Portrait vs Landscape App Store Previews: Which Should You Use?

Orientation follows the app

The most important thing to understand about preview orientation: it must match the orientation your app uses. Apple requires the preview to reflect how the app is actually used on a real device.

If your app is a portrait-mode productivity tool, your preview should be portrait. If your app is a landscape game, your preview should be landscape. You do not get to choose based on aesthetics.

Portrait previews

Portrait is the default for the vast majority of apps. Most iPhone apps are designed for portrait use, so most previews are portrait.

Portrait previews display in a vertical format on the product page. In search results, they appear as a tall narrow card. This works well for most app categories: productivity, utilities, social, health, finance, and most casual games.

Required dimensions for portrait previews:

• 6.9" display: 886 × 1920 px
• 6.5" display: 886 × 1920 px
• 5.5" display: 1080 × 1920 px

Landscape previews

Landscape previews are used for apps that run in landscape mode — typically games designed for horizontal play, video apps that present content in widescreen, or any app locked to landscape orientation.

On the product page, landscape previews display as a wide, horizontal card. They often appear larger and more cinematic in search results, which can be an advantage for visually rich games.

Required dimensions for landscape previews:

• 6.9" display: 1920 × 886 px
• 6.5" display: 1920 × 886 px
• 5.5" display: 1920 × 1080 px

Can you upload both?

No. Apple requires the preview to match the app's supported orientation. You cannot upload a portrait preview for a landscape app or vice versa. App Store Connect will reject the file if the dimensions do not match the app's configured orientation.

Some apps support both orientations. In that case, you can choose which to use for the preview — but most developers choose the dominant orientation, which is usually the one the app opens in by default.

Does orientation affect conversion?

Landscape previews for visually rich games can benefit from the wider canvas — there is more horizontal space to show complex game environments. But for most apps, orientation is a technical requirement, not a creative one.

The more important conversion factors are the structure of the video, the quality of the footage, and how clearly the first few seconds communicate value. Orientation is table stakes; the content is what converts.

The practical takeaway

Check what orientation your app uses. Match it in your preview. Use the correct pixel dimensions for each device class you want to target. That is all there is to the orientation decision.