Guide
App Store screenshots without Figma
You do not need a Figma file to ship listing screenshots. You need captures at a usable resolution, a canvas that already is the store size, opaque PNG or JPEG exports, and a ZIP you can drop into App Store Connect or Play Console. A screenshot studio is built for that job. Figma is still the better tool when a designer already owns the system.
Last updated September 12, 2026. Pixel rules live in the App Store and Google Play size guides. This page is the workflow.
The short version
- Listing screenshots are a production job: store pixels, device frames, a headline, opaque export. That is not the same job as designing the app.
- Capture the UI, drop it on a canvas that already is 1290×2796 (iPhone) or 1080×2160 (Play phone), then export PNG or ZIP.
- You still upload the files yourself in App Store Connect or Play Console. A studio does not replace those consoles.
- Stay in Figma if the library already exists. Switching tools mid-release to avoid Figma is slower than using the file you have.
Skip Figma, or stay
The search query is usually “without Figma.” The useful question is whether Figma is already paying rent on this release.
Skip Figma if
- You are shipping this week and nobody wants to build 1290×2796 frames from scratch.
- The job is repetitive: new screens, same layout, new copy each release.
- You would rather not upload UI to a cloud design file you do not control.
- You need Play and App Store sizes without maintaining two Figma page templates.
Stay in Figma if
- A designer already owns listing frames, type styles, and a shared library.
- The same components have to match the website, ads, and store deck.
- You need custom illustration that is not a device mockup plus a headline.
- Several people edit the same file and Figma is already how they review.
Capture the source screens
The studio cannot invent a truthful UI. Bad captures make expensive looking frames around a blurry app. Treat these files as photos of the product, not as the listing image.
iPhone
Use Simulator screenshot, not a photo of the Mac window. Prefer a recent large iPhone so the UI is sharp when it sits inside a 1290×2796 canvas.
Android
Use the emulator screenshot or a device capture. Play is happier with a 1080-wide source than with a cropped iPhone PNG.
Clean chrome
Hide notifications, test banners, and debug overlays. Status-bar junk reads as unfinished on the store page.
One idea per file
Each capture becomes one slide. Do not stitch three screens into one PNG in Preview. The studio will not know where to cut.
Name files with a numeric prefix. AppScreenPro creates one slide per drop, sorted by filename. 01-home.png, 02-paywall.png, 03-widget.png saves you dragging slides later. Skip spaces and emoji in names.
Build the deck on a store canvas
Pick the size before you decorate. If you design on a random 1170 canvas and scale up, type goes soft and Connect or Play may reject the ratio. For iPhone, start at 1290×2796. For Play phone, start at 1080×2160. Details sit in the size guides linked above.
- 01Open a screenshot studio in the browser. In AppScreenPro, no account is required to start.
- 02Drop the captures. Confirm slide order matches the story you want on the store page.
- 03Choose the iPhone, iPad, or Android preset so the export pixels are already legal.
- 04Add a device frame and background. Write one claim per slide. The first two or three show in search.
- 05Keep taglines short. Play asks that extra type stay under about 20% of the image. Connect is less explicit, but crowded slides still look cheap.
You are placing the capture on the canvas, not replacing the canvas with the capture. If you export only the inner glass, the store shows a tiny screen on a huge empty frame. That mistake is covered in the size guides because it wastes more time than any type choice.
Export and upload
Export opaque PNG (or JPEG for Play). Flatten transparency. Download a ZIP if you have more than a couple of slides. Then open App Store Connect or Play Console and upload into the right slot. AppScreenPro does not push files to Apple or Google for you.
- iPhone: 6.9-inch set first. Add iPad 13-inch if the app runs on iPad.
- Play: at least two phone shots, plus a 1024×500 feature graphic that this studio does not export yet.
- Check width and height on disk before you wait on a console error.
- Free AppScreenPro exports include a watermark and a long-edge cap. Use Pro for a listing you will actually submit.
What this path does not do
Skipping Figma is not skipping craft. It is skipping a general design tool for a narrower job. Know the edges so you do not blame the workflow for the wrong missing feature.
- No 3D rotating phones or App Preview video. That is a different product category.
- No auto-upload to App Store Connect. You still click through Apple's or Google's UI.
- No 1320×2868 iPhone canvas in AppScreenPro today. 1290×2796 is the 6.9-inch export we ship.
- No Play feature graphic (1024×500). Build that banner elsewhere.
- Projects in AppScreenPro live in the browser. Export before you clear site data.
A simple checklist
- 01Capture the real UI from Simulator, emulator, or device. One screen per file.
- 02Name files so they sort: 01-home.png, 02-feature.png. Drop PNG, JPG, or WebP.
- 03Pick a store canvas first (iPhone 6.9-inch at 1290×2796, or Android phone at 1080×2160).
- 04Place each capture on the canvas. Add frame, background, and a short headline.
- 05Export opaque PNG (or a ZIP of the deck). Check pixels before you open Connect or Play Console.
App Store screenshots without Figma FAQ
Do I need Figma to make App Store screenshots?+
No. Figma is useful if you already have components, illustration, and a designer on the file. For a listing deck, a screenshot studio is usually faster: drop captures, pick a store size, add a frame and headline, export.
Can I make App Store screenshots in the browser?+
Yes. Tools like AppScreenPro run in the browser. You upload PNG, JPG, or WebP captures, style the slides, and download PNG files or a ZIP. You still upload that ZIP yourself in App Store Connect.
What should I capture if I am not using Figma?+
Capture the real app UI from the Simulator, emulator, or device. Do not photograph a Mac window. Do not capture the App Store listing. Name files so they sort (01, 02, 03). Those files are sources. The marketing canvas is a separate size.
Is a free screenshot generator enough to publish?+
Often not. Many free tiers add a watermark or cap resolution. AppScreenPro is free to open, but shippable store files need Pro (no watermark, full store resolution). Check the export before you sit in Connect.
Does skipping Figma mean I skip device frames?+
No. The studio applies frames, backgrounds, and type on a store-sized canvas. You are skipping the design file, not the marketing layout. Wear OS on Play is the exception: Google wants the watch UI only.
When should I stay in Figma?+
Stay if the team already maintains listing frames as components, if custom illustration has to match the marketing site, or if several people edit the same file. Switching mid-release to learn a new tool is slower than using the library you have.
Pixel tables: App Store screenshot sizes and Google Play screenshot sizes. Comparing tools? See App Store screenshot generator alternatives.
Build the deck in the browser
Drop in captures, pick an iPhone, iPad, or Android preset, and download a ZIP. Screens stay on your device.