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Guide

How to take App Store screenshots from the iOS Simulator at the sizes Apple asks for

You do not need a phone to make App Store screenshots. The iOS Simulator in Xcode can capture them at the pixel sizes App Store Connect accepts. This guide shows which simulator gives which size, the commands to capture, how to set a tidy status bar, and what to check before you upload. The sizes come from Apple's Help pages, read on 13 November 2026. The commands and pixel sizes were run on a Mac with Xcode 27.2 on the same day. Apple changes both, so check before you upload.

Which simulator gives which size

Apple asks for at least one screenshot for iPhone with Dynamic Island (medium display), at 1179 x 2556 or 1206 x 2622 pixels in portrait. The large Dynamic Island sizes are 1260 x 2736, 1290 x 2796 and 1320 x 2868. Apple says that if your app looks the same across device sizes, you only need the highest required resolution and App Store Connect scales it down for smaller devices.

We captured one screenshot on each of two simulators with xcrun simctl io, then read the pixel size with sips:

Simulator (iOS 27.2)Pixels we measured, portrait
iPhone 18 Pro1206 x 2622
iPhone 18 Pro Max1320 x 2868

Both match sizes on Apple's page. Run the same check on whichever simulator you use, because device names and sizes change between Xcode versions.

Capture a screenshot

  1. Start a simulator and run your app. List what you have with xcrun simctl list devices available.
  2. Capture the booted simulator:
    xcrun simctl io booted screenshot screenshot.png
  3. Check the size:
    sips -g pixelWidth -g pixelHeight screenshot.png

To save a JPEG instead, add --type=jpeg and use a .jpg name. Both worked in our run.

Set a clean status bar

By default the simulator shows its own clock and battery. You can override them with xcrun simctl status_bar. We ran this command on a booted simulator:

xcrun simctl status_bar booted override --time "9:41" --batteryState charged --batteryLevel 100 --cellularMode active --cellularBars 4 --wifiBars 3 --operatorName ''

xcrun simctl status_bar booted list showed the values were set. When you finish, clear them with xcrun simctl status_bar booted clear. The command also takes --dataNetwork and --wifiMode values; run xcrun simctl help status_bar to see every value.

Before you upload

  1. Check the pixel size of every file with sips. Each file must be one of the sizes on Apple's page.
  2. Check the format. Apple accepts .jpeg, .jpg and .png, and says images can't include alpha channels or transparencies. In our run, sips reported the simulator PNG as having an alpha channel, and the JPEG as having none. If your PNG reports hasAlpha: yes, export a JPEG or re-save the PNG without an alpha channel before you upload.
  3. Count your screenshots. Apple takes 1 to 10 screenshots for each device size.
  4. Look at each image at full size. Check the status bar, any debug banner, and any test text.
  5. Use real screens from your app. Apple's App Review Guideline 2.3.3 covers what screenshots may show.
  6. In App Store Connect, open your app, select the version in the sidebar, and under Product Page Information open the App Previews and Screenshots tab. Pick the device tab, then click Upload or drag the files in.

If you add a device frame or a caption, check the size of the finished image against the same list.

Want the screenshots made for you

Alexandra Swan (ABN 22 415 755 778) makes the App Store kit for your iPhone app at US$199 per app: six framed screenshots with a caption on each, a 15 to 30 second preview video cut from your screen recordings, listing copy and six launch posts, with one round of changes. We make each kit with AI tools around your app's real screens, and you see every piece before it is final. The kit covers iPhone only, so any iPad set stays with you. For the full size list, read App Store screenshot sizes.

See the launch kit page

More guides for app launches

Sources

  • Apple, App Store Connect Help, Screenshot specifications, read 13 November 2026.
  • Apple, App Store Connect Help, Upload app previews and screenshots, read 13 November 2026.
  • Commands run on a Mac with Xcode 27.2 (build 27B52), iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max simulators on iOS 27.2, 13 November 2026: xcrun simctl io, xcrun simctl status_bar, sips.

General information only. Check Apple's pages before you upload.