Quick answer
Wear OS screenshots must show only the app interface, in a 1:1 square, at least 384 by 384 pixels. No device frames, no added text, no backgrounds and no transparency. Watch faces follow the same rules and should show more than one customization option.
The short answer
> Quick answer: Wear OS screenshots are square, at least 384 by 384 pixels, and show only the app interface. No frames, no captions, no backgrounds.
This is the one listing surface where the usual screenshot playbook is wrong. Everything that makes a phone screenshot convert is banned here. I read Google's current asset requirements before writing this, because the Wear OS rules are stricter than most developers expect and they're easy to break by habit.
This is the one listing surface where the usual screenshot playbook is wrong. Everything that makes a phone screenshot convert is banned here. I read Google's current asset requirements before writing this, because the Wear OS rules are stricter than most developers expect and they're easy to break by habit.
Play treats a watch as its own device type
Your listing does not have one screenshot set. It has one per device type.
Google supports phones, tablets at 7 and 10 inches, Chromebooks, Android TVs, Wear OS watches, Android Automotive OS cars and Android XR headsets.
You can add up to eight screenshots for each of those. So shipping a watch app means producing a separate set, uploaded in its own section under Graphics, with its own rules attached.
Google supports phones, tablets at 7 and 10 inches, Chromebooks, Android TVs, Wear OS watches, Android Automotive OS cars and Android XR headsets.
You can add up to eight screenshots for each of those. So shipping a watch app means producing a separate set, uploaded in its own section under Graphics, with its own rules attached.
The rule that surprises everyone
You may not put a Wear OS screenshot inside a device frame. Google states it directly in the preview asset requirements.
No watch body around the screen. No strap. Nothing casting a shadow under it.
That is the opposite of the advice for phone listings, where a frame helps the eye read the image instantly. On a watch listing the frame is a rejection risk, so upload the raw screen. Google reviews these assets, so an obvious frame is a slow rejection rather than a quiet one.
No watch body around the screen. No strap. Nothing casting a shadow under it.
That is the opposite of the advice for phone listings, where a frame helps the eye read the image instantly. On a watch listing the frame is a rejection risk, so upload the raw screen. Google reviews these assets, so an obvious frame is a slow rejection rather than a quiet one.
Only the app interface
The same rule bans anything else you might add. No additional text. No graphics. Nothing behind the screen that is not part of the app interface.
So there is no caption strip. No brand color behind the screen. No arrows pointing at a feature.
What you upload has to be what the user sees on the watch, and nothing more. It reads as a limitation until you look at a watch listing, where every screenshot is tiny and decoration would only get in the way.
So there is no caption strip. No brand color behind the screen. No arrows pointing at a feature.
What you upload has to be what the user sees on the watch, and nothing more. It reads as a limitation until you look at a watch listing, where every screenshot is tiny and decoration would only get in the way.
Square, and at least 384 pixels
The dimensions are simple. A 1:1 aspect ratio and a minimum size of 384 by 384 pixels.
Square covers both round and square watches, since Play displays the image rather than the hardware.
Go above the minimum where you can. A 384 pixel image is the floor, not the target, and a larger square scales down more cleanly than a small one scales up. Keep every image in the set at the same size. Pick one square size for the whole set and export everything to it, rather than mixing captures from two devices.
Square covers both round and square watches, since Play displays the image rather than the hardware.
Go above the minimum where you can. A 384 pixel image is the floor, not the target, and a larger square scales down more cleanly than a small one scales up. Keep every image in the set at the same size. Pick one square size for the whole set and export everything to it, rather than mixing captures from two devices.
No transparency, no masking
Google says not to include transparent backgrounds or masking. That matters more than it sounds.
A round watch screenshot exported with the corners knocked out is masked. So is a PNG saved with an alpha channel by default.
Export flat. If your capture tool rounds the corners for you, turn that off. The general Play rule already asks for JPEG or 24 bit PNG with no alpha, and this restates it for watches specifically.
A round watch screenshot exported with the corners knocked out is masked. So is a PNG saved with an alpha channel by default.
Export flat. If your capture tool rounds the corners for you, turn that off. The general Play rule already asks for JPEG or 24 bit PNG with no alpha, and this restates it for watches specifically.
At least one, and it has to be current
The minimum is one screenshot that accurately depicts the current version of the app on Wear OS.
Read the word current. A screenshot of last year's layout is a policy problem, not just a stale asset.
So the watch screenshots join the release checklist. Whenever the watch interface changes, the listing images change with it. Our asset checklist is where I'd keep that reminder.
Read the word current. A screenshot of last year's layout is a policy problem, not just a stale asset.
So the watch screenshots join the release checklist. Whenever the watch interface changes, the listing images change with it. Our asset checklist is where I'd keep that reminder.
Show Tiles if you have them
If your app offers Tiles, Google recommends including a screenshot of that functionality.
Tiles are the swipeable glances beside the watch face, and they're often the only part of a watch app somebody uses daily.
So a Tile screenshot is doing real work. It shows the thing people will actually see, rather than a settings screen buried two taps deep inside an app they open once a month. A Tile screenshot also reassures somebody that the app does something useful without being opened.
Tiles are the swipeable glances beside the watch face, and they're often the only part of a watch app somebody uses daily.
So a Tile screenshot is doing real work. It shows the thing people will actually see, rather than a settings screen buried two taps deep inside an app they open once a month. A Tile screenshot also reassures somebody that the app does something useful without being opened.
Watch faces have their own rules
A watch face listing is not a watch app listing, and Google lists it separately.
Same square shape. Same 384 pixel minimum. Device frames, added text, graphics and backgrounds are banned here too. Transparency and masking are out as well.
At least one screenshot has to accurately depict the current version of the watch face. So a redesign means new listing images, in exactly the same way an app redesign does.
Same square shape. Same 384 pixel minimum. Device frames, added text, graphics and backgrounds are banned here too. Transparency and masking are out as well.
At least one screenshot has to accurately depict the current version of the watch face. So a redesign means new listing images, in exactly the same way an app redesign does.
Show more than one permutation
Here's the rule that applies only to watch faces. If your watch face is customizable, show more than one of the available permutations.
That makes sense once you think about how people shop for them.
Somebody browsing watch faces is judging whether it will suit them. One screenshot answers that for one color scheme. Three answer it for three, and the flexibility is usually the reason they buy it in the first place.
That makes sense once you think about how people shop for them.
Somebody browsing watch faces is judging whether it will suit them. One screenshot answers that for one color scheme. Three answer it for three, and the flexibility is usually the reason they buy it in the first place.
How to capture the screens
Use the Wear OS emulator or a paired watch and take the screen straight off it. Google's own Wear OS guidance is worth reading before you decide what to capture.
Don't rebuild the screen in a design tool. It won't match, and accuracy is the requirement here.
Check the resulting file is square. Some capture paths hand you the watch's native resolution with padding, and padding counts as a background. Crop to the visible screen area only, then confirm the width and the height match before you upload.
Don't rebuild the screen in a design tool. It won't match, and accuracy is the requirement here.
Check the resulting file is square. Some capture paths hand you the watch's native resolution with padding, and padding counts as a background. Crop to the visible screen area only, then confirm the width and the height match before you upload.
What to show, since you cannot decorate
All your usual levers are gone. So the screen content is the whole message.
Pick screens with real data on them. A workout in progress beats an empty start screen. A list with three entries beats a blank state.
Our guide on capturing clean screens still applies to what goes inside the frame, even though the frame itself is banned here. Fill the app first, capture second.
Pick screens with real data on them. A workout in progress beats an empty start screen. A list with three entries beats a blank state.
Our guide on capturing clean screens still applies to what goes inside the frame, even though the frame itself is banned here. Fill the app first, capture second.
Why the phone playbook fails here
On a phone listing, the caption sells and the screenshot proves. On a watch listing you only get the proof.
That changes the ordering decision. Your first watch screenshot should be the screen somebody uses most, not the prettiest one.
I compared a few watch listings and the strong ones all led with the working state of the app. The weak ones led with a logo screen, which tells a shopper nothing about whether the thing is any good.
That changes the ordering decision. Your first watch screenshot should be the screen somebody uses most, not the prettiest one.
I compared a few watch listings and the strong ones all led with the working state of the app. The weak ones led with a logo screen, which tells a shopper nothing about whether the thing is any good.
Your phone screenshots still matter
A Wear OS app almost always has a phone companion, and that listing follows the normal rules.
Frames allowed. Captions allowed. Backgrounds allowed.
So you end up maintaining two sets with opposite rules, which is exactly the kind of thing that goes wrong six months later. Keep them in separate folders and label them clearly. Our phone size guide covers that side of it. Naming the files by device type saves the confusion, since the two sets look similar in a folder listing.
Frames allowed. Captions allowed. Backgrounds allowed.
So you end up maintaining two sets with opposite rules, which is exactly the kind of thing that goes wrong six months later. Keep them in separate folders and label them clearly. Our phone size guide covers that side of it. Naming the files by device type saves the confusion, since the two sets look similar in a folder listing.
The minimum to publish at all
Play needs at least two screenshots across different device types before you can publish a listing.
Each image has to be JPEG or 24 bit PNG with no alpha, at least 320 pixels on its smallest side and no more than 3840 on its largest.
There's one more constraint people miss. The longest side can't be more than twice the shortest. A square Wear OS image passes that easily, but an extreme panorama would not.
Each image has to be JPEG or 24 bit PNG with no alpha, at least 320 pixels on its smallest side and no more than 3840 on its largest.
There's one more constraint people miss. The longest side can't be more than twice the shortest. A square Wear OS image passes that easily, but an extreme panorama would not.
The check before you upload
Square, 1:1, at least 384 by 384. No device frame. No added text, graphics or background. Nothing transparent and nothing masked.
The screens match the version you are shipping today. Tiles are shown if the app has them.
For a watch face, more than one customization option appears across the set. Then build the phone and tablet images separately in the mockup editor, where frames and captions are allowed again.
The screens match the version you are shipping today. Tiles are shown if the app has them.
For a watch face, more than one customization option appears across the set. Then build the phone and tablet images separately in the mockup editor, where frames and captions are allowed again.
Frequently asked questions
What size are Wear OS screenshots on Google Play?
A 1:1 square with a minimum size of 384 by 384 pixels. Larger squares are fine and usually look better once Play scales them. Keep every image in the set at the same dimensions so the row reads evenly. Export as JPEG or 24 bit PNG with no alpha channel, since transparency and masking are both banned here.
Can I put a Wear OS screenshot inside a watch frame?
No. Google explicitly says not to position Wear OS screenshots within device frames, and not to add text, graphics or backgrounds that are not part of the app interface. Device frames are for phone and tablet listings, where you can browse the [frame options](/frames) freely.
How many Wear OS screenshots do I need?
At least one that accurately shows the current version of the app on Wear OS, and up to eight in total. If your app offers Tiles, Google recommends including a screenshot of that functionality as well. Three or four is a sensible target for most watch apps, because a watch listing is browsed quickly.
Are watch face screenshots different from watch app screenshots?
The technical rules are the same, but a watch face has one extra requirement. If it is customizable, you have to show more than one of the available permutations so shoppers can see the range before they install it.
Do Wear OS screenshots replace my phone screenshots?
No. Each device type has its own set, and Play needs at least two screenshots across different device types before you can publish. Your phone images follow the normal rules, so frames and captions are still allowed there.
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