A preview is the first moving thing a person sees about your app. On iPhone it plays in the search results before they open your page, muted, at the size of a screenshot. That makes it the highest-traffic video you will ever publish, and also the one with the strictest rules. The specifications below come from Apple's App Store Connect reference; the content rules come from App Review Guideline 2.3.4 and Apple's app preview guidance.
The specs at a glance
| Requirement | What App Store Connect accepts |
|---|---|
| Length | 15 to 30 seconds |
| How many | Up to 3 per device size and language |
| File size | 500 MB maximum |
| Formats | H.264 (.mov, .m4v, .mp4) or ProRes 422 HQ (.mov) |
| Video | Progressive; H.264 up to High Profile Level 4.0, 10–12 Mbps target |
| Frame rate | 30 fps maximum |
| Audio | Stereo, 44.1 or 48 kHz; AAC 256 kbps (ProRes may also use PCM) |
| Orientation | Portrait or landscape for iOS apps; landscape only for Mac, Apple TV and Vision Pro |
App Store preview video sizes, device by device
Use the accepted resolution, not the device's screen resolution. If you skip a size, the App Store shows a scaled preview from a related size, so most iPhone apps only need the 886 × 1920 version.
| Device group | Portrait | Landscape |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone with Dynamic Island (large and medium displays) | 886 × 1920 | 1920 × 886 |
| iPhone with Face ID (large and medium displays) | 886 × 1920 | 1920 × 886 |
| iPhone with Home Button, 5.5-inch | 1080 × 1920 | 1920 × 1080 |
| iPhone with Home Button, 4.7-inch | 750 × 1334 | 1334 × 750 |
| iPad 13-inch, 11-inch and 10.5-inch | 1200 × 1600 | 1600 × 1200 |
| iPad 9.7-inch | 900 × 1200 | 1200 × 900 |
| Mac | Not accepted | 1920 × 1080 |
| Apple TV | Not accepted | 1920 × 1080 |
| Apple Vision Pro | Not accepted | 3840 × 2160 |
The trap most people hit: a standard 9:16 export is 1080 × 1920, which App Store Connect only accepts for the old Home-button iPhones. For every current iPhone it wants 886 × 1920, a slightly narrower frame.
What Apple allows in a preview
- Only footage of the app. Guideline 2.3.4: previews may only use video screen captures of the app itself. Capture at the app's native resolution rather than zooming in.
- Narration and overlays are fine. You can add a voiceover and text or video overlays to explain anything the footage alone does not.
- No people using a device. No over-the-shoulder shots and no fingers tapping the screen. Touch hotspots drawn as graphics are allowed.
- Simple transitions. Dissolves and fades; nothing that implies a feature the app does not have.
- Rights in every territory for the music, footage, trademarks and brands you show.
- No prices, no dates. Prices vary by region and dates age the video. Disclose in-app purchases, subscriptions or a required login in the footage or the end frame.
- Suitable for all ages, whatever your app's age rating.
How to make an App Store preview video on a Mac
- Record the app. In the iOS Simulator, run
xcrun simctl io booted recordVideo preview.movand press Control-C to stop; or connect an iPhone and record it with QuickTime Player (File › New Movie Recording, then pick the iPhone as the camera). Record more than you need and keep the takes short. - Cut a story in 15 to 30 seconds. Open on the moment that shows what the app does, not on a splash screen. One idea per shot; the first three seconds matter most because the preview autoplays in search.
- Add text for a muted viewer. One short line per shot, large, on screen long enough to read.
- Add a voiceover and music if you want them. They play only when someone taps for sound, so they support the story rather than carry it.
- Export at 30 fps, H.264, stereo AAC.
- Convert to 886 × 1920 for current iPhones if your editor exports 1080 × 1920. With ffmpeg:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf "scale=886:1920:force_original_aspect_ratio=increase,crop=886:1920" -r 30 -c:v libx264 -profile:v high -level 4.0 -b:v 11M -c:a aac -b:a 256k -ar 48000 -ac 2 preview-886x1920.mp4
That trims 97 pixels from each side of a 1080-wide frame, so keep text away from the edges. - Upload in App Store Connect under the version's previews and screenshots, for each device size and language, and pick a poster frame that shows the app at its best. Changing the poster frame of an approved preview needs a new version.
Where ClipForge fits
ClipForge is a Mac editor built for short vertical videos about apps, so it covers the middle of that list: a multi-lane timeline for the cut, on-device auto-captions and text, on-device text-to-speech for a voiceover with no microphone, and music that ducks under the voice. Its 9:16 presets export 1080 × 1920, so for the 886 × 1920 slot run the conversion above.
Two ClipForge features belong in your social ads and not in an App Store preview: the UGC hook clips (real people on camera) and screenshots framed in a phone on a brand gradient. Apple asks for screen captures of the app, so for the preview use your recording full-frame and keep the hooks for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
Questions
How long can an App Store preview video be?
Between 15 and 30 seconds. You can upload up to three previews per device size and language, and the first one autoplays on your product page and in search results.
What resolution does an App Store preview need for current iPhones?
886 × 1920 pixels in portrait (1920 × 886 in landscape) for every Face ID and Dynamic Island iPhone size. 1080 × 1920 is only accepted for the older Home-button sizes (5.5-inch and 4-inch).
Can an app preview use 60 fps?
No. App Store Connect accepts at most 30 frames per second, for both H.264 and ProRes 422 (HQ) files. Export at 30 fps, or convert before you upload.
Can I show people, hands or a phone mockup in a preview?
Guideline 2.3.4 says previews may only use video screen captures of the app itself, and Apple's preview guidance says not to film people interacting with a device. Narration and text overlays are allowed. Keep talking heads and UGC clips for your social ads.
Do App Store previews play with sound?
They autoplay muted. Apple recommends on-screen text for anything the viewer must understand, so treat the sound as a bonus and caption the important lines.
Can a preview show prices or dates?
Apple advises against both: prices and currencies differ by region, and dates or seasonal references age the video. If a feature needs an in-app purchase, a subscription or a login, disclose that in the footage or the end frame.