App Launch Asset Checklist 2026: Everything Both Stores Require

Ignore Asset Specs at Launch—Risk Instant Rejection

Nothing tanks release day like an asset mismatch error, or the dreaded last-minute scramble for a 1024x500 Play feature graphic you forgot existed. The "We'll just fix it after launch" approach is a time sink—sort this up front and spare yourself the 24-hour rejections and manual metadata audits on both stores. I keep this checklist open in every app release sprint; every requirement below is current for 2026 (and yes, Apple changed iPad screenshot groupings again in May).

2026 App Launch Asset Checklist

• App Icon (iOS, Android)
• Screenshots (Device Families & Specs)
• Feature Graphic (Google Play)
• App Preview Video (Optional, Both Stores)
• Promo Assets (Optional, Play Store)
• Metadata Limits & What Actually Breaks Uploads

App Icon: Your 1024x1024 Passport

There's no mercy for blurry, off-center, or non-square icons. Both stores want 1024x1024px—no transparency—and Apple will downscale for every device and ad placement. You won’t see hard failures unless you upload a non-PNG or include alpha, but a busy, over-detailed icon is suicide for conversion rate. I tell people: check how your design looks at 60x60px. If you can't recognize it from across the room, restart.

• Specs (2026): 1024 x 1024 px PNG, no alpha, no rounded corners (the stores round automatically), <1MB file.
• Store docs: App Store guidelines / Play Console reference
• Tool: Generate app icons for all required sizes

Screenshots: Per-Device, Per-Requirement, No Shortcuts

This is where most indie launches go wrong: only prepping iPhone 14 Pro screens, or uploading iPad shots that don’t match specs. Each device group requires its own set. Don’t be the app with stretched or letterboxed images showing in search—it's a fast track to bad first impressions. Here’s what you need to hit "Ready for Review" and pass upload on both stores.

iOS App Store Screenshot Specs (2026):

• Device Families:
  • iPhone 6.7" (e.g., iPhone 15 Pro Max, 1290x2796px)
  • iPhone 6.1" (e.g., iPhone 15/15 Pro, 1170x2532px)
  • iPad Pro 12.9" (2048x2732px)—mandatory for iPad support in 2026. No more shared iPad 11" as group cover.
  • iPad Pro 11" (1668x2388px)—if you care about fidelity, but not required for publication.
• Count: 1-10 per device size (minimum 1 per required family; fill all 10 for best CTRs, but 5 is the bare minimum if you're squeezed on time).
• Format: JPG or PNG, 72dpi, RGB color, <10MB per file. They will reject CMYK saves.
• Aspect Ratio: Must exactly match device resolution, no pillarboxing/letterboxing.
• Tool: Easy generator for all iOS screenshot sizes

Google Play Screenshot Specs (2026):

• Mandatory: Minimum 2 per type (phone, 7" tablet, 10" tablet as soon as you claim tablet support).
• Recommended Sizes:
  • Phone: 1080x2340px (16:9 and 19.5:9 both pass, but go tall for modern phones)
  • 7" tablet: 600x1024px or 1200x1920px. Play’s review likes at least one full-res tablet screenshot for apps listing tablet compatibility.
  • 10" tablet: 800x1280px or 1600x2560px.
• Limits: Max 8 per device type. PNG or JPG, 24-bit, <8MB/file.
• Tip: Play Console policy is aggressively enforced for "unrepresentative" shots—no fake UIs.
• Tool: Auto-generate all Play Store screenshot sizes

Feature Graphic (Google Play Only)

Still required as of 2026. Shows up in search and some web views—and missing or off-spec ones quietly kill your acquisition rate. I see a lot of apps skipping this or using a screenshot crop (lazy move). Make this punchy and legible at small sizes—think Spotify or Calm, not a wall of text.

• Specs: 1024 x 500px, JPG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha), <1MB.
• Traps: Don't put vital logos on the edges—Google crops on some surfaces.
• Tool: Feature graphic design and resize

App Preview Video: Optional, Not Optional

You can technically launch without video. Most indie devs skip it the first time around, but conversion data from my launches says: a halfway competent preview outperforms screenshots alone—especially on Play, where the video thumbnail dominates your listing. If you can only make one, prioritize Google Play (you only need 1 landscape, 30 seconds max).

• App Store: 15-30s, M4V/MP4, 1920x886px for iPhones (horizontal) or 886x1920px (vertical), max 3 per device family. No cross-promotion or ads—Apple auto-flags "download on Google Play" overlays and bounces your build.
• Play Store: YouTube link, recommend 30s landscape (16:9), 720p minimum. Strict on "in-app footage," no talking-head promos.

Promo Assets: Not Required, Still Useful

Nine out of ten indie launches I see don't bother with Play Store promo image/sticker assets—until a potential feature opportunity or banner placement comes up and you have to hack out a 180x120px graphic in 10 minutes. Not required for launch, but if you want to be in the game for store featuring, knock out these six files once and keep them versioned alongside your source. (Latest list via Play Console.)

• TV banner: 1280x720px
• Wear OS screenshot: 384x384px (if you claim smart watch support)
• Promo image: 180x120px (rare in 2026 but not deprecated—still used for some search placements)

Metadata: Titles, Descriptions, and Where You Will Slip Up

Asset uploads will fail instantly for the wrong resolution. Metadata limits will only ambush you after you paste in your lovingly crafted description and get the "invalid length" error mid-way through submitting. I have no time for generic "optimize your keywords" advice here—the line between "approved" and "error" is the hard character cut-off the stores actually enforce.

• iOS:
  • Title: 30 chars
  • Subtitle: 30 chars
  • Promotional text: 170 chars
  • Description: 4000 chars
  • Keywords: 100 chars (comma-separated)
• Google Play:
  • App Name: 50 chars
  • Short Description: 80 chars
  • Full Description: 4000 chars
  • What's New: 500 chars
• Pitfall: Play rejects emoji or special characters in title, and App Store will bounce hard if you repeat your app name in the subtitle. Check with a plain text editor—smart quotes sneak in copying from Google Docs.

Testing and Submission: The Missing Step

Before you hit upload, batch test all your assets on-device (dark/light mode backgrounds, new device notches, iPad landscape for split view if you care about tablets). Stores don't preview uploads the way they'll appear to real users. I use ScreenshotWhale for a last run at device previews and catching dumb mistakes—it's faster than re-exporting each size out of Figma, and fixes most of the gotchas above.

Keeping This Checklist Up-to-Date

Specs change, usually right before a deadline or around WWDC/Google I/O. Bookmark the docs you actually use, and don't trust random Reddit threads or Discord rumors on accepted sizes. If Apple or Google slips in another device family or quietly changes naming (like "Feature Graphic" becoming "Listing Banner" for Play in some locales—this happened beta last fall), cross-check the current requirements before every launch. The checkboxes above have saved me at least four launch-day disasters—hopefully they'll save you one.