Apple TV and Vision Pro App Store Screenshot Rules

Vision Pro adds one more required step that has nothing to do with images: app motion information.

I read Apple's screenshot and app preview specification pages for these numbers, and Apple's help pages for the Vision Pro rules.

Apple's screenshot specifications list two sizes for Apple TV:

• 1920 × 1080 pixels.
• 3840 × 2160 pixels.

The requirement line is short: required for Apple TV apps.

Both sizes are the standard 16:9 shape of a television. 1920 × 1080 is full HD. 3840 × 2160 is 4K, exactly twice as wide and twice as tall.

There's no portrait option. A TV app is shown the way a TV is used, in landscape.

Apple Vision Pro has a single size on the same page:

• 3840 × 2160 pixels.

It's also marked as required for Apple Vision Pro apps.

That's the same pixel size as the larger Apple TV option. So if you design for both platforms, one 4K layout grid can serve as the starting point for both sets.

The content will differ, of course. A Vision Pro app shows windows and spaces around the user, not a flat TV screen. But the canvas size is the same.

The general rules at the top of Apple's specifications page apply here too.

You can upload one to 10 screenshots. Accepted formats are .jpeg, .jpg and .png.

Apple also says images can't include alpha channels or transparencies. That matters more at 4K, since large PNG exports from design tools often keep an alpha channel by default.

Flatten every file before upload, or export as JPEG.

And check the pixel size exactly. 3840 × 2160 means exactly that. A file that's a few pixels off won't match the size Apple lists.

Apple accepts either size for Apple TV, so the choice is practical.

3840 × 2160 gives you the sharpest result on large, high resolution displays. It also matches the Vision Pro size if you support both platforms.

1920 × 1080 produces smaller files and is easier to work with in most design tools.

Whichever you pick, keep it consistent across the set. Mixing sizes in one set makes the listing look uneven.

If your source captures are 4K, use 4K. Scaling a 1080p capture up to 4K adds nothing but blur.

App previews are short videos that sit alongside your screenshots.

Apple's app preview specifications list Apple TV previews at 1920 × 1080 pixels, landscape, in a 16:9 aspect ratio.

The page also notes that tvOS app previews are accepted in landscape only.

The general preview rules apply too. Previews run from 15 to 30 seconds, with a maximum file size of 500 MB and a maximum frame rate of 30 frames per second.

The accepted formats are H.264 and ProRes 422, HQ only.

Vision Pro previews follow the same page, at a larger size.

Apple lists the Vision Pro preview resolution as 3840 × 2160 pixels, landscape, in a 16:9 aspect ratio.

The same 15 to 30 second length, 500 MB limit and 30 frames per second cap apply.

That 500 MB limit is worth checking early. A 30 second 4K video can grow large, depending on the codec and bit rate. Apple lists a target bit rate of 10 to 12 Mbps for H.264.

If you're deciding whether a preview is worth making at all, our comparison of preview videos and screenshots covers that choice.

Every app preview has a poster frame. It's the still image people see before the video plays.

Apple's preview specifications page lists the default poster frame setting at 5 seconds into the video.

That default isn't always a good image. A frame taken mid transition can look blurry or confusing.

Pick a frame that shows the app clearly, like a strong screenshot would.

Our guide on choosing an app preview poster frame explains how to set it in App Store Connect.

This is the Vision Pro rule that catches people out.

Apple's help page on setting app motion information says all visionOS apps on the App Store must include app motion information as a required property.

If your app includes high motion experiences, a label on your product page tells users.

You set it under App Motion Information, choosing either that the app contains high motion or that it doesn't. The page notes you need to set this to submit a visionOS app for review.

You can edit it later, and Apple says the change reflects on the App Store immediately.

You might already be on the Vision Pro App Store without knowing it.

I checked Apple's help page on iPhone and iPad apps. It says they will be available to users on Apple Vision Pro unless you edit their availability in App Store Connect. They run natively on the device.

You can opt in or out under Pricing and Availability, in the section for iPhone and iPad apps on Apple Vision Pro. The setting applies to all versions of the app.

The same page notes an exception. Apps that have been in the Kids category can't be made available on visionOS.

Check this setting before deciding whether to build a dedicated visionOS version.

Apple lets you combine platforms under one purchase.

Its help page on adding platforms explains that you can add macOS, tvOS and visionOS versions to an existing iOS app. Customers then get all the versions with a single purchase.

There's a Vision Pro detail on the availability page. If your iOS app is available on Vision Pro through universal purchase and you add the visionOS platform, publishing the visionOS version replaces the iOS version on Vision Pro.

Current users automatically receive the visionOS update, according to Apple.

Each platform in a universal purchase still needs its own screenshots at its own sizes.

TV and Vision Pro screenshots are viewed very differently from phone screenshots.

On a TV, people sit several feet away. Text inside your app must be large enough to read from a sofa. The same goes for any caption you add.

Show the main content. For a video app, that's what people will watch. For a game, it's gameplay, not menus.

Avoid cramming. A 4K canvas tempts designers to fill it, but a clean screen reads better at a distance.

Our free screenshot editor can add captions and backgrounds while you plan the layout.

Vision Pro screenshots capture an experience that surrounds the user. A flat image can only show part of that.

Focus on what's unique about your visionOS app. Windows placed around a room, immersive scenes and 3D content are what buyers want to see.

Keep one idea per screenshot, as on any platform. A viewer should understand each image in a couple of seconds.

If your app has high motion experiences, remember the product page label. Your screenshots shouldn't suggest a calm experience if the app isn't one.

Honest screenshots avoid disappointed users and bad reviews.

If your app also runs on Android TV or Android XR, Google Play has its own rules.

We covered those in our guide to Android TV, car and XR screenshots.

The shapes and requirements differ between the stores, so don't assume one set works for both.

The design thinking is similar, though. Large text, a clear subject and one idea per image work on any big screen.

Plan both sets together if you ship on both stores. Matching the order of screens keeps your listings consistent.

Before uploading, check each item:

• Apple TV size. 1920 × 1080 or 3840 × 2160, one size per set.
• Vision Pro size. 3840 × 2160.
• Count and format. One to 10 images in .jpeg, .jpg or .png.
• No transparency. Flatten every PNG.
• Previews. 15 to 30 seconds, landscape, under 500 MB.
• Poster frame. Chosen, not left on the default.
• App motion information. Set before submitting a visionOS app.
• iPad app availability. Checked under Pricing and Availability.

That covers the rules Apple lists for both platforms.

Apple TV and Vision Pro are usually added to an app that already exists on iPhone or iPad.

Each platform needs its own screenshot set, at its own size, in each language you support.

That can add up quickly. An app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Vision Pro in five languages needs at least twenty sets.

Make a template once for each platform, then swap the screens and captions per language.

The work pays off. A listing that looks right on each device tells buyers the app was built for it.