July 13, 2026 · 5 min read
App Store preview videos: the specs, and how to pass review
App previews are the highest-leverage asset on your product page — they autoplay, they occupy the first screenshot slot, and they're the first thing a visitor's eye lands on. They're also the easiest asset to get rejected.
The hard rules
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Duration | 15–30 seconds |
| Frame rate | 30 fps |
| 6.9" display (portrait) | 886×1920 or 1320×2868 |
| Audio | optional, but the video must work muted |
| Content | captured app UI only — no hands, no device bezels in the video itself |
The 30fps rule surprises people: a 60fps export will be rejected or re-encoded. The duration window is just as strict — a 12-second video won't upload.
What makes a preview convert
- Lead with the outcome, not the onboarding. You have about 3 seconds before a store visitor scrolls. Open on the screen that shows the value.
- One idea per scene. Three or four short scenes beat a feature tour.
- Design for mute. Most store playback is silent; if a point needs narration, it needs an on-screen caption instead.
- Real UI, real data. Review rejects mockups that misrepresent the app, and users can tell lorem-ipsum dashboards from a live product.
Making one without a video team
This is exactly the workflow AnimationAPI was built for: record your app with the iOS simulator or QuickTime, drop the recording onto a 3D device, pick a motion preset, and export with the App preview 6.9" preset — the tool locks the frame rate to 30fps and warns if your timeline is outside the 15–30s window. The screen recording is decoded frame-accurately during export, so timeline time and screen time never drift.