Templates and Guidelines for Publishing an App to the Store
How often do you change screenshots in the App Store or download new apps to Google Play? I am doing this no more than once every six months. During this time, knowledge about the process is blurred and I have to find the required information again — google and read articles, redesign mockups…
One day, I decided to end it! I have collected all the necessary information and prepared templates in one article. These guidelines and templates will help you quickly and easily prepare the necessary graphic content for publishing your app in App Store, Google Play, or Huawei AppGallery.
Templates for Figma or Sketch are available on Google Drive.
Each template has 3 blocks for App Store, Google Play, and Huawei AppGallery, which contains templates for preparing graphic content, screenshots, and app icons. All elements have already been cut to fit the required platform dimensions. All you have to do is to post your content and download it by clicking one button.
There is one obvious thing to add — the IT world is developing very quickly. The materials in this article are relevant to the end of 2020. Links to the primary sources are provided to be sure that the information you use is up-to-date.
Let’s start.
App Store
Icons
The app’s icon should meet the following requirements:
- no specified corner radius (corners are not rounded)
- no mockups with transparency layers
- layers are flattened
- the icon should be saved in PNG format
The Human Interface Guidelines have an App Icon section where you can find more information about icon requirements.
- Place the icon of your app in the template.
- Download the icon pack for the iPhone, iPad, or both devices at the same time.
- The icons will be named and saved in the required size for uploading.
Screenshots
You should upload at least 1 screenshot for the app. The maximum allowed number is 10.
For iPhone’s screenshots, there are two sizes required: for devices of 6.5 inches (1284 x 2778 px) with “bangs” and for 5.5 inches (1242 x 2208 px) without “bangs”. For other devices, screenshots are reduced automatically.
For iPad, the size is 12.9 inches (2048 x 2732 px). It is required to download screenshots for iPad Pro 2 generation and for iPad Pro 3 and 4 generations. The screenshots for the rest of the devices are reduced automatically.
For more information about the screenshots’ requirements for iPhone and iPad, as well as for Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch, check out the Screenshot Specifications section on the App Store Connect Help page. There you will also find information about screenshot sizes for each device size in case you will need them.
Video
You could also add videos for a better presentation of the app. The requirements can be found on the App Preview Specifications section on the App Store Connect Help page.
Google Play
Icons
The app icon should meet the following requirements:
- size 512 x 512 px
- PNG format
- no rounding (full square)
- no shadows
On developer.android.com you can learn more about the requirements for the app icon. You can find the template for icons in tу file on Google Drive or download it from the webpage.
Screenshots and Other Graphic Materials
You should upload at least 2 screenshots for the app. The maximum allowed number is 8.
For Android, there are no strict rules for the required screenshot sizes. It is recommended to upload images:
- min size 320 px
- max size 3840 px
- the ratio of the long side to the short side is no more than 2:1
My colleagues from e-Legion and I usually use screenshots that are 1920 x 1080 px in size.
For Android, in addition to screenshots, you need to prepare some graphics.
High-resolution icon (in addition to the app icon):
- PNG format
- size 512x512 px
Image for description (advertising image that reflects the essence of the application):
- PNG or JPEG
- size 1024x500 px
Banner for TV (displayed only on Android TV, but the system may require this image, even if your app does not support such devices):
- PNG or JPEG
- size 1280x720 px
In the templates for these images, you just place your content and download it.
More information about image requirements can be found on support.google.com. You can also find requirements for circular panoramas (this content must be prepared if you want to publish the app for Daydream).
Huawei AppGallery
Icons
The app icon must meet the following requirements:
- size 216x216 px
- PNG or WebP format
- no rounding (full square)
You can find the template for the icon in the file on Google Drive.
Screenshots and Other Graphic Materials
You should upload at least 3 screenshots for the app. The maximum allowed amount is not limited, but don’t go too far with this.
Recommendations for the screenshot:
- size 450x800 px
- aspect ratio 9: 16
- JPEG, JPG, PNG format
For more information about downloading, check out the developer’s guide.
There is also a guide to app verification, which differs slightly from the information provided in the article at the link above. Therefore, before publishing, you should additionally consult with developers or representatives of Huawei.
Hopefully, you will find these templates and guidelines useful. Here is, once more, a link to Google Drive, where you can download templates for Figma or Sketch.
