How to Take iPhone Screenshots for the App Store
Raw iPhone screenshots are rarely upload-ready. Here is how to capture them correctly — the right device, the right content state, the right way to handle the status bar — before you frame and design them.
There is a distinction that confuses many developers when they first go through the app store submission process: the difference between a raw screenshot (what your iPhone captures when you press the side button + volume up) and an App Store screenshot (what users see in search results and on your product page). The raw capture is a starting point. The App Store screenshot is a designed, captioned, framed marketing asset built from it.
This guide covers the raw capture step — how to take the source screenshots you will use to build your final App Store assets.
Which device to use
App Store Connect requires screenshots at specific resolutions for each device category. You do not need to submit screenshots for every device — Apple covers most devices with two required sizes:
- 6.9" display (iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16 Plus) — 1320 × 2868 px. Required for the 6.9" slot, which also covers all smaller iPhones.
- 5.5" display (iPhone 8 Plus) — 1242 × 2208 px. Some developers still submit this for legacy coverage, though it is optional if you submit 6.9".
In practice: take your raw screenshots on an iPhone 16 Pro Max (or any 6.9" device) and you will have the highest-resolution source material. If you do not own a 6.9" device, use Xcode Simulator — the iOS Simulator can capture screenshots at device-accurate resolution without needing physical hardware.
Use Simulator for repeatable captures
Xcode Simulator (Product → Screenshot, or Cmd+S) saves screenshots at native resolution directly to your Desktop. It is more consistent than a physical device and works even if you do not own the target hardware.
Preparing your app for capture
The content your app shows in the screenshots matters as much as the design around it. Screenshots should show the app at its best — not the empty state a new user sees on first launch.
- Load realistic demo content: for a notes app, fill it with real-looking notes. For a fitness app, populate with a completed workout history. For a finance app, use plausible (but fake) account data. Empty states or placeholder "Lorem ipsum" text look unfinished.
- Show the app at peak state: if your app has a premium or unlocked state, screenshot that. Do not show a paywall or an upsell prompt.
- Turn off notifications: dismiss any notification banners, badges, or alert dialogs before capturing.
- Log out of non-representative accounts: if you are using a test account with debugging data or obvious test usernames, clean it up first.
The status bar problem
The iOS status bar (the top strip showing time, battery, and signal) is included in every screenshot by default. This causes two problems:
- 1It shows your real battery level and time — a screenshot taken at 2:47 AM with 23% battery looks unprofessional and distracts from the app UI.
- 2It varies between devices — the Dynamic Island on newer iPhones versus the notch on older models creates visual inconsistency across your screenshot set.
Solutions:
- Use the iOS Demo Mode (Settings → Developer → Status Bar → Enable UI Automator) — this sets the time to 9:41 AM (Apple's iconic time), shows full battery, and clears carrier info. This is the cleanest approach.
- Crop the status bar and replace it in your design tool with a clean template status bar.
- Use a phone mockup frame that covers the status bar entirely — many screen mockup templates cover this area with the device bezel.
Taking the screenshot
On a physical device: press the Side button + Volume Up simultaneously. The screen flashes and a thumbnail appears in the corner — tap it to annotate or dismiss it.
In Xcode Simulator: Cmd+S saves a screenshot directly to your Desktop at the simulator's native resolution. This is often the better workflow because it is silent, consistent, and produces files named by device and timestamp.
For each screen you want to showcase, plan the exact tap sequence to get there, capture it, then reset and repeat. A systematic capture session might take 20–30 minutes for 5–6 source screens.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Capturing in portrait when your app is landscape (or vice versa) — App Store Connect has separate screenshot slots for portrait and landscape. Submit each in its correct orientation.
- Inconsistent device frames — if you are mixing screenshots from an iPhone 15 (notch) and iPhone 16 (Dynamic Island), the top of the screen looks different. Stick to one device per screenshot set.
- Dark mode / light mode mismatch — decide early whether your screenshots will be dark or light mode. Mixing modes in one screenshot set looks inconsistent unless you are intentionally showcasing both.
- Screenshots at wrong scale — if you screenshot a Simulator running at 50% zoom, the exported image may not be at native resolution. Always check the saved file dimensions.
What to do with raw captures
Raw captures are the source material — not the finished product. From here, the typical workflow is:
- 1Import the raw screenshots into a screenshot design tool.
- 2Apply a device mockup frame (iPhone frame, or frameless depending on your design style).
- 3Add caption text, background color or gradient, and any decorative elements.
- 4Export at the required App Store dimensions.
- 5Localize the captions into your target languages.
Boom Screens handles steps 2–5 in a single workflow: import your raw screenshots, design the frame and captions once, then localize into 80+ languages and export a native-resolution ZIP for every device size and every language — organized exactly as App Store Connect expects.
Turn raw captures into App Store screenshots
Import your iPhone screenshots into Boom Screens, add a caption and device frame, and export native-resolution screenshots for every App Store device size. Free to start.