Play Store screenshots,
looser than Apple's.
Google's spec is forgiving, wide ranges, multiple aspects, almost anything in. That sounds easy until you realize "wide range" means the same screenshot can look great on one phone and terrible on another. Here's the spec, plus the actual sizes that perform best.
The spec, in plain numbers
Google Play accepts any image whose short edge is between 320 and 3840 pixels, and whose long edge is no more than twice the short edge. That gives you a lot of room, but if you ship something at the wrong end of the range, your screenshot ends up either pixelated on big phones or blurred from upscaling on small ones.
Recommended sizes
Ship these| Device | Portrait | Landscape | Aspect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone (standard) | 1080 × 1920 | 1920 × 1080 | 16:9 |
| Phone (tall) | 1080 × 2400 | 2400 × 1080 | 20:9 |
| 7″ tablet | 1600 × 2560 | 2560 × 1600 | ~16:10 |
| 10″ tablet | 2048 × 2732 | 2732 × 2048 | ~4:3 |
Google Play has no concept of "required" sizes the way the App Store does. Technically you can submit two phone screenshots and call it a day. Practically, Google's algorithm ranks listings with tablet screenshots higher when the app declares tablet support.
Aspect ratio constraints
The implicit rule that surprises most first-time submitters: Google clamps the long-edge-to-short-edge ratio at 2:1. A 1080×2400 screenshot is fine (2.22:1, under). A 1080×2700 screenshot is too tall and gets rejected. This caps you out of 19.5:9 and 21:9 phone aspects if you render at the device's native resolution, you have to either letterbox or crop.
Modern phone aspects (≥ 20:9)
Most Android phones since 2020 ship at 20:9 or 21:9. Their native screenshots are too tall for Google Play. The standard workaround is to render at 1080×2400 (20:9) regardless of the device's actual aspect, Play accepts that, and it looks correct on every device because Play shows screenshots in a horizontally-scrolling row at a fixed display height.
Foldables
Don't ship foldable screenshots in their unfolded aspect. They violate the 2:1 rule and Google rejects them. Either ship the folded (phone) view or ship a tablet-aspect view to a 7″ tablet slot.
File rules
- Format: PNG (24-bit, no alpha) or JPEG. PNG with transparency is rejected, Google composites against the listing's background and your transparent corners become visible artifacts.
- Max file size: 8 MB per screenshot. PNG screenshots at 2048×2732 routinely run 4 to 6 MB; that's fine. Aim for under 4 MB if you want fast cellular loads.
- Color space: sRGB. Google strips other profiles.
- Per app: minimum 2, maximum 8 screenshots per device type. Phone, 7″ tablet, and 10″ tablet are separate slots, you can fill all three.
- Aspect ratio cap: long edge ≤ 2× short edge.
What actually converts
Google's documentation tells you the spec. It doesn't tell you what wins in the carousel. Three things that come up repeatedly in indie post-launch analyses:
Portrait beats landscape
Play's screenshot row is horizontally scrollable, but the inline preview that appears above the fold shows the first 2 to 3 portrait screenshots at full height. Landscape screenshots get cropped to a tall slice in the same slot. Portrait wins by default. Use landscape only for screens where the app's own UI demands it (games, maps, video).
Tall (20:9) beats standard (16:9)
1080×2400 fills more vertical pixels in the inline preview than 1080×1920. The tall format has been the de-facto Play standard since ~2022 and Play's first-impression preview is sized to match it.
First three matter
The Play carousel shows the first three above the fold. Carry your strongest screenshots in slots 1 to 3. Slot 1 should communicate what the app does, not your logo or a "Welcome" splash. Slot 2 and 3 are features.
The feature graphic, the other required image
Screenshots aren't the only graphic the Play Console demands. The feature graphic, a 1024×500 banner, is required to publish, and it's the image most indie listings clearly made last, at midnight, in five minutes. Where it actually shows up:
- As the video cover, if your listing has a promo video, the play button renders on top of it.
- In editorial and collection placements, when Play features your app.
Rules of thumb: no critical content in the outer edges (it gets cropped in some placements), text big enough to read at a third of its size, and don't repeat your app icon, it renders right next to the graphic in most placements. PNG or JPEG, and unlike screenshots you can swap it any time without a release. A solid pattern is your first screenshot's headline re-set in the wide aspect: same claim, same background system, instant listing coherence.
Common mistakes
Submitting at the device's exact native resolution
A Pixel 9 Pro screenshot is 1344×2992 native, 2.226:1, over the 2:1 cap, rejected. Render to 1080×2400 instead.
Confusing phone slots with tablet slots
Phone screenshots in tablet slots dilute your tablet ranking. If you don't have tablet-specific screenshots, leave the tablet slots empty.
Showing the system UI
Status bar, gesture navigation pill, these don't add information and they age your screenshots fast. Crop them out or render at the app's content frame only.
Quick reference
- Phone-only app: 8 × 1080×2400, PNG, sRGB.
- App with tablet support: add 8 × 2048×2732 in the 10″ tablet slot.
- Foldable: ship the phone view; skip the unfolded aspect.
- Wear OS, Android TV, Auto: separate slot specs, not covered here.
That's the whole spec. Looser than Apple's, more room to do the wrong thing, but if you stick to the recommended sizes above, you'll never see a rejection.