An App Store preview is a 15 to 30 second video made only from screen captures of your app. It has a fixed size per device and at most 30 frames per second. Google Play takes one preview video as a YouTube link, public or unlisted, with ads off. The full requirements from both official pages are below.
Apple App Store: App Preview requirements
Source: Apple, App preview specifications. Checked October 2026.
| Spec | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Length | 15 to 30 seconds |
| Number | Up to 3 per supported device size and language |
| File type | H.264 (.mov, .m4v, .mp4) or ProRes 422 HQ (.mov) |
| File size | Up to 500 MB |
| Frame rate | Up to 30 frames per second |
| Audio (H.264) | Stereo, 256 kbps AAC, 44.1 or 48 kHz; all tracks enabled |
| Audio (ProRes 422) | Stereo, PCM (16, 24 or 32 bit) or 256 kbps AAC, 44.1 or 48 kHz |
| Poster frame | You choose it; the default is the frame at 5 seconds |
Sizes per device:
| Device | Portrait | Horizontal |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone with Face ID or Dynamic Island (large and medium), and iPhone Duo | 886 x 1920 | 1920 x 886 |
| iPhone with Home Button, large display and 4 inch display | 1080 x 1920 | 1920 x 1080 |
| iPhone with Home Button, medium display | 750 x 1334 | 1334 x 750 |
| iPhone with Home Button, 3.5 inch display | Not supported | Not supported |
| iPad 13, 12.9 (2nd generation also takes 900 x 1200), 11 and 10.5 inch | 1200 x 1600 | 1600 x 1200 |
| iPad 9.7 inch | 900 x 1200 | 1200 x 900 |
What may an App Store preview show?
Apple's App Review Guidelines, rule 2.3.4, say that "previews may only use video screen captures of the app itself". Narration and video or text overlays may explain what the video alone does not make clear (Apple, App Review Guidelines, checked October 2026).
In practice that means:
| Allowed | Not allowed by 2.3.4 |
|---|---|
| Screen recordings of your app | A person filmed talking about the app |
| Narration (a voiceover) | An AI creator or avatar |
| Text overlays, such as captions and short headings | Footage of other apps or a website that is not your app |
| Video overlays that explain something in the app | Footage that is not a screen capture of the app |
So the UGC ad you run on TikTok is not an App Store preview. Make a separate, screen-only cut.
Google Play: preview video requirements
Source: Google Play Console help, preview assets. Checked October 2026.
| Requirement | What Google says |
|---|---|
| How to add it | Enter one YouTube URL in the "preview video" field |
| URL | The video's own URL; not a playlist or channel; no extra parameters such as a timecode |
| Ads | Turn off ads (monetization) on the video |
| Age restriction | Do not use an age-restricted video |
| Privacy | Public or unlisted, not private |
| Embedding | The video must be embeddable |
| Length (recommended) | Keep it short; only the first 30 seconds autoplay |
| Opening (recommended) | Show the core experience in the first 10 seconds |
| Orientation (recommended) | Horizontal or portrait; avoid black bars beside a portrait video |
| Feature graphic (required to publish) | 1024 x 500, JPEG or 24 bit PNG without alpha |
Google's page does not limit Play videos to screen captures the way Apple does. Still, the video plays on the listing of your app, so show the app.
How to make an App Store preview, step by step
- Pick one device size first. For current iPhones, that is 886 x 1920 portrait.
- Write a 25 second script in 4 to 5 beats: the main screen, the main action, the result, one more feature, the app name.
- Record the app on a real device or the Simulator. On iPhone, use Screen Recording in Control Center, with Do Not Disturb on.
- Use a demo account with realistic data. Empty screens look unfinished.
- Edit to 15 to 30 seconds. Cut waiting, add short text overlays, add a voiceover if it helps.
- Export at the exact size, at 30 frames per second or less, with stereo AAC audio at 256 kbps.
- Choose the poster frame. It shows on the product page before the video plays, so pick a frame that explains the app.
If your edit is 1080 x 1920 and you need 886 x 1920, crop the sides. This ffmpeg command crops the centre, sets 30 frames per second and Apple's audio settings:
ffmpeg -i preview-1080x1920.mp4 -vf "crop=886:1920" -r 30 -c:v libx264 -c:a aac -b:a 256k -ar 44100 -ac 2 preview-886x1920.mp4
Check that nothing important sits in the 97 pixels cut from each side.
A 25 second App Store preview script
| Time | On screen (screen capture only) | Text overlay | Voiceover (optional) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 4 s | The app's main screen with real-looking data | "Plan your week in one list" | "All your tasks, in one list." |
| 4 to 11 s | Add a task with a date and a person | "Add a task in 2 taps" | "Add a task and pick who owns it." |
| 11 to 17 s | The week view fills with tasks | "See the whole week" | "See what's due this week." |
| 17 to 22 s | A reminder notification inside the app | "Never miss a deadline" | "Get a reminder before it's due." |
| 22 to 25 s | The main screen again, done | App name | "[App name]." |
Doing this with distrorig
distrorig makes marketing videos for software: an AI agent uses your product and records it, an AI creator introduces it on camera, and an AI voice narrates. It is a weak fit for Apple App Store previews. The agent works in a browser and cannot operate native iOS or Android apps, and Apple allows only screen captures of the app, so the generated creator shots do not belong there.
Where it helps: the ads and social videos that send people to your store listing, and, for a web app, a 9:16 recording in the phone layout. If you upload your own app screen recording as product footage, distrorig adds voiceover and captions; then export 9:16 and crop it to Apple's size as above. For the full promo video, see app promo videos.