How to Generate App Store Screenshots for Your App (2026)

Quick answer: The fastest way to make App Store screenshots in 2026: capture your key screens, drop each into a 6.9-inch iPhone frame (1320 × 2868 px), add a short benefit headline to the first two or three, and export. App Store Connect now only requires the 6.9" size and scales it down to the smaller iPhones for you, so one good set covers nearly every device. You can do all of it in the browser with SnapMonk in about ten minutes.

That's the short version. The rest of this is the stuff that actually changes how the set performs.

What App Store Connect actually requires in 2026

Apple cut a lot of the busywork here. You don't need a separate set per screen size anymore. As of 2026:

• 6.9-inch iPhone (1320 × 2868 px) is your one required set. App Store Connect down-scales it to cover the 6.7", 6.1", and 5.5" classes, so you skip uploading those.
• iPad Pro 12.9"/13" (2048 × 2732 px) is required only if your app runs on iPad.
• How many: one minimum, ten max per device class. Top chart apps ship 6.7 on average (median 7), so treat seven as the competitive bar; only 9.2% bother using all ten.
• Format: PNG or JPEG, RGB, no transparency, no rounded corners. Apple rounds them for you.

The App Store screenshot sizes guide has the full per-device table if you want it. But for almost every app, "make the 6.9" set, add iPad if you support it" is the whole answer.

The actual steps

1. Capture clean screens. Run your app in the iPhone 16 Pro Max simulator (or any 6.9" device) and grab your three or four most important screens, the ones that show what the app does rather than your settings page. Fake a full status bar too: full battery, full signal. A shot with 23% battery and three unread badges quietly reads as sloppy.
2. Frame each one. Drop each raw capture into an iPhone device frame so it reads as "an app" and not "a random image," and so you've got room for a headline and a background.
3. Write a headline per frame. Four or five words, benefit first. "Track every workout." "Split bills in seconds." Not "Home Screen," not "Dashboard." The headline pulls more weight than the screenshot sitting behind it.
4. Use one background everywhere. Pick a single treatment and repeat it across the set so it looks designed instead of assembled. A solid brand color works, a subtle gradient works.
5. Export at 1320 × 2868 as PNG. If you support iPad, do it again for the 2048 × 2732 set.
6. Upload in App Store Connect. My Apps → your app → the version → Previews and Screenshots → the 6.9" tab → drag the set in, in the order you want it shown. Order matters, which is the next section.

The part almost everyone gets wrong

Apple previews your first two or three screenshots in search before anyone taps in. So a huge share of installs are decided right there, at thumbnail size, on a 6-inch phone, by someone who hasn't read a word of your description.

Which means a few things. Frame one should sell a benefit, not give a product tour. It answers "why do I care," not "here's my home screen." (I went deep on this in what top app listings get right about screenshots; the strong listings rarely open on a raw UI shot.) Your first headline has to survive at thumbnail size, so open your own listing on your phone and squint; if you can't read it, neither can anyone scrolling past. And put your two best frames first, because frames 4 through 10 are for the people seriously comparing options, while 1 through 3 are for everyone.

For the inverse, the screenshot mistakes that hurt install rate is a checklist of what not to do.

Doing it without a design tool

The steps don't change whether you're in Figma, Sketch, or something dedicated. It's the same work either way: frame, headline, background, export at the right size, repeat per frame and (if you localize) per language. That repetition is exactly the boring part.

It's also why we built SnapMonk. You upload the raw captures, it frames them, drafts headlines you can edit, applies one consistent background, and exports straight at App Store sizes, no "custom size" dialog and no manual resizing. The free tier gives you 2 AI generations plus unlimited manual designs and exports with no watermark and no card; Pro is $12/month for 60 AI credits a month and one-pass localization into other App Store languages.

Start generating your App Store screenshots →. It opens in your browser, nothing to install.

FAQ

What size should App Store screenshots be in 2026? App Store Connect requires the 6.9-inch iPhone size, which is 1320 × 2868 pixels in portrait. It still accepts the older 6.7" size (1290 × 2796) as well. Apple scales the 6.9" set down to the smaller iPhone classes for you, so you usually only need that one set, plus a 12.9"/13" iPad Pro set (2048 × 2732) if your app runs on iPad.

How many screenshots can I upload to the App Store? Up to 10 per device class, minimum of 1. Most apps do best with 4 to 6, and you want your two strongest frames first since search only previews the first few.

Do I need a different set for every iPhone size? No. As of 2026 you only need the 6.9-inch set, and App Store Connect down-scales it to cover the 6.7", 6.1", and 5.5" classes. The only reason to add a separate set is if you want different artwork on a smaller device.

Can I generate App Store screenshots for free? Yes. SnapMonk's free tier gives you unlimited manual designs and exports at full resolution with no watermark, plus 2 AI generations, no credit card. Upgrading unlocks 60 AI credits a month and localization.

What's the most important screenshot in my App Store listing? The first one. Search results preview your first two or three frames at thumbnail size, so frame one should lead with a short benefit headline you can actually read on a small screen, not a raw shot of your home screen.

Related reading

• App Store screenshot sizes: the full 2026 reference: every device, every dimension
• How to generate Google Play screenshots: the Android equivalent of this guide
• What top app listings get right about screenshots: patterns from actual top-ranking apps
• The screenshot mistakes hurting your install rate: what to avoid before you upload
• App Store Optimization guide: where screenshots fit in the bigger ASO picture