In late October, our team was gearing up for the release of Air. All that was left were a few minor details, specifically, App Store assets. With Apple’s recent announcement of App Previews, it only took a minute of discussion for the team to say, “Yeah, let’s make a low-budget video for fun, and see how our product can be conveyed through a 30 second video.” Boom. Within a couple days, our designer Jakub had churned out a video that we were uploading to the App Store.
After a few volleys with Apple’s Resolution Center, version 1.0 was approved. With it came our App Preview.
Fast forward to the submission of our next version. The app was air tight, pun intended. Within 24 hours, we received a rejection notice from Apple, with the following:
“Your App Preview includes content that does not sufficiently reflect the app in use, which does not comply with the App Store Review Guidelines.”
Specifically, your preview:
- Included device images and/or device frames.
- Displayed a narrator’s hand.”
We immediately removed the video, scratched our heads, and resubmitted. It’s important to note that Apple product images aren’t kosher in App Store screenshots either. This is outlined in Section 2.10 of Apple’s App Store Marketing Guidelines.
“Screenshots should display only the actual screen content from your app that a user will see when the app is running. Do not incorporate Apple product images into your screenshots on the App Store.”
That being said, 2 of the top 3 free apps (overall) in the US App Store contain Apple product images in their screenshots.
Here’s the point: Apple’s guideline enforcement varies. The best thing a company can do is educate itself and be sure that every decision made up to the point of submission is a conscious one. App Previews seem to be scrutinized more than screenshots. Given the cost and time of creating a video versus static images, it’s best that you avoid Apple product images in your App Preview, at least for the moment.
We recognize the power of video. Air wouldn’t have come to be otherwise. We’re looking forward to producing a new App Preview for our prospective users that everyone, including Apple, can enjoy.
