Google Play Feature Graphic: Size, Rules and Design Tips

A Google Play feature graphic is a 1024 × 500 px JPEG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha channel). You need one to publish, and it is the wide banner at the top of your Google Play store listing. The ones that work keep the focal point in the center, use vivid colors and leave out device imagery and promotional words like "#1" or "Free."

This guide covers the official specs, the design rules Google publishes in Play Console Help, where the graphic shows up and how to test it. It also explains where device mockups belong on your listing, because the feature graphic is not that place.

What is a Google Play feature graphic?

A Google Play feature graphic is a horizontal 1024 × 500 px banner that represents your app on Google Play. It covers your preview video and also appears in large-format app collections. Think of it as your listing's billboard. Your icon handles recognition, and the feature graphic sets the mood and the value proposition.

According to Google's preview assets guidelines, the feature graphic is used:

• as the cover image for your preview video, if you have one (users tap a play button overlaid on the graphic to watch);
• in large-format app collections, including ads;
• for games, in large-format groups of recommended games.

So the same image has to work as a video thumbnail, a promo tile and a brand banner. Most of the design rules below come from that.

What size is the Google Play feature graphic?

The Google Play feature graphic must be exactly 1024 px wide by 500 px tall and saved as a JPEG or a 24-bit PNG without transparency. Google's help page lists no file-size limit for it, unlike the 1024 KB cap on the app icon. A file in the low hundreds of kilobytes is still the sensible target.

Here is how the feature graphic size compares with the other Google Play store listing assets, according to Google's graphic assets requirements:

A common upload error is exporting a PNG that still has an alpha channel. If Google Play Console rejects your file, flatten it onto a solid background or export it as JPEG.

What does Google recommend for feature graphic design?

Google recommends a centered focal point, vibrant colors, no fine detail, localized text, and no device imagery or promotional language. These points come from the "highly recommended" section of the Play Console preview assets guidance. Some surfaces add UI overlays, and Google warns that ignoring the placement rules can make your graphic ineligible for those formats.

1. Keep key elements out of the cutoff zones

Google tells developers to "keep prominent visuals and the focal point towards the center of the graphic." Your logo, app name, slogan and main UI should stay away from the edges, which can be cropped on some surfaces. Put purely decorative background elements near the edges.

2. Design around the play button

If you add a preview video, Google Play places a play button over the feature graphic. Your composition still has to make sense with a circle on top of it. Put the key visual in the center area, but keep short text slightly off-center so the button doesn't cover it.

3. Use vivid color, not white, black or dark gray

Google advises against "pure white, black, or dark gray as these colors can easily blend in with Google Play's background." Pick a saturated brand color or a gradient that matches your icon and in-app palette. This keeps the listing consistent, and the banner won't fade into light or dark mode.

4. Extend the icon, don't repeat it

Google suggests that brand elements should extend your app icon rather than duplicate it. A giant copy of the icon wastes the space. Use the graphic for what the icon can't show: the core benefit, a hero illustration or the mood of the product.

5. Skip fine detail

Small UI text, thin lines and busy textures "will not be visible on many phone screens," Google notes. Use a few large shapes and at most one short line of copy.

6. Leave out device frames, badges and claims

Google's avoid list includes device imagery, Google Play or other store badges, third-party trademarks you don't have permission to use, and performance or price language such as "Best," "#1," "Free" or "Sale." Time-sensitive content is also discouraged. If you run a seasonal message, replace it as soon as the period ends.

7. Localize it and add alt text

Translate any text in the graphic for each market. Leave room for longer languages, because a headline that fits in English may wrap in German. Google also asks for alt text of 140 characters or fewer that doesn't begin with "photo of" or "image of."

Where do device mockups belong on a Google Play listing?

Device mockups belong in your screenshots and your off-store marketing, not in the feature graphic, because Google explicitly lists device imagery as something to avoid in feature graphics. Plenty of listings ignore this rule. Following it is the easy way to keep your graphic eligible for every format.

Screenshots have their own rules. For apps, Google recommends at least four screenshots at 1080 px minimum, showing real UI. It recommends prioritizing UI in the first three, keeping taglines under 20% of the image, and leaving out calls to action. A device frame around real UI fits within those rules as long as the UI stays large and readable. For when a frame helps and when it just takes up space, see When to Use Device Mockups (and When Plain Screenshots Win). For writing short overlay text, our caption tips also apply to Google Play.

Mockups are also useful around the listing: on your landing page, in launch posts, in press kits and as frames in the YouTube preview video. Google suggests the video and the feature graphic share the same palette and story.

How to build matching Play Store assets with mockiso

Use a design tool such as Figma for the flat 1024 × 500 px feature graphic. Use mockiso for the device-framed screenshots and marketing images that sit around it. Here is a workflow that keeps everything in the same visual style:

1. Pick your brand gradient first. Choose a vivid color pair that matches your icon. Use it as the feature graphic background and reuse the same colors everywhere else.
2. Create a project in mockiso. Sign up, click New project and choose an Android device such as Pixel 9 Pro, Galaxy S24 or a foldable like Galaxy Z Fold7. The full list is on the devices section.
3. Drop in your screenshot. Click to upload, drag and drop, or paste with Ctrl/Cmd+V.
4. Choose an angle. Front works best for store screenshots where the UI must stay readable. Hero left/right or float suit social posts and your website.
5. Match the backdrop. Set a gradient backdrop with the same colors as your feature graphic, or export with a transparent background and place the device in your own layout.
6. Add a short caption if needed. Use the optional headline and subline, and keep the text well under Google's 20% guideline.
7. Use duo or trio layouts to show consecutive screens in a single marketing image.
8. Export. Choose a store or social canvas size preset, then export PNG, JPEG or WebP. For Google Play, upload a JPEG or a PNG without transparency.

Everything renders in the browser, so you can redo all angles after a UI update in minutes. 2× export, batch ZIP export and the watermark-free output are on paid plans; see pricing for current limits.

How do you A/B test a Google Play feature graphic?

You can A/B test a feature graphic with store listing experiments in Google Play Console, comparing up to two variants against your current listing. According to Google's experiments documentation, default graphics experiments can test the icon, feature graphic and screenshots. Localized experiments can also include descriptions.

• Where: Play Console → Grow users → Store presence → Store listings, then click Set up in the Experiment column.
• Limits: Per app, you can run one default graphics experiment or up to five localized experiments at the same time.
• What to test: Change one thing per variant: a different hero visual, a warmer or cooler background, or text versus no text. If you change several things at once, you won't know which one made the difference.

Let the experiment run until Play Console reports a clear result. Weekday and weekend traffic often behave differently, so a few days of data can mislead.

Pre-upload checklist

• Exactly 1024 × 500 px, JPEG or 24-bit PNG, no alpha channel.
• Logo, app name and key visual in the central area, out of the edge cutoff zones.
• Readable even with a play button over the center (if you have a video).
• Vivid background, not pure white, black or dark gray.
• No device frames, store badges, "#1," "Best," "Free" or "Sale."
• Text localized for each market; alt text of 140 characters or fewer.
• Colors consistent with the icon, screenshots and preview video.

Key takeaways

• The Google Play feature graphic is 1024 × 500 px, JPEG or 24-bit PNG with no transparency, and it is required to publish.
• It works as the preview video cover and appears in large-format collections, so center the focal point and design around the play button.
• Google recommends vivid colors and advises against pure white, black or dark gray, device imagery, store badges and claims like "#1" or "Free."
• Put device mockups in screenshots and off-store marketing, and keep the feature graphic flat and brand-led.
• Test up to two feature graphic variants at a time with Play Console store listing experiments.

Conclusion

A strong Google Play feature graphic is mostly about restraint: one clear visual, one color story, nothing important near the edges. Pair it with screenshots in the same palette and the listing looks consistent from the banner down to the last screenshot.

When you're ready to create the device-framed screenshots and marketing images, start a free mockiso trial. Every new account gets 24 hours of Pro, no card required.