2026 is the year the App Store product page stopped being “icon + screenshots”. Three things changed:
- Creative assets are here. A 21:9 product page header and a 3:2 search results asset, image or video, live on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27. You upload them to the new Asset Library and get them approved without shipping a new version.
- The required screenshot size changed. Since October 2026 the required iPhone set is iPhone with Dynamic Island (medium display): 1206 × 2622 or 1179 × 2556. The 6.9″ and 6.5″ sets are optional.
- iPhone Duo is next. Apps and games submitted from April 2027 need Duo screenshots, a new shape that no resizer will fix.
Every App Store asset at a glance
| Asset | Where it shows | Size (px) | Format | Required? | PPO / CPP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product page header | Top of the product page (iOS 27+) | 3840 × 1646 (21:9) | Image or 5–30s video | No | Yes / Yes |
| Search results asset | Search results, Today tab (Apple Ads) | 1920 × 1280 to 3840 × 2560 (3:2) | Image or 5–30s video | No | Yes / Yes |
| In-app event card | Today tab, Search, product page | 1920 × 1080 to 3840 × 2160 (16:9) | Image or 15–30s video | No | No / No |
| In-app event details | After tapping the card | 1080 × 1920 to 2160 × 3840 (9:16) | Image or 15–30s video | No | No |
| Screenshots, iPhone | Product page, search (fallback) | 1206 × 2622 or 1179 × 2556 | PNG / JPEG, 1–10 | Yes | Yes / Yes |
| Screenshots, iPhone Duo | Product page on Duo | 1398 × 2034 outer · 2007 × 2853 inner | PNG / JPEG | From April 2027 | — |
| App preview | Before screenshots, search (fallback) | 886 × 1920 (iPhone) | 15–30s video, up to 3 | No | Yes / Yes |
Creative assets: product page header and search results
These are the big 2026 addition. They sit above your screenshots and, in search, can even replace them. Both show on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27; older iOS versions keep the screenshot-only layout.
Product page header
- Image: 3840 × 1646 px, 21:9, JPEG or PNG
- Video: 3840 × 1646 px, 30 or 60 fps, 5 to 30 seconds, MOV / M4V / MP4
- Muted by default (users can unmute), loops continuously
- Job: set the tone in one idea, sitting at the top of your product page. Brand, core promise, or the new feature you’re launching
Search results asset
- Image: 3:2, from 1920 × 1280 up to 3840 × 2560 px, JPEG or PNG
- Video: same sizes, 30 or 60 fps, 5 to 30 seconds
- Always muted, can’t be unmuted, loops
- If you don’t set one, Apple falls back to screenshots or eventually in-app events
- Job: explain what the app does at a glance.
The real game changer is actually the Today tab ad placement. The “search results” asset can also be used on Apple Ads in Today tab campaigns. Until now, a Today tab ad pulled its visuals from your product page, with almost no creative control. Now you get a dedicated 3:2 image or looping video on the most-viewed surface of the store. For apps that already buy Today tab inventory, this matters more than the header. Design it to work in both places: it has to explain the app to someone who searched for it and stop someone who’s just browsing.
Rules for both
- No alpha channels or transparency
- Keep the focal point centred and key elements inside a safe area. Apple crops the edges on different screens, and it doesn’t publish exact safe-zone coordinates, so use the Preview tool in App Store Connect
- No prices, discounts, URLs, other platforms’ logos or Apple accolades (“Editor’s Choice”, “App of the Day”)
- Make it work for a 4+ audience, even if your app is rated higher
One asset can serve both placements: Apple calls it a universal creative asset. Its spec table lists a 16:9, 5244 × 2950 px PNG under both the header and search rows. My read: that’s the universal master, which Apple crops to 21:9 for the header and 3:2 for search. Design it with the subject dead centre, and confirm the size looking at the Preview in App Store Connect before you go live.
Specs: Apple, Creative assets specifications / Guidance: Apple, App Store asset best practices
In-app event cards
In-app events are the most underused free placement on the store. Each event gets a card and a details page, and can appear in different places on the store: Today tab, Search results, your product page.
| Element | Spec |
|---|---|
| Event card media | 16:9, 1920 × 1080 to 3840 × 2160 px · image or 15–30s video, 30/60 fps · landscape |
| Event details media | 9:16, 1080 × 1920 to 2160 × 3840 px · image or 15–30s video · portrait |
| Max file size | 500 MB |
| Event name | 30 characters |
| Short description (card) | 50 characters |
| Long description (details) | 120 characters |
| Badge | One of: Challenge, Competition, Live Event, Major Update, New Season, Premiere, Special Event |
| Live at once | Up to 10 published, 15 approved |
| Promotion | Up to 14 days before the event starts |
| Duration | 15 minutes to 31 days |
Design tips: don’t repeat the badge in the artwork, and keep the card and details page in the same colours and style. Events need App Review approval, but not a new app version. Set High priority on the event you care about most so it shows ahead of the others.
Source: Apple, Offer in-app events
How to submit creative assets with the Asset Library
The Asset Library is the real change here, as it’s the place to upload them, get them approved, and place them when you’re ready.
- In App Store Connect, open your app and click Asset Library in the sidebar.
- Click +, then Upload Creative Assets (or Previews and Screenshots).
- Select your files and click Upload. Give each one an internal name you’ll recognise later.
- Check Works With: it tells you which placements the file fits (header, search results, in-app events).
- Submit the assets for review from the Asset Library. No app version needed.
- Once approved, place them: default product page, a Custom Product Page, a PPO treatment, or an event. Approved assets are reused without another review.
You need the Account Holder, Admin, App Manager or Marketing role. Only assets still in Prepared for Submission can be deleted; anything approved can only be archived.
The old route still works too: upload on the version page and the assets ship with that version. Use it only when the visuals belong to a feature release.
Automating? The Asset Library and uploads are in the App Store Connect API, so fastlane-style pipelines can push creative assets as well as screenshots.
Source: Apple, Manage your App Store assets
How to test: PPO vs CPPs
Use PPO to find what converts on your default page, and use CPPs to match a page to a specific audience.
| Product Page Optimization (PPO) | Custom Product Pages (CPPs) | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Find the best default page | Match one audience, keyword or campaign |
| What you can change | Icon, screenshots, previews, header, search results asset | Screenshots, previews, promo text, header, search results asset |
| Volume | Up to 3 treatments vs. control, one test at a time, max 90 days | Up to 70 pages |
| Traffic | Random split of default page traffic | Only people who reach that URL: Apple Ads ad variations, links, keyword-assigned organic search |
| Read-out | Conversion rate per treatment, with confidence | Conversion per page in App Analytics |
What I’d test first, in order:
- Search results asset vs. no asset. The question that matters: does a single 3:2 visual beat your first three screenshots? Test it before you go live.
- Header: brand vs. feature. A logo-led brand header against one that shows the core value or a new feature.
- Video vs. image on whichever placement won. Video is more work and doesn’t always win, especially muted.
Keep one change per treatment and run for at least two weeks (full weekly cycle). With low traffic, test bigger contrasts: subtle variants won’t reach significance.
CPPs: one selling point, three surfaces
Creative assets turn a CPP into a mini funnel. On iOS 27 someone can see your search results asset, tap through to the header, then scroll your screenshots, all in about five seconds. If those three tell three different stories, you lose them between steps.
Pick one selling point per CPP and carry it through:
- Search results asset: the promise. Match the keyword or audience the CPP targets. Someone searching “sleep sounds” sees sleep, not your full feature list.
- Header: the confirmation. Same visual, same words, a bit more context. They should feel they landed in the right place.
- Screenshots: the proof. Screenshot 1 shows that exact feature in the UI. The rest back it up before you widen to other features.
Example for a meditation app’s “sleep” CPP:
| Surface | Message | Visual |
|---|---|---|
| Search results asset | Fall asleep faster | Night-sky video of the sleep stories player |
| Header | 300+ sleep stories and sounds | Same night palette, the player in context |
| Screenshot 1 | Sleep stories that switch off your brain | The stories library |
| Screenshots 2–3 | Sleep timer, sounds mixer | The actual screens, same palette |
| Screenshots 4+ | Meditation, focus, streaks | Back to the brand’s default look |
Common misses:
- A brand-level header on a keyword CPP. The search asset promised sleep, the header talks about “your mindfulness companion”.
- Reusing the default page’s screenshots. The promise is specific, the proof is generic.
- One CPP for several keywords. If the promise has to stay vague to cover them all, split the CPP.
The same logic applies to the Apple Ads ad variations that point to a CPP: the keyword, the ad and the page should all say the same thing.
App previews in 2026: still worth it?
App previews are the 15–30 second videos of your app in action that sit before your screenshots. Devs used them because they autoplay, muted, in search results and on the product page: the only way to show motion and real UI before the creative assets arrived.
For most apps, the video budget might be too high, so focus instead on delivering great images for the header or search results instead.
Why: an app preview’s main value was autoplaying in search results. With a search results asset set, Apple shows that asset first and previews become a fallback.
Where previews still earn their place:
- Games where 15 seconds of gameplay sells better than any static visual
- Apps that haven’t made a search results asset yet (previews still autoplay in search)
- Mac and Apple TV listings (Apple only lists creative assets for iOS 27 and iPadOS 27)
If you already have one, run a PPO test with the preview removed.
Specs, if you keep them:
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Length | 15 to 30 seconds |
| Per device size and language | Up to 3 |
| iPhone resolution | 886 × 1920 portrait / 1920 × 886 landscape (all iPhone classes, Duo included) |
| Frame rate | 30 fps max |
| File | H.264 (.mov, .m4v, .mp4) or ProRes 422 HQ (.mov), max 500 MB |
| Audio | Stereo, AAC 256 kbps; works muted |
| Poster frame | Defaults to 5s; set it in the Asset Library or Media Manager |
If a preview’s aspect ratio doesn’t match your screenshots, it moves to the “A Closer Look” section further down the page.
Source: Apple, App preview specifications
Screenshots: where they appear now
Screenshots are still required, but on iOS 27 they’re no longer guaranteed to be the first thing people see.
| Surface | iOS 27 and later | iOS 26 and earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Search results | Only if you have no search results asset, up to 3 portrait or 1 landscape | First 3 portrait or 1 landscape, as before |
| Product page | Below the header and after any app preview. Up to 10 | Top of the page, after any app preview. Up to 10 |
| Custom Product Pages | Their own set per page | Same |
| PPO treatments | Their own set per treatment | Same |
| Apple Ads search results ads | Default page or CPP screenshots, unless the ad uses creative assets | Default page or CPP screenshots |
What that means for your screenshot strategy:
- The first three still carry the weight for everyone not on iOS 27 yet, and for every app that skips the search results asset. Don’t stop optimising them.
- The story now starts higher. On iOS 27 your header does the hook, so screenshot 1 can go straight to the strongest feature instead of repeating the brand line.
- Keep the header and screenshots in one visual system. Same colours, type and device treatment, or the page reads like two different apps.
Screenshot sizes: the October 2026 change
App Store Connect now names slots by device instead of inches, and the required iPhone set moved from 6.9″ to 6.3″.
| App Store Connect slot | Format | Portrait px | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone with Dynamic Island (medium display) | 6.3″ | 1206 × 2622 · 1179 × 2556 | Required |
| iPhone with Dynamic Island (large display) | 6.9″ | 1320 × 2868 · 1290 × 2796 · 1260 × 2736 | Optional |
| iPhone with Face ID (large display) | 6.5″ | 1284 × 2778 · 1242 × 2688 | Optional |
| iPhone with Face ID (medium display) | 6.1″ | 1170 × 2532 · 1125 × 2436 · 1080 × 2340 | Optional, scaled |
| iPhone with Home Button (large display) | 5.5″ | 1242 × 2208 | Optional, scaled |
| iPad 13″ | 13″ | 2064 × 2752 · 2048 × 2732 | Required if iPad app |
Landscape = same numbers swapped. Format: PNG or JPEG, no transparency, 1 to 10 per set.
Your current screenshots keep working, and live 6.9″ and 6.5″ sets stay on your product page. The 6.3″ format only matters when you upload new screenshots, because the default iPhone tab only accepts 1206 × 2622 or 1179 × 2556. Your next screenshot refresh, new localisation, CPP or PPO treatment needs it.
Source: Apple, Screenshot specifications
iPhone Duo screenshots: required from April 2027
On 5 October 2026 Apple told developers that apps and games submitted from April 2027 must include iPhone Duo screenshots. The foldable ships 23 October 2026, and App Store Connect already accepts Duo uploads.
| Display | Portrait px | Landscape px |
|---|---|---|
| Outer | 1398 × 2034 | 2034 × 1398 |
| Inner | 2007 × 2853 | 2853 × 2007 |
| App preview (both) | 886 × 1920 | 1920 × 886 |
The inner screen is close to square, a shape no existing set maps to. This is a redesign, not a resize.
My advice: if you’re rebuilding templates for the header, search asset and 6.3″ screenshots this quarter, add the two Duo frames now.
Source: PPC Land on Apple’s iPhone Duo announcement
Where to find inspiration
- The App Store itself: Browse the Today tab and featured collections on an iOS 27 device to see real headers and search assets in context, then search your top keywords and screenshot what you’re up against.
- Your competitors’ CPPs: Search their brand and category keywords on the App Store. The ads you see often lead to the custom pages they use.
- My favourite tools for screenshot inspiration on the blog.
FAQ
What are App Store creative assets? Images or videos for the product page header (21:9, 3840 × 1646) and search results (3:2, up to 3840 × 2560). They show on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 and later.
Do creative assets need a new app version? No. Upload them to the Asset Library, submit them for review on their own, and place them once approved.
Can I A/B test the product page header? Yes, in Product Page Optimization, with up to 3 treatments against your current page.
What is the required App Store screenshot size in 2026? One iPhone set at 1206 × 2622 or 1179 × 2556 (iPhone with Dynamic Island, medium display), plus iPad 13″ at 2064 × 2752 or 2048 × 2732 if your app runs on iPad.
Are app previews still worth it? For most apps, no. A search results video does the same job higher up. Games are the exception.
What size are in-app event images? Card: 16:9, 1920 × 1080 to 3840 × 2160. Details page: 9:16, 1080 × 1920 to 2160 × 3840.
Do I need iPhone Duo screenshots? For submissions from April 2027: outer 1398 × 2034 and inner 2007 × 2853.
