What is the best screenshot size for Google Play in 2026?

For phone screenshots, 1080 × 1920 pixels in portrait (or 1920 × 1080 in landscape) is the safest choice. It sits inside Google Play's 320 to 3840 pixel range, keeps a 9:16 ratio, and meets the minimum Google requires for apps to be eligible for screenshot-based recommendation formats. Larger exports at the same ratio, such as 1440 × 2560, also work.

Why does Google Play Console reject my screenshot upload?

The most common causes are a PNG with an alpha (transparency) channel, a side shorter than 320 pixels or longer than 3840 pixels, or a long side more than twice the short side, such as an uncropped 1080 × 2400 capture from a tall phone. Export as JPEG or 24-bit PNG and crop or pad the image to 9:16 to fix all three.

Can Google Play screenshots include device frames?

Phone and tablet screenshots can technically include frames, but Google's preview asset guidelines advise against device imagery because it dates quickly and can alienate some users. Wear OS is stricter: screenshots must show only the app interface, with no device frames, extra text, graphics, backgrounds, transparency or masking.

Do Google Play screenshot rules apply to every language?

Yes. Google states that the Metadata policy and its other policies apply to all translations of your store listing. Screenshots uploaded for a localized listing are held to the same rules as the default listing, so a ranking claim or price promotion in a translated screenshot is just as much a problem as one in English.

How many screenshots should I upload to Google Play?

Google allows up to 8 per device type and requires at least 2 to publish. For apps, uploading at least 4 screenshots of 1080 pixels or more is a requirement for eligibility in recommendation formats that use screenshots, so 4 is the practical minimum. Many apps use 5 to 8 to cover their main features.

Google Play Screenshot Requirements and Policies (2026)

Google Play screenshot requirements, in short: JPEG or 24-bit PNG with no alpha channel, each side between 320 and 3,840 pixels, the long side no more than twice the short side, and 2 to 8 screenshots per device type, with at least 2 needed to publish. To be eligible for Google Play's screenshot-based recommendation formats, apps need at least four screenshots of 1080 px or more (1080 × 1920 portrait or 1920 × 1080 landscape).

On top of the technical spec, Google's guidelines and Metadata policy limit what screenshots can say: no ranking or award claims, no price promotions, no calls to action, and nothing that misrepresents the app. This post collects all of it, per device type, with links to the source pages.

Key takeaways

Google Play screenshots must be JPEG or 24-bit PNG without an alpha channel, with each side between 320 px and 3,840 px.
The longest side of a Google Play screenshot can't be more than twice the shortest side, so the most extreme allowed ratio is 2:1.
You can upload up to 8 screenshots per device type, and you need at least 2 screenshots to publish a store listing.
For apps, recommendation formats that use screenshots require at least 4 screenshots at 1080 px or more: 1080 × 1920 portrait or 1920 × 1080 landscape.
Google advises against words like “Best”, “#1”, “Top”, “New”, “Discount”, “Sale” and calls to action like “Download now” in screenshots.

Google Play screenshot requirements at a glance

These come from Google's preview assets help page as of October 2026.

Device type	Size and ratio	Count	Notes
Phone	320–3,840 px per side; long side ≤ 2× short side. 1080 × 1920 (9:16) or 1920 × 1080 (16:9) for recommendation eligibility	Up to 8	At least 2 screenshots needed to publish the listing
Tablet	1,080–7,680 px; 9:16 portrait or 16:9 landscape	Up to 8; Google suggests a minimum of 4	Grouped with Chromebook under Google’s large-screen rules
Chromebook	1,080–7,680 px; 9:16 portrait or 16:9 landscape	Up to 8; Google suggests a minimum of 4	Same large-screen rules as tablets
Wear OS	1:1, minimum 384 × 384 px	At least 1 required	App interface only: no frames, extra text, backgrounds, transparency or masking
Android TV	Standard screenshot rules	At least 1 required	Also needs a 1280 × 720 TV banner; only shown on TV devices
Android XR	8:5; recommended 3840 × 2400, minimum 1920 × 1200; up to 8 MB each	4 to 8 required	PNG or JPEG
Android Automotive OS	Portrait 800 × 1280 and landscape 1024 × 768	At least 2 of each	Required for non-parked categories; recommended for parked

For copy-paste pixel sizes for phones and 7- and 10-inch tablets, our screenshot sizes reference lists them alongside the App Store sizes.

File format: JPEG or 24-bit PNG, no transparency

Every Google Play screenshot, along with the feature graphic and TV banner, must be a JPEG or a 24-bit PNG with no alpha channel. The app icon is the exception: it is a 32-bit PNG with alpha at 512 × 512.

This is the most common upload failure we see. Figma, Sketch and many export scripts produce 32-bit PNGs by default even when nothing is transparent. If Play Console rejects an image that looks fine, check for an alpha channel first. On macOS you can flatten a PNG from the terminal:

# Convert to JPEG (drops alpha) at high quality
sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 90 screenshot.png --out screenshot.jpg

Dimensions and aspect ratio rules

The 320–3,840 px range

The shortest side must be at least 320 px and the longest side at most 3,840 px. In practice, anything you produce for a modern phone clears the minimum easily; the maximum matters if you export at 3× or 4× scale from a design tool.

The 2:1 rule

Google's exact wording is that "the maximum dimension of your screenshot can't be more than twice as long as the minimum dimension." That rules out raw captures from many tall phones. A 1080 × 2400 screenshot is a 20:9 ratio, which is longer than 2:1, so it will be rejected. Crop it, or place it inside a 9:16 marketing frame.

Why 9:16 is still the safe default

The general rule allows anything up to 2:1, but the recommendation-eligibility rules ask specifically for 9:16 portrait (minimum 1080 × 1920) or 16:9 landscape (minimum 1920 × 1080). Designing every phone screenshot at 1080 × 1920 or a larger 9:16 size such as 1440 × 2560 meets both at once.

If you're capturing raw screens from the Android Emulator, our guide to clean simulator and emulator screenshots covers demo mode for a tidy status bar before you frame them.

How many screenshots does Google Play require?

To publish: at least 2 screenshots across your device types.
Maximum: 8 per supported device type (phone, tablet, Chromebook and so on).
For recommendation eligibility (apps): at least 4 screenshots with a minimum resolution of 1080 px, at 9:16 or 16:9.
For recommendation eligibility (games): at least 3 landscape screenshots at 1920 × 1080 or more, or 3 portrait screenshots at 1080 × 1920 or more.
Large screens: Google suggests a minimum of 4 tablet or Chromebook screenshots.

The recommendation rule is the one most teams miss. Google says that some sections of Play show recommended apps and games in a large format using screenshots, and that meeting these guidelines is a requirement to be eligible. Two screenshots is enough to ship; it is not enough to be considered for those slots.

What Google's guidelines say about screenshot content

Beyond pixels, Google's preview asset guidelines describe what good screenshots should and shouldn't contain:

Screenshots must show the actual in-app or in-game experience, focused on core features and content.
Prioritise real UI in the first three screenshots as much as possible.
Taglines should not take up more than 20% of the image.
Avoid small text or busy backgrounds that compete with the text.
Avoid time-sensitive taglines that go out of date quickly.
Don't show people's fingers tapping on the device, unless the core experience happens off-device.
Avoid device imagery, since it dates quickly and can alienate some users.
Don't show Google Play or any other store's badge or icon.
Don't show service providers or notifications, or images that are stretched or compressed.

The 20% tagline limit is the biggest difference from App Store conventions, where large headlines over a framed device are normal. A 1080 × 1920 screenshot gives you roughly a 1080 × 384 band for the headline, which is enough for one bold line of five or six words. Our post on what to put on your first screenshot has headline examples that fit that budget.

Google is clear that not following these guidelines won't block your listing, but it "may result in changes to how your preview assets appear on Google Play or limit promotional opportunities."

What Google Play's Metadata policy forbids in graphics

The Metadata policy is binding, and violations can lead to rejection or removal. It doesn't allow misleading, irrelevant or excessive metadata in "the app's description, developer name, title, icon, screenshots, and promotional images", and asks for screenshots and videos that "reflect your app's actual experience." Its examples of content to keep out of the title, icon and developer name are a useful guide to what reviewers look for, and the preview asset guidelines apply the same list to screenshots:

Category	Examples Google gives	Where it applies
Store performance or ranking	“App of the year”, “#1”, “Best of Play 20XX”, “Popular”, award icons	Policy: title, icon, developer name. Guidelines: screenshots and feature graphic
Price and promotions	“10% off”, “$50 cash back”, “free for limited time only”	Policy: title, icon, developer name. Guidelines: screenshots
Google Play programs	“Editor’s choice”, “New”	Policy: title, icon, developer name
Testimonials	Unattributed or anonymous user testimonials	Policy: description. Guidelines: graphics
Calls to action	“Download now”, “Install now”, “Play now”, “Try now”	Guidelines: screenshots and feature graphic
Misleading content	Features the app doesn’t have, misleading symbols	Policy: all metadata, including screenshots

Two consequences worth spelling out. First, a review quote or award badge on a Play screenshot is far riskier than the same thing on an App Store screenshot. Second, the policy applies to every translation. A "Nº1" in a Spanish screenshot is the same problem as "#1" in English. When you localize screenshots, review the translated taglines for this, not just the English source.

Try it now

Design store-ready screenshots in minutes — free, no export watermarks.

Launch Shots is free to start. Every template (110+), 220+ device frames plus 3D mockups, AI localization, and direct upload to App Store Connect and Google Play Console. No credit card needed.

Start creating free →

How Google Play differs from the App Store

If you're adapting an iOS set, these are the changes to make:

Count: 8 maximum per device type on Play, versus 10 per size on the App Store.
Ratio: Play wants 9:16 for recommendation eligibility; Apple's 6.9-inch size is 1290 × 2796, which is taller than 2:1 allows on Play, so it can't be reused as-is.
Text: keep taglines under 20% of the image.
Frames: Google discourages device imagery, while Apple's marketing guidelines ask you to use its own product bezels when you show Apple devices.
Feature graphic: Play needs a 1024 × 500 graphic as well. See our Google Play feature graphic guide.

Most screenshot tools handle the resizing. Launch Shots exports both stores' sizes from one design, and the Play Store screenshot generator starts from 9:16 Android frames. Whatever you use, re-read the headlines at Play's size rather than trusting the iPhone layout.

Google Play screenshot checklist

JPEG or 24-bit PNG, no alpha channel.
Each side 320–3,840 px; long side no more than 2× short side.
Phone screenshots at 1080 × 1920 (or larger 9:16), at least 4 of them, 8 at most.
Tablet and Chromebook screenshots between 1,080 and 7,680 px at 9:16 or 16:9, if you support large screens.
Wear OS: 1:1, at least 384 × 384, interface only, no frames.
Android TV: at least one screenshot plus the 1280 × 720 banner.
Real UI in the first three screenshots; taglines under 20% of the image.
No “#1”, “Best”, “Top”, “New”, “Sale”, price offers, store badges or “Download now”.
Translated screenshots checked against the same rules.