Google Play Screenshot Requirements: The 2026 Checklist

Quick answer: Google Play needs at least 2 screenshots to publish your listing and accepts up to 8 per device type. Each must be a JPEG or 24-bit PNG without an alpha channel, 320 to 3,840 px on each side, with the long side no more than twice the short side, and up to 8 MB. For recommendation placements, provide at least 4 screenshots of 1,080 px or more.

Recommended pixel sizes for each device type live on the Google Play screenshot sizes guide. This page explains the rules behind them and how to pass them on the first upload.

How many screenshots

You need at least 2 screenshots to publish, and you can add up to 8 per device type. Fewer than 4 high-resolution screenshots can make your app ineligible for some recommendation placements, so treat 4 as the practical minimum and use the remaining slots for supporting features. How many screenshots you need compares Play with the App Store.

File format and transparency

Upload JPEG or 24-bit PNG. Google Play rejects images with an alpha channel, and the check is about the file format: a PNG saved with an alpha channel can fail even when every pixel looks opaque. Design tools often export PNGs with alpha by default, so export flattened or use JPEG. The alpha channel guide shows how to remove it.

Dimensions and aspect ratio

Each side must be between 320 and 3,840 px, and the long side can be at most twice the short side. This is where modern phones trip people up. A raw capture from a 20:9 phone at 1080 × 2400 has a ratio of about 2.22, which is over the limit. The same is true of App Store iPhone sizes: 1206 × 2622 works out to roughly 2.17. Place tall captures on a canvas that respects the 2:1 limit instead of uploading them raw.

File size

Keep each file at 8 MB or less. Large PNGs with photos or detailed gradients are the files most likely to hit the limit; a high-quality JPEG is a safe fallback.

Meeting the upload rules gets you published. Being eligible for Google's larger recommendation and featuring surfaces takes a little more:

• At least 4 phone screenshots with 1,080 px or more on the short side. For games, Google currently asks for at least 3. Google's help page lists the exact orientations it expects.
• A feature graphic at 1024 × 500, JPEG or 24-bit PNG without alpha. Google's help currently says you need one to publish your listing, and it doubles as the cover of your promo video. Specs are on the feature graphic guide.
• Large-screen screenshots if your app supports tablets or Chromebooks.

Google adjusts these criteria from time to time, so confirm them on the Play Console help page before a big launch.

Large-screen screenshots are uploaded separately from phone screenshots in Play Console. They accept 1,080 to 7,680 px per side, and Google recommends at least 4 for visibility on large screens. Show your real tablet layout: a phone UI stretched across a tablet canvas doesn't reflect the app people will get. The tablet and Chromebook guide covers layouts.

Wear OS screenshots must be at least 384 × 384 px, and Google asks that they not be placed inside device frames. Android TV and Android XR have their own requirements in Play Console help.

Passing the technical checks is half the job. Google's Metadata policy prohibits misleading, irrelevant or excessive metadata, and it names screenshots and promotional images explicitly. The preview asset guidance adds recommendations:

• Show the actual app or game experience, and prioritize UI in the first three screenshots.
• Keep taglines to no more than 20% of the image.
• Avoid content that suggests Google Play performance, ranking, user testimonials, accolades or awards.
• Avoid calls to action such as "Download now".
• Avoid device imagery, people tapping the device, and Google Play or other store badges.
• Add alt text of 140 characters or less that describes the key element of each screenshot.

The upload form won't flag these, but listings that break the Metadata policy can be rejected or removed. Google Play screenshot best practices turns them into design rules, and the Google Play store listing guide covers every other field on the page.

1. Drop each file into the free screenshot size checker. It shows which store slot an image fits and catches alpha channels.
2. On a Mac, run sips -g hasAlpha screenshot.png to see whether a PNG carries an alpha channel.
3. Divide the long side by the short side. Anything above 2.0 will fail.
4. Confirm each file is 8 MB or smaller.
5. View the whole set at phone size and make sure every headline is readable.