App Store screenshot sizes 2026: the full spec

App Store screenshots are PNG or JPEG, with no transparency, 1 to 10 per device size, and the pixel size has to match one of Apple's listed sizes exactly. For iPhone, Apple's largest display class (iPhone with Dynamic Island, large display) takes 1260×2736, 1290×2796 or 1320×2868 portrait; 1290×2796 is the most common because most templates and tools (ShotStudio included) export it.

Apple updated its screenshot specification in October 2026: the page now drops the inch labels, adds a "Required device sizes" section, and lists the new iPhone Duo. This post walks through the current page, with every size for every Apple device below, and the failure modes we see most.

The iPhone spec, in one table

Want to check a folder of screenshots against this spec, and against Google Play's limits too? The free App Store and Google Play screenshot size checker validates each image in your browser and can pad or crop it to a required size.

Which iPhone sizes are required

Apple's page (as of 2026-11-11) says three things that decide what you upload:

1. Under "Required device sizes": "iPhone: At least one screenshot for iPhone with Dynamic Island (medium display)." That is the 1179×2556 / 1206×2622 class (iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 16 Pro and similar), called 6.3" in older guides.
2. Under "Display scaling": "If your app's user interface is consistent across multiple device sizes and localizations, you only need to provide screenshots for the highest required resolution. App Store Connect automatically scales them down for smaller device sizes."
3. Each smaller class carries a fallback note. For the medium Dynamic Island display: "If screenshots with the accepted sizes aren't provided, scaled screenshots for iPhone with Face ID (large display) are used." And the Face ID large display row is still "Required if app runs on iPhone and screenshots for iPhone with Dynamic Island (large display) aren't provided."

The required line and the fallback notes pull in different directions, so before you submit, open your version page in App Store Connect and check which iPhone slots it marks as needing screenshots. If you want zero ambiguity, upload a set for the medium Dynamic Island display as well as your large-display set.

Every iPhone screenshot size

Apple now names each class by display type instead of inches. The inch labels most guides still use are in brackets.

iPhone Duo is new: Apple says "Starting in April 2027, screenshots will be required for any app using the iOS 27.1 SDK or later."

You can check any file against every iPhone and iPad class with the screenshot size checker.

The failure modes I see most often

These are the reasons indie iOS apps get rejected or rendered weirdly on the carousel:

• A size from the wrong row. 1284×2778 is a valid Face ID large-display (6.5") size, but it is not a Dynamic Island large-display (6.9") size. Drop it into the wrong slot in App Store Connect and the upload fails. Match the file to the display slot you're filling.
• PNG with transparency baked in. Even one alpha-channel pixel kills the upload. Flatten to a solid background before exporting.
• Status bar drawn on top. Apple strips and re-renders the status bar. If you draw one, it'll get stripped and the bottom of your image will end up taller than expected. Don't include it.
• Round corners drawn on the screenshot. Same story — the App Store applies its own corner radius. If you draw them, you get a double-radius effect.
• JPEG compression artifacts in solid-color regions. App Store carousel re-compresses on the fly; starting from JPEG instead of PNG compounds the artifacts. Submit PNG when you can.
• One color space across the set, then a P3 outlier. Apple won't reject this but the carousel will render the P3 image with subtly different saturation. Stay in sRGB across the whole set.

What you actually need to ship

One to ten screenshots per locale. Most indies ship three. The order on the App Store carousel matters more than people realize — your hero shot has to do all the work in the first 200ms of someone scrolling, because shots 4 onward are behind a "show more" tap that almost nobody takes.

The safe default for what each shot should do is: shot 1 sells the outcome, shot 2 shows the workflow, shot 3 shows the differentiator. What that means in practice changes per vertical — compare fitness app screenshots, where shot 1 has to imply momentum, with finance app screenshots, where shot 1 is one number large enough to read across the room, or VPN app screenshots, where shot 1 has to prove the connection is safe before anyone reads a word.

Doing this without a designer

You can hand-build screenshots in Figma using community templates — most of them are at 1290×2796 by default. The downside is you'll spend a Saturday on it and the result still looks like a Figma template.

The faster option is ShotStudio — three raw simulator screenshots in, three polished 1290×2796 shots back, in under a minute. It pre-selects a personality preset (Friendly, Professional, Minimal, or Bold) from your category and writes the headline from your one-line app pitch. The marketing background and palette match your actual app's theme — sampled from your uploads so a light app stays light. $7 one-time, never stored, auto-refund if a shot fails. If you want to see it applied to your category, browse the persona pages — fitness, finance, VPN, running and more, each with the dos and don'ts that matter for that audience.

iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro and Apple Watch sizes

From the same Apple page, as of 2026-11-11. Each platform needs its own upload if your app runs on it.

ShotStudio v1 outputs iPhone portrait only, at 1290×2796 (a Dynamic Island large-display size). iPad, Mac and Google Play export are out of scope for v1.

TL;DR

• PNG or JPEG, no transparency, 1–10 screenshots per device size; the first three carry the conversion weight.
• Largest iPhone class: 1290×2796, 1260×2736 or 1320×2868 portrait.
• Since October 2026 Apple's "Required device sizes" names the medium Dynamic Island display (1179×2556 or 1206×2622); check your App Store Connect version page for the slots it marks as required.
• Don't draw a status bar. Don't draw rounded corners.
• iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro and Apple Watch need their own uploads; iPhone Duo screenshots become required from April 2027.

Need to ship by tomorrow morning? Generate three polished shots in under a minute — no subscription, $7 once. The full breakdown of the three credit packs is on the ShotStudio pricing page, and if you're still shortlisting tools, the App Store screenshot tool alternatives index compares AppMockUp, Previewed, Shotbot, AppLaunchpad and AppScreens on price and on how much layout work they leave you.

Keep reading

• App Store screenshots by app category — what converts in your vertical, with headline patterns.
• indie game screenshots — genre + vibe legible at thumbnail size — a player should know it's a puzzle, runner, or rpg without reading anything.
• running app screenshots — one motion-forward hero — a route map, a pace, a runner in stride — that sparks the urge to go run.
• music app screenshots — a now-playing screen with strong album art or a living waveform — sound made visible.
• App Store screenshot tool alternatives — AppMockUp, Previewed, Shotbot, AppLaunchpad and AppScreens compared honestly.