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Apple App Store — Official Specs & Guidelines

skills/aso-audit/references/apple-specs.md

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Apple App Store — Official Specs & Guidelines

All data from developer.apple.com as of March 2026.

Character Limits

FieldLimitIndexed for Search?Notes
App Name30 chars (min 2)YesMust be unique; no trademarks, competitor names, pricing
Subtitle30 charsYesNo unverifiable claims
Keywords100 bytesYes (hidden)Commas, no spaces between terms
Description4,000 charsNoPlain text only, no HTML
Promotional Text170 charsNo (Apple confirmed)Updatable without new version
What's New4,000 charsNoRequired for all versions after first
IAP Name35 charsYesAppears in search
IAP Description55 charsNo
In-App Event Name30 charsYesTitle case required
In-App Event Short Desc50 charsYesSentence case
In-App Event Long Desc120 charsNoSentence case

Keywords field is 100 bytes, not 100 characters. Non-Latin scripts (Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean) use 2-3 bytes per character, reducing effective keyword count significantly.

Screenshot Specs

DeviceRequired?CountDimensions (portrait)
6.9" iPhoneRequired1-101260 x 2736
13" iPadRequired1-102064 x 2752
MacIf applicable1-10Up to 2880 x 1800 (16:10)
Apple WatchIf applicable1-10Varies by model
Apple TVIf applicable1-101920 x 1080 or 3840 x 2160
Apple Vision ProIf applicable1-103840 x 2160
  • Formats: JPEG, PNG
  • Apple auto-scales from required base sizes to smaller devices

App Preview Video Specs

  • Count: Up to 3 per app
  • Duration: 15-30 seconds
  • Max file size: 500 MB
  • Codecs: H.264 (10-12 Mbps, up to 30fps) or ProRes 422 HQ
  • Audio: Stereo, 256 kbps AAC or PCM, 44.1/48 kHz
  • Formats: .mov, .m4v, .mp4
  • Behavior: Autoplays muted on product page (iOS 11+)

Custom Product Pages (CPPs)

  • Max: 70 additional pages (plus 1 default)
  • Customizable: Screenshots, promotional text, app previews, deep links (iOS 18+)
  • Keywords: Each keyword combo must be unique to a single CPP
  • Review: Submitted to App Review independently of app updates
  • Organic search: CPPs appear in organic search results since July 2025
  • Performance: +2.5 percentage points higher conversion on average vs default

Product Page Optimization (A/B Testing)

  • Treatments: Up to 3 vs original
  • Testable: App icons, screenshots, app preview videos
  • NOT testable: Title, subtitle, description, keywords
  • Concurrent tests: 1 per app
  • Max duration: 90 days
  • Icon constraint: All icon variants must be in the published app binary
  • Confidence: Apple recommends 90% threshold (Bayesian method)
  • Cannot modify a test once started

In-App Events

  • Max approved: 15 in App Store Connect at once
  • Max published: 10 on App Store simultaneously
  • Max duration: 31 days per event
  • Pre-event promotion: Up to 14 days before start
  • Badge types: Challenge, Competition, Live Event, Major Update, New Season, Premiere, Special Event

Event card image: 16:9, min 1920x1080, max 3840x2160 Event details image: 9:16, min 1080x1920, max 2160x3840

Not suitable: Repetitive daily tasks, price promotions without new content, general awareness campaigns.

Ratings & Reviews

  • SKStoreReviewController: Max 3 prompts per 365-day period
  • System controls display frequency (may show fewer than 3)
  • Do not use custom buttons to request reviews
  • Developers can respond to all reviews in App Store Connect
  • Summary rating is territory-specific

Metadata Rejection Triggers (App Review Guidelines)

GuidelineRejection Trigger
2.3.1Hidden features, misleading marketing, false pricing
2.3.2Not disclosing IAPs in description/screenshots
2.3.3Screenshots that don't show app in use (only splash/login)
2.3.4Preview videos using non-app content
2.3.5Wrong category selected
2.3.7Keyword stuffing: trademarks, competitor names, pricing, irrelevant terms
2.3.8Metadata not appropriate for all audiences (must be 4+ rated)
2.3.10Other platform names/imagery (Android, etc.) in metadata
2.3.12Generic What's New for significant changes
2.3.13Inaccurate in-app event metadata

Sources: developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page/, developer.apple.com/app-store/search/, developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/