Guide · App Store preview video
App Store Preview Video Specs for 2026
Accepted resolutions, length, frame rate, codecs, audio and content rules for App Store app previews, taken from Apple’s App Store Connect documentation, plus how to capture and export a preview that passes review.
Last updated: 2026-10-17
What is an App Store preview video?
An App Store preview video, or app preview, is a short video that plays on your app’s product page and in App Store search results. It autoplays muted and appears before your screenshots, so for many people it is the first thing they see about your app.
App previews are optional, but they come with strict specifications. App Store Connect checks the file’s length, resolution, frame rate and audio when you upload it, and App Review checks the content against Apple’s app preview guidelines. This guide collects both in one place, as of October 2026.
App Store preview file requirements
You can add up to three app previews per device size and language.
| Requirement | H.264 | ProRes 422 |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 15–30 seconds | 15–30 seconds |
| Maximum file size | 500 MB | 500 MB |
| Frame rate | 30 fps maximum | 30 fps maximum |
| File types | .mov, .m4v, .mp4 | .mov (HQ only) |
| Video bit rate | Target 10–12 Mbps, progressive, up to High Profile Level 4.0 | VBR about 220 Mbps, progressive |
| Audio | Stereo AAC 256 kbps, 44.1 or 48 kHz, all tracks enabled | Stereo PCM (16/24/32-bit) or 256 kbps AAC, 44.1 or 48 kHz |
| Default poster frame | 5 seconds in | 5 seconds in |
Source: Apple App Store Connect Help, “App preview specifications”, checked October 17, 2026.
App Store preview resolutions by device
Prepare the file at the accepted resolution, not the device’s screen resolution. iOS previews can be portrait or landscape; Mac, Apple TV and Vision Pro previews are landscape only.
| Device size | Example devices | Portrait | Landscape |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone with Dynamic Island or Face ID (large and medium displays) | iPhone 17 Pro Max, 16, 15, 14 Plus, 13, 12, 11, X | 886×1920 | 1920×886 |
| iPhone with Home Button (large display) | iPhone 8 Plus, 7 Plus, 6s Plus | 1080×1920 | 1920×1080 |
| iPhone with Home Button (medium display) | iPhone SE (2nd/3rd gen), 8, 7 | 750×1334 | 1334×750 |
| iPad 13", 11", 10.5" | iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, iPad mini | 1200×1600 | 1600×1200 |
| iPad 9.7" | Older iPad Pro, Air, iPad and mini | 900×1200 | 1200×900 |
| Mac | — | — | 1920×1080 |
| Apple TV | — | — | 1920×1080 |
| Apple Vision Pro | — | — | 3840×2160 |
If you skip a size, App Store Connect can use a scaled preview from an adjacent size. Check Apple’s page for the full device list before you export.
App Store preview length: 15 to 30 seconds
Every app preview must be at least 15 and at most 30 seconds long. App Store Connect rejects files outside that range at upload, before App Review sees them. Because the preview autoplays and loops in search results, the first few seconds matter most: show the core experience immediately rather than a logo or splash screen.
Thirty seconds is usually enough for three or four key moments. If you have more to show, use up to three previews per language and give each a single theme, such as onboarding, the main feature and a power-user feature.
Apple’s app preview content rules
The technical specs are only half of App Review. Apple’s app preview guidelines also set rules for what the video may show:
- Use footage captured on the device and show only content within the app itself. Don’t film people holding or tapping a device, or use over-the-shoulder shots.
- Capture the native UI resolution rather than zooming in on the view.
- Keep transitions straightforward, like dissolves and fades, and never imply functionality the app doesn’t have.
- Previews autoplay muted, so add on-screen copy, keep it legible and leave it up long enough to read.
- Don’t show specific prices, and avoid dated or seasonal references such as “new for spring”.
- Disclose in-app purchases, subscriptions or required logins in the footage or on the end frame.
- Only use music and content you have the right to use for marketing in all territories.
- Keep the content appropriate for all ages, and for games show more gameplay than cutscenes.
How to capture App Store preview footage
Three common ways to record the in-app footage Apple asks for.
- 1
QuickTime on a Mac
Connect the iPhone or iPad by cable, open QuickTime Player, choose New Movie Recording and select the device as the camera source.
- 2
iOS screen recording
Add Screen Recording to Control Center and record directly on the device. Turn on Do Not Disturb first so notifications stay out of the shot.
- 3
Xcode Simulator
Run the app in Simulator and record with “xcrun simctl io booted recordVideo preview.mov”. Use realistic sample data.
- 4
Edit and export
Trim to 15–30 seconds, add short text overlays, then export at the accepted resolution and 30 fps with a stereo audio track.
Export settings and ffmpeg commands
Recordings from modern iPhones are larger than the accepted resolution, and many editors export vertical video at 1080×1920, which Apple only accepts for older Home Button iPhones. For current iPhones you need 886×1920. Scaling and center-cropping with ffmpeg keeps the full height and sets the frame rate, bit rate and audio Apple asks for:
ffmpeg -i preview.mov -t 30 -vf "scale=886:1920:force_original_aspect_ratio=increase,crop=886:1920" -r 30 -c:v libx264 -profile:v high -level 4.0 -b:v 11M -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a 256k -ar 48000 -ac 2 preview-886x1920.mp4
If your preview has no sound, many developers add a silent stereo track so the file still matches the audio spec: add “-f lavfi -i anullsrc=channel_layout=stereo:sample_rate=48000 -shortest” after the input. Keep important text away from the left and right edges before you crop.
Choosing the poster frame
The poster frame is the still image shown when autoplay is off. By default it is the frame at five seconds, and you can pick another frame in App Store Connect. Choose a frame that shows the app clearly with a short line of text, not a transition.
Plan it before you submit: Apple notes that changing the poster frame on an approved preview means submitting the preview again.
App Store preview or app promo video?
An App Store preview is a narrow format: real in-app footage, 15–30 seconds, judged by App Review. An app promo video is for everywhere else — your website, Google Play (which takes a YouTube link), Product Hunt, app install ads and social — and can use motion design, camera moves, kinetic typography and a soundtrack freely.
Tweenova makes app promo videos from your real screenshots, in 9:16 and 16:9. Use them for those marketing channels, and record the App Store preview from the app following the rules above.
App Store preview submission checklist
Run through this list before you upload:
- Length between 15 and 30 seconds.
- Exact accepted resolution for each device size you upload (for example 886×1920 for current iPhones).
- 30 fps or less, H.264 at about 10–12 Mbps or ProRes 422 HQ, file under 500 MB.
- Stereo audio track, AAC 256 kbps at 44.1 or 48 kHz.
- Footage from the app only: no hands, devices or people.
- Readable text overlays, no prices, no dates.
- In-app purchases, subscriptions or required login disclosed.
- Poster frame chosen deliberately.
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