Quick answer: An App Store preview video must be 15 to 30 seconds long, delivered as .mov, .m4v or .mp4 (H.264 or ProRes 422 HQ, 30 fps), under 500 MB, at the exact resolution of the device size you are uploading for (1080 x 1920 or 886 x 1920 portrait for current iPhones). It must show real app footage captured on device, no hands, no people, no “download now” scenes, and it autoplays muted, so on-screen text has to carry the message. Google Play is looser: a 30-second to 2-minute YouTube video, landscape or portrait, with no age-restricted content or ads. Specs below, then the part that actually determines installs.
Apple App Store preview video specs (2026)
- Length: 15 to 30 seconds. Shorter is rejected, longer is trimmed or rejected.
- Format and codec: .mov, .m4v or .mp4; H.264 or ProRes 422 HQ; 30 frames per second; stereo AAC audio at 256 kbps or higher if you include sound.
- File size: up to 500 MB.
- Resolution: must match the device class. Current iPhones (6.9 inch and 6.5/6.1 inch) take 1080 x 1920 or 886 x 1920 portrait, or the landscape equivalents. iPad sizes have their own dimensions. Apple’s current table is in App Store Connect; third-party summaries such as this 2026 requirements guide track the changes.
- Count: up to three previews per localisation, shown before the screenshots.
- Content rules: footage captured on the device, showing the app as it actually works. No hands or fingers, no people, no device frames inside the frame, no pricing or “free trial” scenes, no content from other platforms, nothing the app does not actually do yet.
- Poster frame: you choose it. It is what people see before autoplay kicks in and what Apple shows when autoplay is off.
Google Play promo video specs
- A public or unlisted YouTube link, not an uploaded file.
- 30 seconds to 2 minutes recommended; the first 30 seconds do the work because the store autoplays a muted preview.
- Landscape or portrait both accepted; portrait matches how people hold the phone in the store.
- No pre-roll ads on the video, no age-restricted content, and the feature graphic (1024 x 500) doubles as the video’s cover, so design them together.
The rules Apple will reject you for (and nobody reads)
- Showing anything that is not in the app. Lifestyle footage, a person smiling at a phone, a mock-up of a feature that ships next quarter. The preview is treated like a screenshot: it is evidence, not marketing.
- Device frames or hands. The store already puts your video inside a device. Adding your own looks like a frame inside a frame and is grounds for rejection.
- Wrong resolution for the device slot. The most common technical rejection. Export one master per device class rather than letting App Store Connect scale a single file.
- Pricing, offers or calls to action. “Download now” and “50 percent off” are not permitted in previews.
- Audio that the video depends on. Not a rejection, but a conversion killer: previews autoplay muted. If the message is in the narration, nobody gets it.
What actually converts: the first three seconds
Store previews autoplay as the visitor scrolls, muted, often at a small size, for about three seconds before they decide whether to keep watching or keep scrolling. That changes the brief completely. A good app preview is not a trailer. It is a captioned demonstration of the one thing your app does better than the alternatives, opening on that thing in the first second.
- Open on the core action in progress, not on a logo or a splash screen.
- Put a short text overlay on every scene: three to six words, high contrast, inside the safe area.
- Show two or three features at most. Fifteen seconds is one feature; thirty seconds is three.
- Use real, tidy data. Empty states and lorem ipsum look like an unfinished product.
- Match the first screenshot to the poster frame so the listing reads as one piece.
Our launch spot for Opal, for example, runs 22 seconds with one message, screen time you get back, and no feature list at all. The app promo video guide goes deeper on structure; this article is about getting through review and the first three seconds.
Produce once, export for every store
The efficient workflow is one master built in portrait at the highest resolution, with captions as a separate layer, then exported per device class for Apple and once more as a YouTube upload for Google Play. The same master, with narration added and the Apple restrictions lifted, becomes your social ad and your landing page video. That is how we build mobile app videos: the store preview, the ad cuts and the website version come out of one production for one flat price.
Quick questions
Can I use the same video for the App Store and Google Play?
Same footage, different exports. Apple needs an uploaded file at exact device resolutions with no people or hands; Google wants a YouTube link and allows more freedom. Build one master and derive both.
Does an app preview video increase downloads?
Usually, when it is built for muted autoplay and opens on the core action. A preview that is a trailer with a logo intro often performs worse than good screenshots, because the first three seconds show nothing. Test with and without using App Store Connect’s product page optimisation.
Can the preview have music?
Yes, and it should, for the minority who tap for sound. But design for silence first.
How long does it take to produce one?
Our first draft arrives in 10 to 15 working days, with store-ready exports for every device class included. Rush delivery brings the first draft to five working days.
