How to Make App Store Screenshots: A Step-by-Step Guide for 2026

Quick answer: To make App Store screenshots, rank the 5–8 benefits that sell your app, capture clean screens of each at high resolution, write a short headline per screen, place everything in one consistent layout with device frames, localize the text, then export flattened JPEG or PNG files at the required sizes (6.3″ plus 6.9″ or 6.5″ iPhone, and 13″ iPad for iPad apps) and upload them in App Store Connect.

Plan first, design once, then generate every size and language from that single design. Here is the whole workflow.

Step 1: Plan your screenshot story

List every feature your app has, then rewrite each one as an outcome for the user. "Recurring reminders" becomes "Never miss a dose." Rank the outcomes by how much they influence the download decision, not by how hard they were to build.

Your top three go first, because the first one to three images can appear right in search results. The first App Store screenshot carries the most weight of all, so give it your single strongest promise. Then give every later screenshot exactly one message. A simple storyboard for a habit tracker looks like this:

1. Build habits that stick (today view with streaks)
2. Set it up in seconds (habit creation sheet)
3. See your progress (weekly chart)
4. Gentle reminders (notification settings)
5. Works with Apple Health (sync screen)
6. Loved by thousands (only if your ratings truly support it)

Step 2: Capture clean screens

Capture each planned screen on the largest iPhone simulator or device you have, so the UI stays sharp when it is scaled into a frame. Before you capture:

• Set a clean status bar. In the iOS Simulator, run xcrun simctl status_bar booted override --time 9:41 --batteryState charged --batteryLevel 100 --cellularBars 4. Our clean status bar guide covers Android demo mode too.
• Save captures with xcrun simctl io booted screenshot today.png, or with adb exec-out screencap -p > today.png on an Android emulator.
• Fill the app with realistic, fictional demo data. Apple's Guideline 2.3.9 asks for fictional account information rather than a real person's data.
• Remove debug banners, empty states, placeholder text and notification badges.
• If your app supports Dark Mode, capture a dark version of at least one key screen.

Shipping many languages? Automate captures with UI tests (fastlane snapshot on iOS, screengrab on Android).

Step 3: Write one headline per screen

Each screenshot gets a headline of roughly 3–6 words that states a benefit, optionally with a short eyebrow above it or a subtitle below. Lead with a verb or an outcome and highlight one key word in your accent color.

Keep all copy in one sheet, with a column per language. Our guide to App Store screenshot captions has a formula and dozens of examples by category.

Step 4: Choose a layout

Pick one layout system and apply it to the whole set. Common options:

• Framed device with headline above: the safe default for most apps.
• Frameless UI: the screen itself fills the canvas, so details read larger.
• Panoramic: backgrounds and objects flow across neighboring screenshots.
• Zoomed callout: a magnified part of the UI highlights one detail.
• Landscape: for games and video apps that run in landscape.

Browse proven arrangements in our App Store screenshot examples or in the inspiration gallery, which collects screenshots from top free US App Store apps in 12 categories.

Step 5: Build a small visual system

Use one dominant background color, one accent for highlighted words and neutral text colors. Take the dominant color from your app icon so the search result reads as one unit. Check that headlines have strong contrast against the background, especially on gradients. Our guide to App Store screenshot colors goes deeper on palettes and contrast.

For type, one family in two weights is enough: bold for headlines, regular for subtitles. Headlines should stay readable when the screenshot is shown at search-result size, so test by shrinking your design until it is roughly as wide as a thumb.

Step 6: Add device frames

Frames signal the platform instantly and give the screen a clean edge. A few rules:

• Use Apple devices only. Guideline 2.3.10 rules out other mobile platforms' names, icons and imagery in your metadata.
• Match the frame to the screenshot slot: iPhone frames for iPhone sets, iPad frames for iPad sets.
• Keep angle and scale consistent across the set, and never stretch a capture to fit a frame.

Finish the design in your primary language, freeze the layout, then translate only the copy sheet.

Plan for text expansion. German and French headlines often run noticeably longer than English, so leave room or let headlines shrink to fit. Right-to-left languages such as Arabic and Hebrew may need mirrored layouts, and CJK languages need a font that actually includes those characters. Where your app UI is translated, swap in localized captures too, because English UI under a Japanese headline looks unfinished. Our screenshot localization guide explains which markets to prioritize.

In App Store Connect, each localization has its own screenshot slots. You switch between them with the language pop-up menu at the top right of the version page.

Apple accepts 1 to 10 screenshots per device size and localization, as .jpeg, .jpg or .png. Its specifications state that images can't include alpha channels or transparency, so export flattened RGB files.

For most iPhone apps, plan on these sets:

• iPhone 6.3″: required for every iPhone app (1206 × 2622 or 1179 × 2556).
• iPhone 6.9″: optional, but if you skip it you must provide 6.5″ instead.
• iPad 13″: required if your app runs on iPad. Design it separately, because the aspect ratio is different.

Smaller iPhone and iPad sizes are scaled automatically from these. The full list, including Mac, Apple Watch and the upcoming iPhone Duo slots, lives in our App Store screenshot sizes guide. Before uploading, drop a file into the free screenshot size checker to confirm which slot it fits and catch hidden alpha channels. The App Store screenshot requirements article covers the remaining technical rules.

Shipping on Android too? Reuse the same design for Google Play, which needs 2–8 phone screenshots plus a 1024 × 500 feature graphic. See the Google Play screenshot sizes.

1. Open your app in App Store Connect and select the version you are preparing.
2. Go to the App Previews and Screenshots section and choose the device size tab.
3. Drag your files into the upload well in the order you want, or upload them and drag to reorder.
4. Switch the language in the top-right pop-up menu and repeat for each localization.
5. Select View All Sizes in Media Manager to review scaled sizes and replace any that need a custom version.
6. Submit the version for review.

Screenshots are reviewed with the version, so plan changes for your next release. To try alternatives on a live app, use Product Page Optimization tests or Custom Product Pages.

Judge any option on how fast you can change one headline across every language and whether exports match store sizes exactly, without alpha. Then run the set against our App Store screenshot best practices before you submit.