The content rule
Apple's App Review Guidelines (2.3.4) say previews may only use video screen captures of the app itself. You can add narration and text or video overlays to explain what isn't clear from the footage.
Apple's app preview guidance adds that previews show the app using footage captured on device, must show only content within the app, and shouldn't film people holding or tapping a device. Transitions shouldn't imply features the app doesn't have.
Technical requirements
| Requirement | Apple's spec |
|---|---|
| Length | 15 to 30 seconds |
| How many | Up to 3 per device size and language |
| File size | Up to 500MB |
| Frame rate | Up to 30 fps |
| Formats | .mov, .m4v or .mp4 with H.264; .mov with ProRes 422 (HQ only) |
| H.264 profile | Progressive, up to High Profile Level 4.0, target 10 to 12 Mbps |
| Audio | Stereo; 256 kbps AAC (or PCM for ProRes) at 44.1 or 48 kHz |
| Orientation | iOS: portrait or landscape. Mac, Apple TV and Vision Pro: landscape only |
| Poster frame | You choose it; the default is the frame at 5 seconds |
| Processing | Up to 24 hours after upload |
Accepted resolutions
| Device | Portrait | Landscape |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone with Face ID or Dynamic Island (all current sizes) | 886 × 1920 | 1920 × 886 |
| iPhone with Home Button, 5.5" | 1080 × 1920 | 1920 × 1080 |
| iPhone with Home Button, 4.7" | 750 × 1334 | 1334 × 750 |
| iPad 13", 12.9", 11" and 10.5" | 1200 × 1600 | 1600 × 1200 |
| iPad 9.7" | 900 × 1200 | 1200 × 900 |
| Mac | n/a | 1920 × 1080 |
| Apple TV | n/a | 1920 × 1080 |
| Apple Vision Pro | n/a | 3840 × 2160 |
Apple scales previews down to smaller sizes when your interface is the same across devices, so you usually upload only the largest. See the full specification for every device.
Where a Shotreel loop fits, and where it doesn't
A Shotreel video arranges screenshots in motion: a carousel, an orbit, a wall of cards. That is a showcase of your app, not a screen capture of it being used, so it is not what guideline 2.3.4 allows as an app preview.
The files don't line up either. Shotreel's 9:16 frame exports 1080 × 1920, not the 886 × 1920 current iPhones need. Its MP4s have no audio track, and the H.264 level depends on your browser and can be above Apple's 4.0 limit. Treat a Shotreel export as a marketing video, not an App Store asset.
- Good fit: the hero video on your app's website or landing page.
- Good fit: a launch post on X, LinkedIn or Instagram, and the gallery of a Product Hunt launch.
- Good fit: a press kit, a pitch deck, a case study or your portfolio.
- Not a fit: the App Store app preview itself. Record the real app for that.
- Not a fit: anything that has to follow the app preview rules, such as Apple Ads that use your previews.
Making the real preview
Apple suggests capturing footage from the device with QuickTime Player on a Mac, with the device connected, then editing in iMovie or Final Cut Pro. Its guidance also asks that each preview show something new, that text stays on screen long enough to read, and that you leave out prices and dated references like "new for spring".