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Video ads by channel / App Store and Google Play

App store preview videos.

Real screens only, fifteen to thirty seconds, written for a muted autoplay and a poster frame that sells.

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01

The medium

An app preview is the one video on this list the platform will not let you fake. Apple's guideline 2.3.4 allows only screen captures of the app itself, with narration and text or video overlays on top, and Apple's own preview guidance asks for no filmed hands, no fingers tapping the glass and no transition that implies a feature the app does not have. Google Play is looser, but not by much: it wants the real app on screen within the first ten seconds and at least 80 percent of the video showing the actual experience.

Both stores play the film muted. Apple autoplays previews on the product page and in search results with the sound off, and shows a poster frame, the five-second mark unless you pick another, to anyone who has autoplay switched off. Google Play autoplays the first thirty seconds inline without sound, and its cover is the 1024 by 500 feature graphic rather than a frame of the video.

The preview is also an ad. Apple Ads builds its default search results ad from the product page's previews and screenshots, and product page optimization tests up to three treatments for ninety days.

02

The specs

Quoted from the platforms' own pages. The source and the date each was read are under the table.

PlacementRatioResolution and fileLengthSound and captionsSafe zone and rules
App Store, iPhonePortrait or landscape886 x 1920 (or 1920 x 886) for Dynamic Island and Face ID iPhones; 1080 x 1920 for large Home Button iPhones; H.264 at 10 to 12 Mbps or ProRes 422 HQ; 30 fps maximum; 500 MB15 to 30 seconds; up to three previews per device size and languageStereo AAC at 256 kbps, 44.1 or 48 kHz; plays muted by defaultScreen captures of the app only, with narration and overlays allowed (guideline 2.3.4); no filmed people or hands; poster frame defaults to 5 seconds
App Store, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Vision ProiPad portrait or landscape; Mac and Apple TV landscape only1200 x 1600 for 13 and 11 inch iPads; 1920 x 1080 for Mac and Apple TV; 3840 x 2160 for Apple Vision Pro15 to 30 secondsSame audio rules as iPhoneProvide the highest resolution and Apple scales it down to smaller devices; no previews for iMessage apps
Apple Ads (search results and Today tab)Follows the product pageNo separate upload: the default ad uses the default product page's previews and screenshots; ad variations use a custom product pageAs the previewAs the previewCost per tap; one active custom ad per ad group; Today tab ads animate the custom product page's assets
Google Play preview videoLandscape or portrait; no black bars on a portrait videoA YouTube URL, public or unlisted, embeddable, with monetization off and no age restrictionNo cap stated; only the first 30 seconds autoplayAutoplays muted; captions recommendedApp on screen within the first 10 seconds; at least 80 percent real app experience; no Download now or Install now calls to action
Google Play feature graphicLandscape banner1024 x 500, JPEG or 24-bit PNG without alphaStill imagen/aRequired to publish the listing; used as the cover of the preview video; avoid pure white, black or dark gray
  1. Apple App Store Connect, app preview specifications, read October 27, 2026
  2. Apple Developer, app previews, read October 27, 2026
  3. Apple, App Store Review Guidelines, read October 27, 2026
  4. Apple Developer, product page optimization, read October 27, 2026
  5. Apple Ads, create ad variations, read October 27, 2026
  6. Google Play Console Help, add preview assets, read October 27, 2026
  7. Google Play Console Help, store listing experiments, read October 27, 2026

Every row was read on Apple's and Google's own pages. Apple does not say whether a search results ad leads with the preview or the screenshots, and Google's experiments page does not list the preview video as a testable asset, so on Play the cover graphic is what gets tested.

03

How we build an ad for it

Directed by people, made with AI, finished by hand. You approve the script and the sound before any footage is made.

  1. Captured, never generated

    Apple accepts only screen captures of the app, so on this channel we do not generate footage at all. We capture the real build on a device at its native interface resolution, direct the path through it like a shot list, and add only what the guideline allows: narration, text and motion overlays, and a score. A feature that is not in the build is not in the film.

  2. Two edits from one capture

    Apple wants fifteen to thirty seconds; Google wants the app inside ten seconds and four fifths of the video to be real use. The same capture becomes two edits: a tight Apple cut that opens on the core action, and a Play cut with no Download now end card and no black bars around the portrait frame.

  3. Words do the talking

    Both stores autoplay without sound. Short overlays carry the story and are timed to the interface, one music score runs under the whole preview as Apple suggests, with interface sounds on top for the viewer who unmutes, and the Play version carries captions as Google asks.

  4. The poster frame is a chosen shot

    It is what a person sees with autoplay off and while the app installs, and changing it on an approved preview means submitting a new version. We compose the frame meant for that moment and set it deliberately. On Play the cover is the feature graphic, so we design that 1024 by 500 picture as its own piece.

  5. Evergreen and rated for everyone

    No prices, which vary by region and are not allowed in previews, no dates or seasons, and a disclosure in the footage or end frame when a feature needs a purchase, a subscription or a login. Anything that would not pass a 4+ rating comes out, even when the app itself is rated higher.

  6. A set per device and language

    Apple takes up to three previews per device size and language: the first gives the overview, the others go deeper on single features. We deliver 886 by 1920 for current iPhones and 1200 by 1600 for iPads, localized overlays, and variants for product page optimization and custom product pages.

04

Films that fit

Finished Filmito films, labeled with what each one is. Hover or tap to play.

Flipper Intel, Vertical ad
Flipper IntelFlipper Intel, a 19-second vertical ad built around its own interface. A store preview of it would keep only the captured screens, not the produced scenes.
Forensics.expert, UI product ad
Forensics.expertForensics.expert, a 62-second ad led by its interface in motion. 16:9 master shown; a preview is cut to thirty seconds or less from captured screens.
BrightDeed, UI product ad
BrightDeedBrightDeed, a 42-second ad that mixes its interface with stock footage; only the interface half of a film like this is allowed in an App Store preview.
Nella, App launch film
NellaNella, a 54-second launch film with the app in hand. The store version drops the hands and keeps the screens.

All client films

05

What to order

A listing wants a set rather than one film: an overview preview, feature previews per device and language, and variants for the store's own tests, a steady flow that Growth is built for.

One adLaunch, 30 seconds$895

30 seconds to tell the story and earn the click. First cut in 3 days, 2 revision rounds, 16:9 and 9:16 included.

Launch on the pricing page
Every monthGrowth$2,497 per month

4 unique ads every month. Different angles, not shorter cuts.

Growth on the pricing page
06

Questions about app store previews

Can an App Store preview use live action or generated scenes?

No. Apple's guideline 2.3.4 allows only screen captures of the app itself, with narration and text or video overlays, and its preview guidance asks for no filmed people or hands. We capture your real build and make the film from it; generated footage belongs in your in-app and social ads instead.

What size is an iPhone app preview?

886 by 1920 portrait or 1920 by 886 landscape for current iPhones with Dynamic Island or Face ID, 15 to 30 seconds, up to 500 MB, at most 30 frames a second, H.264 or ProRes 422 HQ. Apple scales the highest resolution down to smaller devices, so one master per orientation usually covers the iPhone range.

Does an app preview play with sound?

Not by default in either store. Apple autoplays previews muted on the product page and in search results; Google Play autoplays up to thirty seconds with muted audio. The film is written to read without sound, and the music and narration are there for the viewer who taps.

Why does Google Play want the video on YouTube?

The Play listing takes a YouTube URL, not a file. The video has to be public or unlisted, embeddable, not age restricted and with ads turned off. We deliver the master and the 1024 by 500 feature graphic that becomes its cover; it is published from your own channel and Play Console.

Can the Play video end on Download now?

No. Google asks for no calls to action such as Download now, Install now, Play now or Try now, and Apple does not allow prices in previews. The last frame names the app and, where it applies, says that a feature needs a subscription, a purchase or a login.

Will the preview run in Apple Ads, and can we test it?

Yes. Apple Ads builds the default search results ad from the default product page's previews and screenshots, and ad variations use a custom product page's assets. Product page optimization tests up to three treatments with different previews for ninety days, so we deliver the variants ready for both.

Keep planning

Other screens, the craft behind the films, and the public prices.

Filmito

Tell us the screen. We build the film.

Six short questions about your brand and where the ad will run. A person replies within one business day with the idea, the price and the date.

Get a quoteSee pricing

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