App Store preview videos: show the app before the download

A store preview is different from an advertising film

An ad may open with an everyday situation and present the app in a freely designed scene. An Apple app preview should show the actual interface and functionality inside the app. A phone mockup or an entirely reanimated interface is not automatically suitable.

Make that distinction before production. Decide whether you need assets for the store, website or ads. A shared product idea can connect the versions, but their requirements and source material differ. Google Play's requirements need separate checks; do not assume an Apple version works in every store.

Choose one complete task

For an event app, the journey might be choosing an event, receiving a ticket and opening it. Each scene leads to the next. A sequence of disconnected screens shows features without establishing what someone achieves with them.

Choose a task relevant to visitors on your store page. Make the app experience recognisable early rather than spending the opening on a long logo sequence. Other previews can cover features that add something new. The illustration below is a planning layout, not footage from an actual app.

Prepare the actual app footage

A stable app version, prepared test account and sensible sample data help. Personal customer data should not appear. Supplied recordings need to show the required steps completely. Missing states or abrupt loading jumps could imply a process the app does not provide.

Apple describes previews as device-specific and allows up to three videos per supported language, each up to 30 seconds long. Check current export requirements for the selected devices. A website video in an arbitrary format is not automatically a suitable file for App Store Connect.

• The app link and platform
• A stable version and chosen task
• A test account with approved sample data
• Real recordings of the required steps
• Target devices, languages and launch date

Use editing and copy to clarify the interaction

A short caption can explain the next step. A highlight can draw attention to an action. Both should make the actual footage clearer rather than inventing a function or response the app does not have.

Apple previews start muted by default, so the main message should work without audio. Check text size and reading time in the actual presentation. Required disclosures for paid features need planning too. The current store requirements remain the basis for the content and delivery.

Plan the poster frame and evaluate the result

A useful poster frame shows a clear product moment when autoplay is off. Choose an understandable app state rather than an empty loading view. Check how the preview works alongside the other images. It should add useful information rather than repeating a message unnecessarily.

A video does not automatically increase downloads. Apple offers product page comparison tools and publishes an example where the page without a preview performed better. What matters is whether the treatment helps your app's visitors. A fixed conversion increase cannot be promised before publication.

Agree on production and delivery

The quote should identify footage preparation or capture, editing, copy, audio and required exports. Multiple devices and languages may add work. Changes to the interface after an app update need checking before a later revision too.

For the first enquiry, send the app link, main task and intended store. Mention existing footage, languages, deadline and budget. I can suggest a sequence and delivery scope. Upload, technical review and store approval are coordinated with the app team; guaranteed acceptance is not part of the production promise.