# How to make App Store screenshots on your iPhone, step by step (no Mac, no designer)

> Capture clean screens, pick a layout, add device frames and captions, export the right sizes and pass Apple's upload checks, all from an iPhone.

Published 2026-11-02 by ODEL.

Yes, you can make a full set of App Store screenshots on an iPhone. Take clean screenshots of your app, put them into a screenshot editor app that adds device frames and captions, keep one layout across the set, and export PNG or JPEG files at the sizes App Store Connect accepts. Then upload them in App Store Connect, which also works in a browser on any device. Here is the process in order.

## 1. Plan the story before you capture

Store visitors often see only the first two or three screenshots, so decide what each one says before touching the app. A simple plan for 5 to 8 screens:

1. The main result your app gives (not the onboarding).
2. The core action, shown in use.
3. Two or three supporting features.
4. Something that builds trust, such as privacy or offline use, if true.

Write one short caption per screen, ideally under six words, in the words your users search with.

## 2. Capture clean screenshots

Use the largest iPhone you have and fill the app with realistic demo content: no empty lists, no "Test User", no debug banners. On an iPhone with Face ID, press the side button and the volume up button at the same time to take a screenshot ([Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102616)). Set the status bar to look tidy: full battery or close to it, no notifications.

If you don't have a large iPhone, the iOS Simulator in Xcode can capture screenshots at any device size, but that needs a Mac.

## 3. Choose one layout for the whole set

Consistency is what makes a set look professional. Pick one layout (caption on top and device below is the most common) and one background style, and use them for every screen. Mixing layouts makes the set look like separate ads.

## 4. Add device frames and captions

Place each screenshot in a device frame, add the caption, and use the same font, size and colors on every screen. Check readability at small size: captions should be legible when the image is a thumbnail in search results.

## 5. Export at sizes Apple accepts

Apple's [screenshot specifications](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/app-information/screenshot-specifications/) list the exact pixel sizes. For large iPhones, accepted portrait sizes include 1320 x 2868, 1290 x 2796 and 1260 x 2736 (Dynamic Island) and 1284 x 2778 or 1242 x 2688 (Face ID). Files must be .jpeg, .jpg or .png, with no transparency or alpha channel, and you can upload up to 10 per device size. Our [screenshot size cheat sheet](/blog/app-store-and-google-play-screenshot-sizes) covers iPad and Google Play too.

## 6. Upload and review

In App Store Connect, open your app version, scroll to the screenshots section for each device size and drag the files in. Look at the result on a real phone in the App Store once it is live, and replace the weakest screen in your next update.

## Tools that work on an iPhone

- **Canva** has an iPhone app with templates and drag-and-drop, but reviewers note it has no store-specific size checks, so you set up each size yourself ([gainframe](https://gainframe.app/blog/best-app-store-screenshot-tools/)).
- **Store Screenshot Maker** adds device frames on iPhone, iPad and Mac and exports at App Store sizes ([App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1483390752)).
- **Appalize Shots**, which we make, is described below.

If you have a computer, web tools such as AppScreens and AppLaunchpad add localization and, for AppScreens, direct upload. See [AppScreens alternatives](/best/appscreens-alternatives) and [the best App Store screenshot makers](/best/app-store-screenshot-makers) for a fuller comparison.

## Where Appalize Shots fits

[Appalize Shots](/app/appalize-shots) is a mobile app for designing App Store and Google Play screenshots on your device. You pick one of six editable layouts, add your screenshots, device frames and captions, and adjust typography, colors and cropping. Multi-screen editing changes the set together, with undo and redo, and you export full-resolution PNGs, a multi-size ZIP or an editable backup to continue later. There is no account, and your screenshots stay on the device.

Its limits: it does not translate captions and does not upload to App Store Connect or Google Play, so you upload the exported files yourself. It is a new app with no ratings yet.

## Checklist

- Story planned, one caption per screen
- Clean captures with realistic demo data
- One layout, one font, one color set
- Exports at an accepted size, no transparency
- Up to 10 per device size, strongest first