App Store preview videos: Apple's rules, and what to make instead
An App Store app preview is a specific thing with specific rules. Before you make one, it's worth knowing what Apple allows, because it rules out most promotional videos.
Apple's requirements
- Up to 30 seconds per preview, and up to three previews for each language your app supports (Apple Developer).
- Footage captured on the device. Previews show your app's features, functionality and interface, using only content from within the app. Apple asks you not to film people using the device (Apple Developer).
- Muted by default. Previews play without sound at first, so Apple suggests on-screen text for context (Apple Developer).
- No prices, since they vary by region, and disclose in-app purchases, subscriptions or login requirements (Apple Developer).
What that means for your video
Because previews must be captured in the app, a designed promo video, including one made with Teasr, isn't an App Store preview. Record the preview on the device, following Apple's rules.
Use a motion graphics video everywhere else: your website, your launch posts, social ads and your Google Play listing, where the video is a YouTube link (Play Console Help).
A simple set for an app launch
- App Store: a 15 to 30-second preview captured on the device.
- Website and social: a 30-second motion video that shows what the app does and why it's different. Teasr makes one from your app's website in about 10 minutes, from €39.
- Google Play: the same video on YouTube, front-loaded, since only the first 30 seconds autoplay (Play Console Help).
Your product video, made from your website in minutes.Make my video