Can One Video Work for Both Apple App Store and Google Play?

The short answer

You cannot upload the same video file to both stores. The technical requirements are different enough that a file built for one will not meet the specifications for the other.

But the underlying story — the conversion narrative — can and should be consistent across both. Efficient multi-platform production shares the creative work while adapting the format and footage for each store.

What Apple requires

Apple's app previews are:

• Portrait orientation for most apps (886 × 1920 px at 6.9")
• .mov files in H.264 or HEVC
• 15–30 seconds in duration
• Built entirely from in-app footage — no lifestyle shots, no non-app content
• Hosted directly in App Store Connect

What Google Play requires

Google Play promo videos are fundamentally different:

• Landscape orientation (YouTube standard, typically 16:9)
• Hosted on YouTube — you link a YouTube URL, not upload a file
• No strict duration limit (though 30–90 seconds is most common)
• More creative flexibility — lifestyle footage and brand elements are permitted
• The video appears on the Play Store listing as an embedded YouTube player

Why the same file cannot work for both

Portrait versus landscape alone makes reuse impossible at the file level. A 886×1920 portrait video letterboxed into a 1920×1080 landscape frame would show your app footage in a narrow strip with large black bars — that is not acceptable for either store's product page.

Beyond dimensions, Apple's strict "in-app footage only" rule conflicts with the more flexible approach typically used for Google Play, where brand storytelling and lifestyle context are common.

What you can share

The conversion narrative — the core story structure — can be the same for both platforms:

• The same problem/solution hook
• The same core features to highlight
• The same user outcome to communicate
• Much of the same screen recording footage (re-recorded at the correct device orientation)

Efficient multi-platform production works by writing one script, then adapting the footage, dimensions, and pacing separately for Apple and Google Play. This is usually 30–50% faster than treating them as completely separate projects.

The practical approach

If you are producing videos for both stores, the recommended sequence is:

1. Write a single conversion-focused script that covers your core message
2. Record footage in the correct orientation for Apple (portrait for most apps)
3. Re-record or reframe for Google Play (landscape, with more production flexibility)
4. Edit each version with the correct specs and creative approach for its platform

The creative work overlaps significantly. The execution is platform-specific.