App Store Screenshot Best Practices

Research-backed design guidelines for creating professional, high-converting App Store and Google Play screenshots.

Core Principle

Screenshots are advertisements, not documentation. Every screenshot sells one idea. If you're just showing UI, you're doing it wrong — you're selling a feeling, an outcome, or killing a pain point.

The 7-Second Rule

Users decide whether to download within 7 seconds and rarely scroll past the first 2–3 screenshots. Your first screenshots must instantly communicate value.

Copywriting (Write Copy FIRST)

Get all headlines approved before building layouts. Bad copy ruins good design.

The Iron Rules

1. One idea per headline. Never join two things with "and."
2. Short, common words. 1–2 syllables. No jargon unless domain-specific.
3. 3–5 words per line. Must be readable at thumbnail size in the App Store.
4. Max 2 lines total. Text should occupy less than 20% of the image area.
5. Line breaks are intentional. Control where lines break with \n.

Three Caption Approaches (pick one per slide)

Type	What it does	Example
Paint a moment	You picture yourself doing it	"Check your habits without opening the app."
State an outcome	What life looks like after	"A home for every habit you build."
Kill a pain	Name a problem and destroy it	"Never forget your daily streak."

What NEVER Works

• ❌ Feature lists as headlines: "Log items with tags, categories, and notes"
• ❌ Two ideas with "and": "Track X and never miss Y"
• ❌ Compound clauses: "Save and customize X for every Y you own"
• ❌ Vague aspirational: "Every item, tracked."
• ❌ Marketing buzzwords: "AI-powered tips" (unless it's actually AI)

Copy Process

1. Write 3 options per slide using the three approaches above
2. Arm's length test — if you can't parse it in 1 second, it's too complex
3. Check: does each line have 3–5 words? If not, adjust line breaks

CLI Implementation

# Benefits-focused, centered, short caption
appshots editor add-text \
  --text "Track Your Habits\nEffortlessly" \
  --font "Poppins" --size 90 \
  --color "#FFFFFF" \
  --y 80 --x 0 \
  --width 1290 --align center

Screenshot Narrative Flow

Slide Framework (Adapt to Your Slide Count)

Position	Purpose	Notes
#1	Hero / Main Benefit	App's #1 value prop. The ONLY one most people see.
#2	Differentiator	What makes you unique vs. competitors
#3	Ecosystem	Widgets, Watch, extensions (skip if N/A)
#4–7	Core Features	One feature per slide, most important first
#8–9	Trust Signal	Identity/craft — "Made for people who [X]"
#10	Extras	More features, "coming soon" pills

Layout Variety Rules

• Never repeat the same layout structure on consecutive slides
• Include 1–2 contrast slides (inverted background) for visual rhythm
• Each slide sells ONE idea — never two features on one slide
• Vary phone position: centered, left-aligned, right-aligned, two-phone, no-phone

Screenshot Limits & Dimensions

Apple App Store (2025)

Device	Mandatory	Resolution	Max
iPhone 6.9"	✅ Required	1320 × 2868	10 per locale
iPhone 6.7"	Auto-scaled	1290 × 2796	10
iPhone 6.5"	Auto-scaled	1284 × 2778	10
iPad 13"	✅ Required	2064 × 2752	10
Mac	Optional	2880 × 1800	10

2025 change: Only 6.9" iPhone + 13" iPad are mandatory base sizes. Smaller sizes auto-scale.

Google Play Store

Requirement	Value
Min screenshots	2 (4 recommended)
Max screenshots	8
Format	JPEG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha)
Max file size	8 MB
Aspect ratio	Cannot exceed 2:1
Recommended phone	1080 × 1920 (9:16)

Google Play note: Google discourages device frames and excessive promotional text.

In-App Limits

The app supports a maximum of 10 design slots per multi-screenshot set.

Typography Rules

Size Ratios (Resolution-Independent)

Size text relative to the canvas width (W) for consistent scaling across resolutions:

Element	Size Formula	Weight	Example (W=1290)
Category label	W × 0.028	600 (semi)	~36px
Headline	W × 0.07–0.08	700 (bold)	~90–103px
Hero headline	W × 0.09–0.10	700 (bold)	~116–129px

Font Recommendations

Category	Fonts	Use Case
Modern sans-serif	Poppins, Inter, Outfit, Montserrat	Clean, universal
Bold display	Raleway, Oswald, Bebas Neue	Strong headlines
CJK Japanese	Noto Sans JP, M PLUS 1p	Japanese locales
CJK Korean	Noto Sans KR, Gothic A1	Korean locales
CJK Chinese	Noto Sans SC/TC	Chinese locales
Arabic	Noto Sans Arabic, Cairo	Arabic locales

Device Frame & Phone Placement

Frame Best Practices

• ✅ App Store: Use device frames — they add context and trust
• ⚠️ Google Play: Avoid device frames (Google discourages them)
• Use the latest device model for a modern look
• Keep consistent frame across all screenshots in a set

Phone Position Patterns

Vary these across slides — never use the same layout twice in a row:

Pattern	Description	When to Use
Centered	Phone centered, text above	Hero, single-feature slides
Left-aligned	Phone on left, text right or above	Feature detail
Right-aligned	Phone on right, text left or above	Alternate with left
Two phones	Back phone dimmed + front phone prominent	Before/after, comparison
No phone	Just text + icons/pills	"More features" slide, trust signal

3D Rotation (Subtle!)

Values are in radians, not degrees:

Effect	Values	Result
Flat	0, 0, 0	Straight-on
Subtle tilt	0.03, -0.02, 0.01	Slight depth
Medium tilt	0.05, -0.04, 0.02	Noticeable

⚠️ 3.0 radians ≈ 172° = nearly upside down. Use 0.03–0.05 for subtle effects.

appshots editor set-rotation --x 0.03 --y -0.02 --z 0.01

Screenshot Position

Push down to make room for text:

# y = 250–350 depending on text length
appshots editor set-image-position --x 0 --y 280

Background & Color Design

Color Psychology

Style	Hex Examples	Effect	Best For
Dark	#0A0A1A, #0D1117	Premium, modern	Most apps (2025 trend)
Deep blue	#0F172A, #1E293B	Trust, professional	Finance, productivity
Vibrant	#7C3AED, #EC4899	Energy, playful	Social, games
White/light	#FFFFFF, #F8FAFC	Clean, minimal	Business, health

Visual Rhythm with Backgrounds

• Use dark backgrounds for most slides (converts better)
• Include 1–2 contrast slides with inverted/lighter backgrounds
• Create variety but maintain cohesion (same color family)

2025 Design Trends

• Dark mode dominance — white text on dark backgrounds
• Glassmorphism 2.0 — translucent layers with vibrant underlays
• Bold typography — fonts as branding, not just information
• Panoramic/continuous — backgrounds that flow across screenshots
• Minimalist + bold — clean with one strong accent

Translation & Localization

Localized screenshots can increase downloads by up to 4× (Apple's data).

Text Expansion by Language

Language	Expansion	Fix
German	+30-40%	--font-size 72 (reduce ~20%)
Finnish	+30-40%	--font-size 70
French	+15-25%	Minor font reduction
Spanish	+15-20%	Watch line breaks
Japanese	Same/shorter	Use Noto Sans JP
Korean	Same/shorter	Use Noto Sans KR
Chinese	-10-30% shorter	Use Noto Sans SC
Arabic	Varies	RTL — may need position flip

Post-Translation Verification

Always verify every locale visually. This is the most critical step.

# Check worst offenders first
appshots translate preview --locale de    # German (longest)
appshots translate preview --locale ja    # CJK font check

# Fix issues
appshots translate override-overlay --locale de --overlay-id <id> --font-size 72
appshots translate override-overlay --locale ja --overlay-id <id> --font "Noto Sans JP"

# Clear and save
appshots translate preview --locale none
appshots multi save-design --name "My Screenshots" --override

Pre-Export Quality Checklist

• Arm's length test — every caption readable in 1 second?
• One idea per slide — no "and" joining two features?
• 3–5 words per line, benefits-focused?
• Layout varies across slides (no two consecutive same layout)?
• 1–2 contrast slides for visual rhythm?
• Consistent styling (padding, radius, frame, font)?
• Dark background with high-contrast text?
• All 10 slots used (maximize Store real estate)?
• All locales verified — especially German, French, CJK?
• No text overflow in any locale?
• Thumbnails look good (readable at small size in search)?

A/B Testing

Apple's Product Page Optimization lets you test up to 3 screenshot sets simultaneously. Test:

• Different hero screenshots (#1)
• Dark vs. light backgrounds
• Different caption approaches (paint a moment vs. kill a pain)
• Feature ordering

Track conversion rate changes to validate design decisions.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
All slides look the same	Vary phone position and background
Copy is too complex	"One second at arm's length" test
Too cluttered	Simplify to phone + caption
Too empty	Add larger decorative elements
Headlines use "and"	Split into two slides
Plain backgrounds	Use gradients — even subtle ones add depth
No visual contrast	Mix light and dark backgrounds
Feature lists as copy	Rewrite as benefits or outcomes