App Store screenshots need to be?

JPEG or PNG, with no alpha channel and no transparency. Transparency is the most common silent failure: an exported PNG with an alpha channel will be refused at upload. Flatten the image in your editor before exporting, and double-check the pixel dimensions match one of Apple’s accepted sizes exactly, since there is no tolerance for off-by-a-few-pixels files.

Wrap up

App Store screenshot sizes used to be a maintenance chore across half a dozen device sets. Now they come down to two numbers for most apps: a 6.9-inch iPhone set (1290 x 2796 works) and a 13-inch iPad set (2064 x 2752), 1 to 10 images each, JPEG or PNG with no transparency. Always confirm against Apple’s official specification before you export, since device lists shift with each hardware release.

Spend the time you save on the part that moves downloads: the first three screenshots, a consistent visual system, and a preview video that matches. Capture real footage of your app, frame it well, and write captions that state benefits in five words. Get those right and the pixel dimensions become the easy part.