App Store Preview Video: Specs, Length and Rules

An App Store video, which Apple calls an App Preview, is a 15 to 30 second clip recorded inside your app. You can add three per screen size and per language. For all recent iPhones, App Store Connect accepts a single resolution: 886 x 1920 pixels in portrait, or 1920 x 886 in landscape. And the video can only contain screen captures of your app: that's guideline 2.3.4.

The preview plays on its own, muted, on your product page and in search results. Since iOS 27, there's a second kind of video: the product page header, in 21:9, with its own rules. This guide covers both. Everything comes from Apple's pages, reread on November 3, 2026.

I publish my own iOS apps: Solys, TradaZen, Nolera and Vigie. Static screenshot dimensions are in App Store screenshot sizes. Here, we only talk video.

App Store video: the format Apple requires

Previews are optional. Here are the technical requirements from the App Store Connect specifications page.

Item	Requirement
Count	0 to 3 per screen size and per language
Length	15 seconds minimum, 30 maximum
File size	500 MB maximum
File	.mov, .m4v or .mp4 in H.264, .mov in ProRes
Frames per second	30 maximum
Target H.264 bitrate	10 to 12 Mbps
Audio	Stereo, AAC at 256 kbps, 44.1 or 48 kHz
Orientation on iOS	Portrait or landscape
Poster frame	Taken at 5 seconds by default

For ProRes, only 422 HQ is accepted. Three details are easy to miss:

• The codec. For compressed video, only H.264 works. A HEVC file has to be converted.
• The frame rate. A 60 fps recording goes over the limit.
• The profile. Progressive video, up to High profile level 4.0.

What resolution for each iPhone and iPad?

Prepare your video at the resolution Apple accepts, not the screen's resolution. An iPhone 17 Pro Max screenshot is 1320 x 2868 pixels, but its preview is uploaded at 886 x 1920.

Device group	Examples	Portrait	Landscape
iPhone with Dynamic Island	17 Pro Max, 17, Air, 15	886 x 1920	1920 x 886
iPhone with Face ID, no Dynamic Island	16e, 14, 13 mini, 11	886 x 1920	1920 x 886
iPhone with Home button, large screen	8 Plus, 7 Plus	1080 x 1920	1920 x 1080
iPhone with Home button, medium screen	SE 2nd and 3rd gen, 8	750 x 1334	1334 x 750
iPad 13, 11 and 10.5 inch	iPad Pro, Air, iPad, mini	1200 x 1600	1600 x 1200
iPad 9.7 inch	Older iPad and iPad mini	900 x 1200	1200 x 900

On Mac and Apple TV, it's 1920 x 1080, landscape only. A single 886 x 1920 file covers every iPhone without a Home button. Apple's page even already lists an "iPhone Duo" group, at that resolution.

Two rules save you from piling up files. If your interface is the same on every size, provide only the highest resolution required: Apple scales it down for smaller screens. And if a language has no preview, the App Store shows the one from the closest available language.

Recording and exporting a compliant preview

On its page about previews, Apple recommends recording on the device: iPhone plugged into the Mac, recording with QuickTime Player, editing in iMovie or Final Cut Pro. Record the interface at its native resolution, without zooming into the image.

In the simulator, xcrun simctl io booted recordVideo ecran.mov records the screen to a file. I use it to check my apps' animations frame by frame. Heads up: the tool records in HEVC by default. Add --codec=h264, or convert the file afterward.

To go from an iPhone 17 Pro Max recording to the expected format, this ffmpeg command scales the image to 886 pixels wide, crops it to 1920 tall, drops it to 30 fps and adds a silent stereo track:

ffmpeg -i ecran.mov \
  -f lavfi -i anullsrc=channel_layout=stereo:sample_rate=48000 \
  -vf "scale=886:-2,crop=886:1920,fps=30" \
  -c:v libx264 -profile:v high -level 4.0 -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  -b:v 11M -maxrate 12M -bufsize 24M \
  -c:a aac -b:a 256k -shortest apercu.mp4

I tested it on November 3, 2026 on a 16 second video at 1320 x 2868 and 60 fps. ffprobe reads the output as H.264 High 4.0, 886 x 1920, 30 fps, about 11 Mbps, stereo AAC audio. The crop removes 3 pixels at the top and bottom. If your video already has its music, delete the -f lavfi line. The upload to App Store Connect is still the final judge.

What Apple rejects in an App Store video

Guideline 2.3.4 of the App Review Guidelines fits in one sentence: "previews may only use video screen captures of the app itself". A preview contains only video captures of your app. You can add voiceover, text and overlays to explain what the footage alone doesn't show. Apple's previews page covers the rest:

Allowed	Ruled out
Video captures of your app's screen	A person, a hand or a finger on the screen
Text, voiceover, drawn touch indicators	A transition that suggests a missing feature
Simple fades and dissolves	A specific price, a date, "new this spring"
Music and interface sounds, with the rights	Unlicensed music, brand or character
Mentioning the subscription or sign-in	A purchase or sign-in kept quiet
Content suitable for all ages	Violence, adult themes, profanity
For a game, more gameplay than cutscenes	Cutscenes that mislead about the game

On top of that, 2.3.8 requires 4+ content even if your app is rated higher, guideline 2.3.10 bans any other platform, and 2.3 wants previews kept up to date with each version. If a feature requires a purchase, a subscription or a sign-in, say so in the video or on its end frame.

My case: a product page rejection on Vigie

On October 27, 2026, Apple rejected a Vigie update under 2.3.3, the static screenshot rule. My screenshots showed interface cards redrawn around a mascot, with no phone: for Apple, that wasn't the app in use. The rejection was about the product page, not the binary. It didn't require a new build: I put real app screens inside an iPhone and resubmitted the same version that evening. I later switched builds to fix a title in the app, unrelated to the screenshots. Vigie 1.1 has been on sale since October 29 with that set.

The lesson counts double for video. 2.3.4 only allows video captures of the app: an interface rebuilt in motion design has no place in a preview. It belongs in the iOS 27 header, covered below.

Autoplay, poster frame and search

According to Apple's product page article, previews start on their own, muted, when someone opens your product page. So the first few seconds have to make sense without sound: the on-screen text carries the message.

• Previews always come before screenshots, even if you change the order in App Store Connect.
• A preview in a different format from your screenshots goes into a separate section, "A Closer Look".
• In search results, Apple says in its best practices that up to three previews can show. Without a preview, it's your first one to three screenshots.
• The poster frame shows when the video isn't playing, for example if the person turned off autoplay in the App Store settings.

The poster frame is taken at 5 seconds by default. You change it with Edit Poster Frame, and it applies everywhere the video is used. Pick it before uploading: once the preview is approved, it can't be changed, except by submitting a new version of the preview. Also allow up to 24 hours of processing after upload.

Uploading the preview in App Store Connect

App Store Connect Help describes this flow:

1. Open your app, then the version, and pick the language at the top right.
2. In Product Page Information, open the App Previews and Screenshots tab.
3. Choose the device and drop your video. The other sizes are under View All Sizes in Media Manager.

You can also go through Asset Library. Either way, submitting for review happens when your version is in preparation, or after a rejection. On your main product page, a new preview ships with a version.

To test a video without touching your main product page, two tools accept previews: product page A/B testing and custom product pages.

New in iOS 27: the product page header video

On devices running iOS 27, iPadOS 27 or later, your product page can open with a header: an image or video at the very top. A second visual can replace your screenshots in search results. Apple calls these visuals "creative assets".

It's not a preview. The rules change, according to the creative assets specifications:

Criterion	Preview (App Preview)	Header video (iOS 27)
Placement	Product page, search, Apple Ads	Top of the product page
Format	886 x 1920 on iPhone	21:9, 3840 x 1646
Length	15 to 30 seconds	5 to 30 seconds
Frame rate	30 fps max	30 or 60 fps
Content	App captures only	Brand visual tied to the app
Sound	Muted by default	Muted by default, can be enabled
Playback	Automatic	Automatic, continuous loop
Submission	With a version	On its own or with a version

For search, the video is 3:2, from 1920 x 1280 to 3840 x 2560 pixels, still 5 to 30 seconds. It stays muted there: for now, sound can't be turned on. Without this visual, the App Store shows your in-app events, previews and screenshots there.

Apple's best practices set the content rules:

• One single idea, designed for people discovering your app, with no fast cuts.
• A first frame that stands on its own, and a seamless loop.
• A video that works without sound, with 4+ content.
• No price, discount, web address or copyright, no other platform, no Apple award.
• The subject in the center, inside the safe zone of Apple's templates, so it doesn't get cropped.

You can submit it with a version, or on its own from Asset Library as a standalone submission: Apple then reviews it against your app's latest version. Once the header is approved, you place it on your live version and click Publish. No new version needed.

I'm preparing headers for my four apps, with the title translated into each language. The reference video I liked put its subject outside the safe zone of Apple's template: open the template before you edit anything.

The checklist before you upload your video

• The video is between 15 and 30 seconds and under 500 MB.
• The file is H.264, 30 fps max, 886 x 1920 for iPhone.
• Every frame comes from your app's screen, no hand or filmed phone.
• The first three seconds make sense without sound.
• The subscription, in-app purchase or sign-in is announced on screen.
• No price, no date, no other platform, nothing above 4+.
• The poster frame is chosen before uploading.
• If your app runs on iPad, the iPad preview is 1200 x 1600.

Make your whole product page work

A video convinces people who are already on your product page. Keywords decide whether they get there. The ASO Kit bundles my keyword method, product page templates and the skill that translates your page into 30 languages. The full method is on the App Store ASO page.

If you're preparing your first launch, take your free diagnostic: it puts the steps in order and sends you my Apple anti-rejection checklist.

Frequently asked questions

How long is an App Store video?

An App Preview runs 15 to 30 seconds. The iOS 27 header video runs 5 to 30 seconds and loops. Either way, the message has to land without sound.

What size for an App Preview on iPhone?

886 x 1920 pixels in portrait, or 1920 x 886 in landscape, for all iPhones with Face ID or Dynamic Island. Older iPhones with a Home button need 1080 x 1920 or 750 x 1334 depending on the model. For iPad, it's 1200 x 1600.

How many videos can you put on the App Store?

Three previews max per screen size and per language. For devices running iOS 27 or later, you can add a header video and a visual for search results.

Does an App Store video have sound?

Not by default: the preview starts muted on the product page and in search results. You can add music and voiceover, but the message has to work without them. iOS 27 videos start muted too: the header's sound can be turned on on the product page, the search visual's can't for now.

Can you film the iPhone in hand for an App Preview?

No. Apple asks you not to film a person using the device, or fingers touching the screen. To show a gesture, draw a touch indicator on the video capture.

Do you need a new version to change your product page video?

For a preview on your main product page, yes: it goes to review with a version in preparation. The iOS 27 header, on the other hand, goes live without a new version once approved.