Apple's developer news post says that "Starting April 2027, any apps or games submitted will need to include screenshots for iPhone Duo." Apple's App Store Connect screenshot specifications page says that "Starting in April 2027, screenshots will be required for any app using the iOS 27.1 SDK or later."
Both sentences are live on developer.apple.com, and Apple has not clarified which scope applies. It decides which teams book design time before April and which can wait.
The conflict is a scheduling problem, not a documentation puzzle: two calendars, and every team is already on one.
What each scope covers
Read the news post literally and the trigger is submission. Any app or game submitted on or after 1 April 2027 needs iPhone Duo screenshots: new apps, feature releases, bug-fix builds, metadata updates. The SDK does not matter: a team staying on the iOS 26 SDK is covered.
Read the specifications page literally and the trigger is the build's SDK. Only an app using the iOS 27.1 SDK or later needs Duo screenshots. A team shipping from an older SDK is outside it, even after April 2027; a team that upgrades for an unrelated reason is inside.
The overlap: a build made with the iOS 27.1 SDK submitted on or after 1 April 2027 requires the screenshots under both pages. The disagreement only matters for builds using an older SDK.
| Team situation after 1 April 2027 | News post | Specifications page |
|---|---|---|
| Submits a build using iOS 27.1 SDK or later | Required | Required |
| Submits a build using an older SDK | Required | Not required |
| No App Store submission at all | Not triggered | Not triggered |
| Submitted before April, updates later | Required for that submission | Depends on that build's SDK |
The third row is not a loophole: the first bug fix that needs a submission puts the app back in scope.
Who is actually exposed
The ambiguous group is larger than it sounds: most teams do not ship every release on the newest SDK.
Consumer apps on a monthly cadence. If the release train uses the iOS 27.1 SDK, nothing to interpret: required under either page. Add the capture to the SDK-upgrade release.
Maintenance-mode apps. The disputed cell. A team that last touched Xcode a year ago and ships two fixes a year may be covered by the news post and outside the specifications page. The cost of being wrong is asymmetric: one capture session versus a submission problem in April. Treat it as exposed until Apple says otherwise.
New apps launching after April. Starting on the iOS 27.1 SDK is covered under both readings; starting on an older SDK to dodge the work lands in the disputed cell.
Agencies and studios. The risk is portfolio drift: one client on the newest SDK, another on an older one, a third with no release. Record SDK and next submission date per app.
B2B and enterprise apps. If users get the app through App Store submission, the rule applies whether the audience is consumers or employees.
Apps with no release planned. Record the decision and date. "No submission after March 2027" is valid, but write it down.
The calendar to put on the wall
These dates are a planning recommendation, not Apple policy. The only fixed date is April 2027.
By 30 November 2026: inventory. For every app you own or manage, record the current SDK, the next planned submission, the release owner, and whether that submission could slip past March 2027. This shows how many apps are in the disputed cell.
By 31 December 2026: capture and upload the four Duo images for every app with a submission after March 2027. The sizes are 1398 × 2034 and 2034 × 1398 for the outer display, and 2007 × 2853 and 2853 × 2007 for the inner display. Uploading early satisfies the broad reading and tests whether App Store Connect treats the slots as required or optional.
January 2027: dry run. Open the upload flow for a real build and save a dated note on whether the Duo slots are required or optional. That is first-party evidence of how the system behaves. Freeze the source files and localized versions this month.
March 2027: use the last comfortable window. If a release must be live before the rule takes effect, submit with enough buffer that a rejection does not push it into April. Do not plan a 31 March submission.
1 April 2027: the gate applies. From here, every submission needs a documented answer: are the four Duo images attached, or do we have a written Apple answer saying they are not needed?
If Apple clarifies earlier: revise the inventory within a week, not a quarter. Teams that captured already lose nothing.
Six actions that are correct under either reading
Add the four Duo screenshots to every app with a submission after March 2027, even if it stays on an older SDK. Under the broad reading this is the requirement. Under the narrow reading the set is accepted and triggers the Duo badge. One capture pass, not an SDK migration.
Do not upgrade to the iOS 27.1 SDK just for this deadline. Staying on your current SDK keeps the narrow reading satisfied, and the screenshots cover the broad reading. If a 27.1 upgrade is already planned, attach the screenshots to that release.
Keep an SDK ledger per release train. Record the SDK used for every submission, not just the app's nominal minimum. It tells you whether the narrow scope applies and is the first thing anyone will ask for if review behaves unexpectedly.
Run a dated dry run in App Store Connect. Capture the upload screen for a real build, note whether the Duo slots are required or optional, and store the build number with the date.
Name one owner and one source of truth for screenshot assets. In a studio, that means a per-client tracker, not a shared folder. In a small team, it means one person who can answer "which build produced this image set?"
Put a gate in the release checklist. For every submission on or after 1 April 2027, require the four images or a written Apple answer, plus the SDK used. A checklist line survives staff changes; a Slack thread does not.
Why the title says "who can install"
Screenshots are usually a conversion asset. In April 2027 they may also become an upstream gate. If a submission cannot proceed without a required asset, the install funnel does not get worse; it stops. The question becomes which builds may reach the store.
Neither page says how review will behave, and this article does not predict an approval rate. Under either scope, some teams have work to do before April, and the disputed group is the one most likely to postpone it.
Apple has not clarified which scope applies. Until it does, use the stricter schedule: inventory now, capture before year-end, dry-run in January, and keep the evidence with the release ticket.
A checklist for handling App Store submission requirements is here: https://hhfa008.github.io/personal/app-store-rescue.html
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