Why screenshots get refused
Store consoles are strict about screenshots. An image that is a few pixels off, or that carries a transparent layer, is refused at upload, and the message rarely says which file is wrong. Many teams discover this on release day, with the build already approved and the listing still empty.
The rule behind it is simple: each device family has its own exact canvas, and the store wants a flat picture of exactly that size. The work is repetitive, which is the reason it is worth preparing once, in one pass, instead of resizing by hand before every release.
The sizes Store Listing Kit produces
These are the canvases the tool exports today. They cover the phone and tablet slots of both major stores:
| Slot | Size in pixels |
|---|---|
| App Store iPhone 6.9-inch | 1320 × 2868 |
| App Store iPhone 6.5-inch | 1284 × 2778 |
| App Store iPad 13-inch | 2064 × 2752 |
| Google Play phone | 1080 × 1920 |
| Google Play 7-inch tablet | 1200 × 1920 |
| Google Play 10-inch tablet | 1600 × 2560 |
| Google Play feature graphic | 1024 × 500 |
Every file is a PNG without transparency, because the stores refuse images that have an alpha channel. Stores change their slots from time to time, so compare the table with the upload page of your own console before a release.
What goes on a good screenshot
A raw capture of the app is rarely enough. The first two screens decide whether a visitor keeps scrolling, so each one should say one thing:
- A short title: a few words that name the benefit, not the feature.
- One supporting line at most.
- The screen itself, large enough to read.
- The same background and type across the whole set, so the listing looks like one product.
Store Listing Kit builds that composition for you: a background from your colours, the caption block, and your capture inside a neutral device frame that we draw ourselves, with a clean status bar. You can also drop the frame and keep rounded corners. There are three layouts: caption on top, caption at the bottom, and a tilted device with a large title.
Arabic and English from the same upload
If your app serves both languages, you need the whole set twice. Write the captions in Arabic and in English and the tool renders both, right-to-left for Arabic, and packs the result as one folder per slot and language. Titles are fitted automatically, so a longer line does not overflow its block.
The feature graphic is made once per language as well: the app name, the first caption and the first screen on a 1024 × 500 canvas.
Check the listing text while you are there
Screenshots are half of a listing. The other half is text with hard limits, and the consoles cut or refuse what goes over. When you add your listing text, the tool checks it against these limits and writes a small report with the length of every field:
- App Store name: 30 characters
- App Store subtitle: 30 characters
- App Store promotional text: 170 characters
- App Store keywords: 100 characters
- Google Play title: 30 characters
- Google Play short description: 80 characters
How to do it in three steps
- Upload one to ten portrait captures of your app, in the order you want them shown.
- Choose the slots, the languages and a layout, then write a caption for each screen.
- Look at the free preview. When it is right, run it and download one ZIP with a folder for every slot and language.
The preview costs nothing, so you can try your own screens before deciding.
