How to Fix Rejected App Store Screenshots

Find out whether the file or the listing was rejected

Record the store, the affected screenshot and device or listing slot, and the message’s exact wording. Note when the problem appeared: an upload error points you toward the file, while a review objection may concern what the image communicates. Do not assume every rejected submission is a screenshot problem; the store’s feedback may identify something else.

For an Apple review rejection, open the submission’s unresolved issue in App Store Connect and read the App Review message; Apple says it contains information about the reason and provides a way to correspond with review. For a Google Play policy rejection, check the app’s Policy status in Play Console for the active enforcement and available details. If the reason remains unclear, use the available review correspondence rather than guessing which image to replace.

If upload fails, inspect the exported image

Inspect the finished file—not just the design canvas. Check its actual format, pixel dimensions and whether it contains an alpha channel. Then compare those properties with the destination slot’s current rules. A correctly sized source design does not help if the final export has different dimensions or retains transparency.

• For App Store Connect, Apple accepts JPEG, JPG and PNG screenshots, but not images with an alpha channel or transparency. Its accepted pixel sizes vary by display slot. If the format or alpha channel is wrong, export a new opaque file; if the dimensions are wrong, export at an accepted size for the slot you are filling.
• For Google Play screenshots, use JPEG or 24-bit PNG without alpha. Google sets a 320-pixel minimum dimension, a 3840-pixel maximum dimension, and a limit of twice the shorter dimension for the longer one. Check all three conditions before exporting again; merely changing the filename extension will not change the image data.

If review objects, check what the image promises

Look at the pictured interface and every caption or overlay. Can a reviewer find the depicted screen and use the feature the words promise in the submitted app? Google Play says listing screenshots and images should accurately reflect app functionality and warns that a mismatch between a listing promise and the app may lead to rejection. If the claim is wrong, remove or narrow it and show an app state that supports the revised wording. Changing resolution alone will leave the objection intact.

A new screenshot kit can make a text or visual revision easier to manage, but treat its output as a draft to inspect. Check the final image against the actual app and the destination’s file rules. If the review message instead identifies a problem in the app itself, changing the artwork is not the remedy.

Apply the right fix, then recheck the replacement

Consider this fictional two-store case. The developer has an iPhone screenshot with a transparent PNG background and an Android screenshot captioned “Automatic bank sync,” although the app only supports manual entry. These are illustrative problems, not quoted store messages.

Confirm the correction before submitting again

After replacing the affected file, inspect it in its intended device and language slot. Make sure the old image is gone, the new one is legible, and its text still agrees with the app. In App Store Connect, Apple documents uploading screenshots to the appropriate well and using Media Manager for other device sizes and localizations. If Apple rejected the submission for a metadata issue, it says you can resolve the issue and resubmit the same build. If the app has already been approved, Apple says updating screenshots requires a new version.

For Google Play, check the corrected asset in the listing before submitting the update for review. Google advises fixing the identified issue and submitting an updated version after rejection; its Policy status page warns against republishing a rejected or removed app before a policy violation is fixed. Recheck the specific objection, not just whether the new file uploads.