Apple is adding more places for an app’s creative to appear: a large product-page header and assets in App Store search results. Those placements are useful only if you can make the files, keep the versions straight, and get them reviewed before a campaign or release depends on them. The practical change is a new preparation path in App Store Connect: the Asset Library can hold creative assets ahead of use, including standalone submissions for approval.
This is separate from the screenshots and app previews that show your app in use. Apple describes creative assets as optional material for a product’s broader brand or value proposition, with placements for product page headers, search results, and in-app events. The image and video specifications differ by placement, so plan the export set before handing work to design. Apple’s October 5 announcement introduces the placements and library; its creative asset specifications set the production requirements.
Decide which placement needs its own creative
Start with the message and the surface. A product-page header can introduce a brand, seasonal campaign, or major content update at the top of the listing. A search result asset has a smaller discovery context and needs to make sense beside the app name and other search results. Build each composition for the context where it appears. A single “master image” that is cropped differently can lose the subject or key message, especially when the ratios differ.
Apple supports creative images and videos in product-page header and search result placements. A universal creative asset can serve both; otherwise, choose dedicated files for each placement. You can also assign a compatible asset to an in-app event placement. These assets are optional and distinct from app screenshots, app previews, subscription or In-App Purchase images, and promotional artwork requested by Apple’s editorial teams. Apple lists creative assets for iOS and iPadOS apps and games running iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 or later. Do not treat a campaign header as a replacement for a screenshot that demonstrates how the app works.
The existing iPhone Duo layout and screenshot readiness guide covers device screenshots and layout checks. Keep those device-specific deliverables separate from this creative-asset set: the goal here is a product message that can be prepared and managed independently of an app version.
Export to the placement specifications
For images, Apple lists a 21:9 product-page header at 3840 × 1646 pixels, with JPEG, JPG, or PNG files. It also lists a 16:9 option at 5244 × 2950 pixels in PNG. Search-result images support 3:2 from 1920 × 1280 through 3840 × 2560 pixels in JPEG, JPG, or PNG, plus a 16:9 option at 5244 × 2950 pixels in PNG. Images cannot contain alpha channels or transparency. These are placement specifications, not a guarantee that every creative will be accepted; keep the subject and essential content inside the visible crop and check it in the preview tool.
For video, the product-page header uses 21:9 at 3840 × 1646; search results use 3:2 between 1920 × 1280 and 3840 × 2560. Both placements accept 30 or 60 frames per second, clips from 5 to 30 seconds, and MOV, M4V, or MP4 files. Apple’s specifications do not list a maximum file size for these two placements, so do not invent one as an export rule. Videos loop continuously. They are muted by default on both placements; viewers can unmute on the product page, while search-result videos currently cannot be unmuted. Make the visual communicate without depending on audio, especially in search.
Build an export checklist with one row per placement and version. Record whether the creative is universal or dedicated, the source file, aspect ratio, resolution, format, localization, and review status. Keep editable source files and final exports separately. This makes it easier to re-export a corrected crop without losing the approved version or overwriting the asset that is already in review.
Prepare creative before the campaign date
In App Store Connect, the Asset Library is the central place to upload and organize app images and video, including screenshots, previews, and creative assets. It can hold files before you know where they will appear. Apple says creative assets can be submitted as a standalone submission from the library, without updating the app version or specifying a placement. That is the key schedule change: you can send the creative for review before the campaign needs to go live, and the standalone submission is reviewed against the app’s latest version.
The basic path is straightforward. In Apps, choose the app, open Asset Library, choose the add control, select Upload Creative Assets, and upload the prepared files. You can name assets for internal identification, inspect which placements they work with, review recent usage, and filter by type, status, or format. When ready, submit the assets for review. Apple lists Account Holder, Admin, App Manager, and Marketing as roles that can manage these assets, so make sure a teammate with one of those roles owns the upload and review handoff.
An approval in the library is preparation, not publication. Later, select the app version and open the Header and Search Results section. Choose a header or search placement, upload or browse the approved library assets, save the selection, and use Preview to inspect how it appears. The preview tool can show product page and search results across iPhone and iPad, orientations, and languages. When the assets look right, submit the app version for review as usual. Apple says the header and search creative goes live after that version is approved and released.
That distinction matters for a launch calendar. Asset review can happen earlier; placement and release still need a version submission. Track both states rather than marking the campaign “approved” after the library review alone. If a release date moves, approved assets can remain ready in the library; if the creative changes, upload and review the replacement rather than assuming the earlier approval covers a materially different export.
Review the preview as a layout check
Use the preview tool to inspect more than whether the file uploaded. Check the crop, text legibility, contrast, and how the main subject sits beside the app icon, title, and nearby store interface. Review each supported device and orientation shown in the tool, and switch languages if the creative contains localized text. A layout that reads in a design file may become cramped after it is placed in the actual store surface.
Keep the promise consistent across the header, search creative, screenshots, and app page. A broad campaign claim in the header should not imply a feature that the screenshots fail to show. If the search asset is a different crop, verify that it still communicates the same app identity. The AI-built app submission checklist covers the wider review package; this asset workflow is one track within it, not a substitute for testing the app, checking metadata, or preparing review information.
A launch-ready checklist
Before the next campaign, confirm the following:
- Decide whether the product page header and search result need separate creative or can share a universal asset.
- Export image or video files to the current Apple specifications, with no transparency in images and no unlisted size assumptions.
- Keep the source file, final export, placement, localization, and version information together.
- Upload the creative to Asset Library early and submit it as a standalone review when useful.
- Check the asset status and confirm which version Apple reviewed it against.
- Assign the approved asset to the intended placement, then inspect the preview on iPhone and iPad, across orientations and languages.
- Submit the app version for review and verify release timing separately from the asset approval.
This turns creative production into a trackable release task instead of a last-minute upload. The new header and search placements give teams more surfaces to prepare, while the Asset Library provides a way to organize and seek approval for files in advance. Make the exports for the placements you intend to use, review the actual preview, and keep library approval distinct from the version release that puts the placement live.
Sources
- Apple Developer News: Showcase your apps with new assets on the App Store — announcement, preview tool, and Asset Library overview, read October 10, 2026.
- Creative assets specifications — image and video placement requirements, read October 10, 2026.
- Manage your App Store assets — Asset Library workflow, standalone review, roles, preview and release flow, read October 10, 2026.
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