App Store and Google Play look similar at a glance, but their screenshot rules differ. Here is the side-by-side I keep open on every launch.
Count
- App Store: up to 10 per locale.
- Play Store: 2 to 8 per language.
Sizes
- App Store: exact device sizes. iPhone 16 Pro Max master at 1320×2868. Apple downscales for older classes.
- Play Store: long side between 320 and 3840 px, ratio 16:9 or 9:16. Most teams ship 1080×1920 portrait.
Localization unit
- App Store: per locale (en-US, en-GB, fr-FR, fr-CA…).
- Play Store: per language (en, fr, de, ja…).
What you can show
- App Store: text and graphics over the screenshot are allowed. UI in the image must appear in the app.
- Play Store: same text-over-image rule. Slightly more relaxed on which UI is "real" vs "marketing".
Review behavior
- App Store: human review. Rejections happen. Common ones: mismatched UI, wrong dimensions, hardcoded language.
- Play Store: automated checks. Rejections happen too, but turnaround is much faster.
The practical answer
Design for App Store first. The exact-resolution rule is the strict constraint; once it is met, the same masters fit Play Store with a quick crop and re-export.