Guide
Why App Store Connect rejects screenshots
Most screenshot failures in App Store Connect are the file, not the story. Apple accepts JPEG or PNG only, with no transparency, at an exact pixel size for that display slot. One size per set. If the pixels, the format, or the slot are wrong, the upload stops. If the file uploads and the listing is still sent back, that is App Review looking at what the image shows.
Last updated October 16, 2026. Accepted pixels are in App Store screenshot sizes, checked against Apple's screenshot specifications.
The short version
- JPEG or PNG, no alpha, one accepted pixel size for every file in that slot.
- iPhone 6.9-inch and iPad 13-inch are different slots. A file that is valid for one will fail in the other.
- If Connect accepts the upload and review still returns the build, the pixels were fine. The image content was the problem.
Two kinds of failure
Upload stops
Connect refuses the file while you are still on the screenshot slot. Fix the dimensions, the format, or the alpha channel, then upload the same slot again.
Review sends it back
The files are already in the listing. The rejection note is about accuracy: the screenshots should show the app in use. Resizing the PNG will not answer that note.
Why the upload stops
Apple publishes the allowed formats and the allowed pixel pairs. These are the mismatches that show up most often.
Wrong pixels for the slot
6.9-inch portrait is 1260×2736, 1290×2796, or 1320×2868. 1284×2778 and 1242×2688 are 6.5-inch sizes. iPad 13-inch is 2064×2752 or 2048×2732. A near miss still fails.
Transparency
Rounded corners with an empty background, or a PNG saved with an alpha channel, are outside the spec. The preview can look fine on your Mac and still fail in Connect.
Mixed sizes in one set
Every screenshot in a display slot uses one pixel size. Switching from 1290×2796 to 1320×2868 halfway through the set is a new upload, not a variation.
Wrong file type
Connect wants JPEG or PNG. HEIC from a phone camera, WebP, and PSD are source files. Export a JPEG or a flattened PNG before you upload.
- Portrait and landscape in one slot. Landscape is the portrait pair with width and height swapped. Keep a localization on one orientation.
- The inner screen instead of the canvas. A simulator capture can be a sharp source and still be the wrong dimensions for the marketing file.
- More than 10 images in one display size. Apple's cap is 10 per size.
Check the file before you upload again
On a Mac, select the image in Finder and open Get Info, or open it in Preview and look at the pixel width and height in the Inspector. You want the marketing canvas, such as 1290×2796, not the point size of the Simulator window.
In Terminal, this prints width, height, and whether the file has an alpha channel:
sips -g pixelWidth -g pixelHeight -g hasAlpha screenshot.pnghasAlpha: yes means flatten and export again. A width that is not on the list for that slot means you exported the wrong preset, or you uploaded an iPhone file into the iPad slot. The full table is in the screenshot sizes guide.
When review sends the screenshots back
Apple's review guidelines ask screenshots to show the app in use. Text and a device frame on top of a real screen are normal. A slide that is only a logo, a login wall, or a splash is a weak file for review even when the pixel size is perfect.
A generator watermark is the same kind of problem. It is not part of the app, so take it off before you submit. AppScreenPro free exports include a watermark and a long-edge cap. Pro exports the full store resolution without that mark. The upload can still fail if the canvas size is wrong, watermark or not.
Google Play fails for different reasons
A file that Connect accepts can still fail in Play Console. Play wants each side between 320px and 3840px, with the long side at most twice the short side, as JPEG or 24-bit PNG with no alpha. 1290×2796 breaks that ratio. Play also blocks publishing until a 1024×500 feature graphic is present. Use the Google Play screenshot sizes guide for that checklist.
A simple checklist
- 01Read the width and height of the file that failed. Compare it with the slot you used.
- 02Confirm every image in that slot shares one pixel size, and that none of them are landscape if the rest are portrait.
- 03Flatten transparency. Export JPEG, or PNG with no alpha.
- 04Upload the full marketing canvas. The number Apple lists includes the background and headline, not only the glass inside the device.
- 05If the upload succeeded, reread the review note. Change what the image shows, then submit the same pixels again.
Rejected App Store screenshots FAQ
Why did App Store Connect reject my screenshots?+
The usual causes are a size that is not on Apple's list for that slot, a PNG with transparency, more than one pixel size in the same set, or a file that is not JPEG or PNG. An iPhone 6.5-inch image such as 1284×2778 will not fill a 6.9-inch slot.
Does a transparent PNG fail in App Store Connect?+
Yes. Apple's screenshot specifications say images cannot include alpha channels or transparency. Flatten the artwork onto an opaque background and export JPEG or PNG again.
Can I mix 1290×2796 and 1320×2868 in one iPhone set?+
No. Both are accepted 6.9-inch sizes, and each file in that slot needs to use the same one. Pick 1290×2796 or 1320×2868 for the whole set.
The file uploaded, but the app was still rejected. Why?+
That is App Review, not the size check. Apple expects screenshots to show the app in use. A title card, a login wall, or a tool watermark can pass the pixel check and still fail review.
Will an iPhone screenshot work in the iPad slot?+
No. iPad needs its own 13-inch size, 2064×2752 or 2048×2732, when the app runs on iPad. A 1290×2796 iPhone file is the wrong shape for that slot.
Are Google Play rejections the same?+
No. Play uses a size range and a 2:1 ratio cap, and it also requires a 1024×500 feature graphic. A valid 1290×2796 App Store file is too tall for Play. Use the Google Play screenshot sizes guide for that console.
Pixel table: App Store screenshot sizes. Which canvas to export: iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Export a size Connect already accepts
Pick the iPhone 6.9-inch or iPad 13-inch preset and download an opaque PNG. Pro removes the watermark.