Why the first three get special treatment
When someone searches or browses a store, they compare apps quickly: icon, name, and whatever screenshots are visible without opening your page. How many show depends on the store, the device and whether your screenshots are portrait or landscape, so plan around the first three as the ones that need to stand on their own. On a phone, portrait screenshots at the main iPhone size (1179 × 2556) are narrow, so they end up small. That shapes everything below: short text, one idea each, and a design that still reads when it is shrunk.
Treat the first three as a mini pitch. Together they should answer three questions in order: what is this, why would I want it, and why this one over the others.
Screenshot 1: the promise
The first screenshot should say what the app does for the person, in their words, and show the screen that proves it. It is not the place for your logo, a splash screen or a welcome message.
Do
- A benefit headline of a few words, like "Plan meals in minutes".
- The single most recognisable screen of your app, filled with realistic content.
- Large, high contrast text that still reads at thumbnail size.
- Your brand colours, so the set feels like it belongs to your icon.
Don't
- Your app name as the headline. The store already shows it.
- A login screen, onboarding screen or empty state.
- A sentence that needs two or three lines to read.
- Claims you can't back up, like "#1 app" or invented user numbers.
Screenshot 2: the main proof
The second screenshot shows the core feature in use. If the first one makes a promise, this one shows how the app keeps it. Pick the flow people use most, not the most technically impressive one.
Do
- Show the feature mid-use: a list being sorted, a photo being edited, a route on a map.
- Name the action in the headline: "Scan any receipt", "Track every run".
- Zoom or crop in on the part of the screen that matters, if the full screen is busy.
Don't
- A settings screen or a menu full of options.
- Several features crammed into one screenshot.
- Placeholder data like "Lorem ipsum" or "Test User".
Screenshot 3: the reason to pick yours
By the third screenshot, people know roughly what the app does. Now show what makes yours different: a feature others don't have, a simpler way of doing the job, a privacy promise, or a design choice that matters to your audience.
Do
- One specific difference, stated plainly: "Works fully offline", "No account needed".
- A screen that shows the difference rather than just describing it.
- A layout change from the first two, like a tilted device or two devices side by side, so the set doesn't feel repetitive.
Don't
- Comparisons with named competitors.
- Awards, ratings or press quotes you can't point to.
- A vague line like "Everything you need" that could describe any app.
Make the three work as a set
Each screenshot should make sense on its own, but they should also look like they belong together. A few ways to get there:
- Keep the headline in the same position and size on all three.
- Use one background style across the set, or a background that flows from one screen into the next.
- Use the same device frame and angle family, varied a little.
- Pick one accent colour for key words and use it the same way each time.
A phone that spans the border between two screenshots is a nice trick for the first pair. When people swipe, the two images read as one wide picture, which invites them to keep going.
Test them at thumbnail size
Before you upload, look at the first three at the size people actually see them. A quick way: put them side by side on your screen and zoom out until each one is roughly the width of your thumb. Then ask:
- Can I read every headline without squinting?
- Can I tell what the app does from the first image alone?
- Is there one clear focal point on each, or is the eye pulled in several directions?
- Would someone who has never heard of the app understand screenshot 3?
If the answer to any of these is no, cut words before you cut size. Shorter headlines almost always beat smaller text.
Don't forget the technical side
A great first three is wasted if the upload fails. App Store screenshots must be PNG or JPEG with no alpha channel, at an accepted size for the slot. For an iPhone app, start with iPhone with Dynamic Island, medium (6.1" / 6.3"). On Google Play, phone screenshots need at least 4 at 9:16 or 16:9 and at least 1080 × 1920 in portrait to be eligible for promotion, so plan a fourth that is just as solid as the first three.
Check your files with the free screenshot validator, and see App Store screenshot sizes or Google Play screenshot requirements for every slot.
Where to start
If you are starting from nothing, write the three headlines first, before you open any design tool. Promise, proof, difference. Once those read well as plain text, the design is mostly about getting out of their way. The full process is in how to make App Store screenshots, and the template gallery has layouts for the opening screens if you would rather not start from a blank canvas. You can preview your screens on the 3D device mockups as well.