An App Store app preview is a 15 to 30 second video recorded at your device's exact screen resolution — 886×1920 for iPhone, 1200×1600 for iPad — and you can upload up to three per language. Google Play works differently: you paste one YouTube link, up to two minutes long, with monetization switched off. Both stores want real in-app footage, not a slick trailer with pricing or fake fingers tapping the screen.
What's the difference between an app preview and a promo video?
That difference isn't cosmetic. It changes how you produce the thing, what resolution you need, and where it shows up on your listing. I found this out the annoying way when I exported a perfect vertical iPhone video, dropped the file into Play Console, and there was nowhere to put it. Play only wanted a URL.
So before you shoot anything, decide which store you're feeding. If you're launching on both — most of us are — you'll end up making two versions: tight vertical app previews for Apple, and one landscape YouTube video for Google. They're close enough that you can reuse footage, but the specs and the delivery are separate jobs. The rest of this post splits them out so you're not fighting the wrong rules.
What are the exact App Store app preview specs?
Resolution is tied to the device. For a modern iPhone you record at 886×1920 in portrait, or 1920×886 in landscape. For the 13-inch and 11-inch iPad, it's 1200×1600 or 1600×1200. The footage has to be captured at the device's native resolution — you can't scale a small recording up to fit.
On format, Apple takes H.264 files with a .mov, .m4v, or .mp4 extension, or ProRes 422 HQ as a .mov. Export at up to 30 frames per second. Audio can be stereo AAC or stripped out entirely, which is what I do since most previews autoplay muted anyway. Keep the file under 500 MB or the upload bounces. Apple lists every device size in its app preview specifications reference, and it's worth checking the exact row for your target device before you export.
How does Google Play's promo video work?
Because it lives on YouTube, Google's rules are mostly about the video's YouTube settings. Turn monetization off so ads don't play before or over your promo. Don't use an age-restricted video, and set the visibility to public or unlisted, never private, or Play can't show it. Length can run up to 120 seconds, but the first 30 seconds are the ones that count — that's the portion that autoplays on the listing, and it's where people decide whether to keep watching.
I keep mine landscape and around 30 seconds, opening on the app in use rather than a logo animation. Google's own preview assets help page has the current field-by-field rules, and they update it more often than you'd expect, so it's worth a look before each launch.
How do you record footage the stores will actually accept?
Apple has a few rules that catch people out. Don't show fingers or hands tapping the screen — the preview should read as the app itself. Don't bake a device frame into your iPhone footage either, because Apple presents the preview inside its own device chrome, and a second frame looks broken. And keep pricing, countdowns, and 'download now' overlays out of it; those get flagged fast.
That rule about frames only applies to the video. The framed, captioned mockups you want for your landing page, Product Hunt, and social posts are a separate asset — that's exactly what a tool like PlayMockUp's studio is for, and you can wrap the same still frames in a laptop or phone from the device frame library. Keep the store video raw and clean; save the polished frames for everywhere else.
Where should the video sit next to your screenshots?
On Google Play, the promo video sits ahead of your screenshots in the media carousel. Same lesson: plenty of people scroll past a muted, un-tapped video, so your screenshots still have to carry the whole story without it. I design the stills first, get them converting, and treat the video as a bonus rather than the main pitch.
That's why the video and the screenshots have to tell one consistent story, not two different ones. If your first screenshot already nails the hook, the video reinforces it instead of competing. When I'm laying out that gallery I'll draft the screenshot order in the studio first, then shoot a video that matches the top frames — and if you're still sizing those stills, my breakdown of screenshots that get downloads covers the ordering logic.
What are the most common reasons a preview gets rejected?
File size trips people who export at high bitrates; stay under 500 MB. Content rejections hit when you show pricing, include a device frame in iOS footage, film hands tapping the screen, or use footage that isn't actually your app. On the Google Play side, the usual miss is a monetized or age-restricted YouTube video, or one left on private visibility so Play can't load it.
My pre-flight check is quick and saves resubmissions: confirm the exact resolution, watch the clock is between 15 and 30 seconds for Apple, scrub for any pricing or hands, and double-check the YouTube settings for Google. Run that list once and you'll clear review on the first try instead of losing a day to a bounce.
Frequently asked questions
How long can an app preview video be?
On the App Store, an app preview must run 15 to 30 seconds, and you can add up to three per language. On Google Play, the YouTube promo video can be up to 120 seconds, but only the first 30 seconds autoplay on the listing, so front-load the good part.
Can I use the same video for iPhone and iPad?
Not directly — iPhone previews are 886×1920 and iPad previews are 1200×1600, so the pixel dimensions don't match and App Store Connect rejects the wrong size. You can reuse the same footage and re-export per device, and for the framed marketing versions you can rebuild each device in the [frame library](/frames).
Do I need a preview video to launch my app?
No. Both stores treat video as optional, while screenshots are required. A strong set of screenshots will carry a launch fine on its own, and you can add the video later once you've seen which parts of the app people respond to.
Why was my App Store preview rejected for a device frame?
Apple shows your preview inside its own device chrome, so a frame baked into the footage looks doubled and gets flagged. Keep the store video as a raw screen capture, and make your framed, captioned mockups for social and your landing page in [the studio](/create) instead.
What resolution should an iPhone app preview be?
886×1920 pixels for portrait, or 1920×886 for landscape, recorded at the device's native resolution. Capturing directly from a connected device with QuickTime or Xcode gets you the right size automatically.
Can I just link a normal YouTube trailer on Google Play?
Yes, as long as the YouTube video has monetization turned off, isn't age-restricted, and is set to public or unlisted. Private videos won't show, and a monetized one can run ads over your own promo, which looks unprofessional on a store listing.
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