What shows in App Store search results: screenshots, previews and ratings

This note covers what people see in the result itself, beyond the text fields. Everything below comes from Apple’s developer pages. Apple publishes no figures for how much any of this changes downloads, and we did not find any in the pages we read, so we have none to give.

What appears in the result

Apple’s page on App Store search says an app’s rating and up to three screenshots or app previews may display in search results, depending on the platform and image orientation. The product page guidance is more specific: depending on the orientation of your screenshots, the first one to three images appear in search results when no app preview is available. Apple’s advice is to make sure those highlight the essence of your app.

So the order of your screenshots is a choice with a consequence. In our reading, the first image is the one most likely to be seen by someone who never opens your page.

Screenshots: the limits and Apple’s guidance

• You can feature up to 10 screenshots on the product page. App Store Connect needs at least one, and allows up to 10 per device size, as .jpeg, .jpg or .png, with no alpha channel or transparency.
• To submit, you need at least one iPhone screenshot from a device with Dynamic Island (the medium display), and, if your app supports iPad, one for the 13-inch iPad display.
• If your interface is consistent across device sizes and localizations, you only need the highest required resolution. App Store Connect scales it down for smaller sizes. You can upload tailored screenshots if you prefer.
• Each screenshot after the first should focus on a main benefit or feature, so that together they convey the app’s value.
• Use images captured from your app’s UI. If the app supports Dark Mode, Apple suggests at least one screenshot that shows it.
• App previews are videos of up to 30 seconds, and you can have up to three. They autoplay muted, so the first few seconds should be visually compelling. Apple says screenshots appear in search results “when no app preview is available”, which implies a preview takes that place.

Ratings and reviews

Apple says ratings and reviews appear on your product page and in search results, and can influence how your app ranks. It does not say how much weight they carry, and we found no such figure.

What Apple does give are rules for asking:

• The SKStoreReviewController API lets you prompt for ratings up to three times in a 365-day period.
• Ask when users are most likely to feel satisfied, such as after finishing a task, and do not interrupt what they are doing.
• You can respond to every review in App Store Connect. The reviewer is notified and can update their review. Apple suggests replying promptly after a major release, and, if you cannot answer everything, starting with the lowest ratings and reviews that mention technical problems.
• You can reset the summary rating when you release a new version, but Apple recommends doing it sparingly. Resetting does not remove written reviews.

What an app maker can do this week

1. Open your listing on a phone, search for your own app, and look at what appears in the result. Judge whether the first one to three screenshots would make sense to a stranger.
2. Put the single clearest benefit in screenshot one. Give each later screenshot one benefit.
3. If you ask for ratings, move the prompt to a moment of success and stay inside the limit of three per year.
4. Reply to your lowest-rated recent reviews first.