App Store Screenshot Rejection: 12 Mistakes to Fix First

An App Store screenshot rejection almost always happens because the screenshots don't show the app in use, include prices or claims that don't belong in metadata, show another platform, or fail the technical specs in App Store Connect. Fix those four areas before you submit and most screenshot problems go away. Google Play has its own list of banned content, which we cover below.

This checklist goes through 12 specific mistakes, quotes the rule each one breaks, and ends with a pre-submission list you can work through in five minutes.

What causes an App Store screenshot rejection?

Most App Store screenshot rejections cite Guideline 2.3.3 (Accurate Metadata), which says screenshots must show your app actually being used. Related rejections cite Guidelines 2.3.7 (prices and irrelevant terms), 2.3.8 (4+ content), 2.3.9 (rights and real user data) and 2.3.10 (other platforms).

A screenshot rejection is when App Review sends back a build or metadata submission because the images in your product page break the App Store Review Guidelines. The fix is usually fast. You still lose a review cycle, though, and that hurts when a launch date is set.

The mistakes fall into two groups: content mistakes that App Review catches, and technical mistakes that App Store Connect blocks at upload.

Content mistakes that break Apple's guidelines

1. Showing the splash screen, login page or title art

Guideline 2.3.3 says it directly: "Screenshots should show the app in use, and not merely the title art, login page, or splash screen." A gallery that opens on a sign-in form is the classic way to get rejected. Use a test account and capture the screens people see after they log in.

2. Putting prices, "free" or discounts in screenshots

Guideline 2.3.7 says metadata such as screenshots "should not include prices, terms, or descriptions that are not specific to the metadata type." Leave "Only $4.99," "50% off" and "Free for a limited time" out of your captions. Prices also change, and a stale price shown in an image can count as misleading under Guideline 2.3.1.

3. Showing another mobile platform

Guideline 2.3.10 bans "names, icons, or imagery of other mobile platforms or alternative app marketplaces" in your metadata. Cross-platform teams get caught by this all the time: an Android status bar, a Google Play badge, or a Pixel or Galaxy device frame used in the iOS set. Keep separate screenshot sets for each store.

4. Using real people's data

Guideline 2.3.9 asks you to "display fictional account information instead of data from a real person." Before you capture anything, swap real names, emails, phone numbers and chat messages for seeded demo data. While you're at it, check that you have the rights to every photo, font and logo in the frame.

5. Content above a 4+ rating

Under Guideline 2.3.8, screenshots must be suitable for a 4+ age rating "even if your app is rated higher." Apple's own example: for a violent game, pick images that don't show a gruesome death or a gun pointed at a character.

6. Leaving outdated screenshots on other device sizes

Developers redesign the app, upload new 6.9-inch screenshots, and forget that older sets are still attached to other sizes. If any image shows UI or features that no longer exist, it no longer reflects the app and can be rejected. Check every device size and every localization in App Store Connect before you submit.

Technical mistakes App Store Connect blocks at upload

App Store Connect rejects screenshots that don't match an accepted pixel size, format or count before they ever reach review. According to Apple's screenshot specifications, these are the rules that catch people most often:

Two notes on sizes. If your UI looks the same across devices, App Store Connect can scale down your highest-resolution set for smaller iPhones. The 6.5-inch size is only required if you don't provide the large 6.9-inch set. Our App Store screenshot sizes guide lists every iPhone and iPad spec.

Does Google Play reject screenshots with rankings or prices?

Yes. Google Play's Metadata policy bans images or text that suggest store performance or ranking, price and promotional information, or Google Play programs. These are policy violations that can lead to enforcement, not style suggestions.

11. Rank, award and promo claims on Play screenshots

Google gives concrete examples of banned text, including "App of the year," "#1," "10% off," "free for limited time only," "Editor's choice" and "New." The policy also prohibits using "a celebrity's name or a brand's logo without permission" and asks you to "provide screenshots and videos that reflect your app's actual experience."

Google's preview asset guidelines set the technical baseline:

• Count: at least 2 screenshots, up to 8 per device type.
• Format: JPEG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha).
• Dimensions: 320 px minimum, 3,840 px maximum, and the long side can't be more than twice the short side.
• Promotion eligibility: apps need at least four screenshots at 1080 px or higher to qualify for large-format placements.
• Text: taglines shouldn't cover more than 20% of the image.

The same guidelines also advise against calls to action, store badges, notification clutter in the status bar, and blurry, stretched or rotated images.

Can you use device frames in Google Play screenshots?

You can, but Google recommends against it. The preview asset guidelines list "device imagery (as this can become obsolete quickly or alienate some users)" under content screenshots should not contain. It sits in the recommendation section, next to the mandatory bans on ranking and price claims.

12. Using one framed set for both stores

This is where cross-platform teams get caught twice. An iPhone-framed set breaks Google's device-imagery advice on Play, and an Android-framed set breaks Apple's Guideline 2.3.10 on the App Store. The safe approach:

• App Store: framed or frameless screenshots both work, as long as any device shown is an Apple device and the screen shows the real app in use.
• Google Play: use full-bleed, frameless screenshots, or at least test a frameless variant using store listing experiments.
• Website, Product Hunt, social and pitch decks: 3D device mockups add the most here, because no store rule applies and the device gives viewers context.

If you're unsure which style suits a given channel, see when to use device mockups (and when plain screenshots win).

Your pre-submission app screenshot checklist

Run this app screenshot checklist on every device size and every localization before you press Submit:

1. Every image shows the app in use. No splash screen, login page or title art on its own.
2. No prices, "free," discounts or sale wording anywhere in screenshots or captions.
3. No rank, award or program claims ("#1," "App of the year," "Editor's choice").
4. No other-platform names, badges, status bars or device frames.
5. All personal data is fictional demo data, and you hold the rights to every asset shown.
6. Content is suitable for a 4+ audience.
7. The UI matches the current build, including on older device sizes you didn't re-upload.
8. Files are PNG or JPEG with no transparency, at an exact accepted pixel size.
9. Counts fit the limits: up to 10 per size on Apple, 2–8 per device type on Google Play.
10. Captions are short and readable at thumbnail size (see our screenshot caption tips).
11. Screenshots are localized for every market where you've localized the listing, which Apple's product page guidance recommends.

How to create compliant screenshots in mockiso

mockiso turns your raw screenshots into 3D device mockups in the browser. A few settings make sure the output passes App Store Connect's checks:

1. Match the device to the store. In a new project, pick an Apple device (iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 18 Pro, iPad Pro 13″) for the App Store set. For Play assets used on your website or socials, pick a Pixel 9 Pro or Galaxy S24.
2. Upload a real in-app screen. Paste it with Ctrl/Cmd+V or drag and drop. Use a seeded demo account, not a login screen.
3. Use a solid color, gradient or backdrop template. Don't use the transparent backdrop for store uploads, since Apple and Google both reject alpha channels. Keep transparent exports for web pages.
4. Write a clean caption. The App Store style headline and subline fields should describe a benefit, never a price or a ranking.
5. Pick a store canvas preset and export PNG or JPEG. Skip WebP for store uploads. Use the duo or trio layout if you want consecutive screenshots that flow across the gallery.

The free plan lets you test the full workflow. Higher-resolution 2× export and watermark-free output are on paid plans. See pricing for the current limits.

Key takeaways

• Guideline 2.3.3 requires screenshots to show the app in use, not the title art, login page or splash screen.
• Apple Guideline 2.3.7 and Google Play's Metadata policy both ban prices and promotional text in screenshots, and Google also bans rank and award claims like "#1."
• Never show another platform's devices, badges or status bars. Keep separate screenshot sets for the App Store and Google Play.
• Both stores reject transparency: export PNG or JPEG with no alpha channel, at an exact accepted pixel size.
• Google recommends avoiding device imagery in Play screenshots, so save 3D mockups for the App Store, your website and launch channels.

Screenshot rejections are avoidable once you know which rules reviewers actually enforce. If you want polished, store-ready mockups without opening a design tool, start your free 24-hour Pro trial of mockiso (no card required) and export your first compliant set in minutes.