Apple App Preview Guidelines Explained in Plain English

Where the rules come from

Apple's app preview requirements are spread across the App Store Review Guidelines and the technical specifications in App Store Connect. Most founders only discover the rules when a video gets rejected — which is the worst possible time to learn them.

The good news is that the rules are not complicated. They are just specific. Once you understand them, it is straightforward to build compliant previews from the start.

What Apple actually requires

Real app footage only

Every frame of your preview must show footage captured directly from the app. No stock footage, no lifestyle shots, no product photography, no animation that does not appear in the app itself.

Apple's reviewers check this. If a frame cannot be matched to something a user can actually do inside the app, it can trigger a rejection.

Duration: 15 to 30 seconds

Your preview must be between 15 and 30 seconds long. Under 15 seconds is rejected. Over 30 seconds is rejected. There is no flexibility here — App Store Connect will not accept a file that falls outside this range.

File format and technical specs

Apple requires .mov files encoded in H.264 or HEVC. The accepted dimensions depend on which device size you are targeting:

• 6.9" (iPhone 16 Pro Max): 886 × 1920 px (portrait) or 1920 × 886 px (landscape)
• 6.5" (iPhone 15 Plus, 14 Plus etc.): 886 × 1920 px or 1920 × 886 px
• 5.5" (iPhone 8 Plus etc.): 1080 × 1920 px or 1920 × 1080 px

You need to upload the correct size for each device class you want to target. Apple does not auto-resize.

No misleading representations

Apple is strict about accuracy. The preview cannot show features the app does not have, pricing that does not match the listing, or outcomes that mislead users about what the app does.

This is less about creative polish and more about honesty — Apple wants users to know what they are installing before they install it.

Text overlays are allowed

You can add text, graphics, and motion graphics on top of your app footage. These must relate to the app's content and functionality — you cannot put unrelated promotional text over the video. But clear, app-related callouts are explicitly permitted.

The first frame rule

The first frame of the video is used as the poster image — the still that users see before they tap play. It must be in-app footage. A logo card, a title slide, or a black frame as the opening shot will get flagged.

What does not get checked (usually)

Apple does not formally review audio levels, music licensing (that is your responsibility), or whether the video is high quality from a creative standpoint. Their review is focused on compliance — real footage, correct specs, no misleading claims.

The practical takeaway

Building compliant previews is mostly a production discipline. Record from the actual app. Export at the right dimensions. Keep the duration between 15 and 30 seconds. Make sure your first frame is in-app footage. Do not show features or promises the app cannot deliver.

Most rejections come from one of three things: wrong file specs, non-app footage, or a misleading representation. Avoid those three and you are almost always approved on first submission.