On October 5, Apple turned on something in App Store Connect that was announced at WWDC and changes how an app looks on the store: creative assets for the product page header and for search results, an Asset Library to organize them, and a preview to see the result before you submit.
This is a two-part series:
- Part 1 (this one): creative assets and the Asset Library.
- Part 2 (tomorrow): screenshots in 2026, with the new App Review guidance and what iPhone Duo requires.
What creative assets are
They’re images or videos that add to what you already had on your page: they don’t replace screenshots or app previews. There are two placements:
- Product page header. It’s the first thing someone sees when they open your app on the App Store, a wide banner at the very top.
- Search results asset. It’s what shows next to your app when it comes up in a search. If you don’t upload one, the App Store shows what it always has: In-App Events, app previews, or screenshots.
Creative assets also show up when the App Store features your app, and you can use them in custom product pages, Product Page Optimization tests, and In-App Events.
Three important points:
- They’re optional. Your app keeps working on the store without them.
- They only show on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 or later. They don’t appear on earlier versions.
- For now they’re for iPhone and iPad. Apps on other platforms don’t have these placements.
Specs
Images
| Placement | Aspect ratio | Resolution | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Header | 21:9 | 3840 × 1646 px | .jpeg, .jpg, .png |
| Search results | 3:2 | 1920 × 1280 to 3840 × 2560 px | .jpeg, .jpg, .png |
| Universal (both) | 16:9 | 5244 × 2950 px | .png |
Images can’t have transparency (an alpha channel).
Videos
| Placement | Aspect ratio | Resolution | Length | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Header | 21:9 | 3840 × 1646 px | 5 to 30 s | Muted by default; people can turn sound on |
| Search results | 3:2 | 1920 × 1280 to 3840 × 2560 px | 5 to 30 s | Muted, and sound can’t be turned on |
Videos run at 30 or 60 fps, as .mov, .m4v, or .mp4, and play on a loop.
The universal asset
If you only want to prepare one asset, make it universal: a 16:9 PNG at 5244 × 2950 px that works for both the header and search. In App Store Connect, the Use header asset in search results option only appears when the header asset is universal. Otherwise, each placement needs its own asset.
Design rules
Apple published best practices for these assets. The most important points:
What can’t appear:
- Prices, discounts, URLs, or the copyright symbol.
- Logos or mentions of other platforms or stores.
- Awards you haven’t won, and not Apple’s recognitions either, even if you have them: Editor’s Choice, App of the Day, Game of the Day, or Apple Design Award.
- Content above 4+: assets must be suitable for 4+ even if your app has a higher rating. Games can show action, but no gore and no weapons pointed at a person or at the viewer.
The header: one clear idea. A cluttered asset loses impact. Design it for someone seeing your app for the first time.
The search asset: make it obvious at a glance what the app is for, and show the real experience: the interface, the content, or the gameplay.
For both:
- Keep the important parts in the center. The asset gets cropped differently depending on the device and orientation, and anything near the edges can get lost.
- If you use text, keep it to a short phrase that supports the image rather than describing it.
- Localize the assets for every language your app supports.
For videos: pick a poster frame that works on its own, open with the most compelling part, avoid quick cuts, make sure the loop has no visible jump, and design for watching without sound.
Official templates
Apple published templates on the asset best practices page:
| Tool | Templates |
|---|---|
| Photoshop | Header, search, and universal |
| Pixelmator | Header, search, and universal |
| Figma | Universal |
| Sketch | Universal |
The Asset Library
It’s a new section inside each app in App Store Connect: Apps → your app → Asset Library, in the sidebar. It brings creative assets, screenshots, and app previews together in one place.
The Account Holder, Admin, App Manager, and Marketing roles can use it.
Uploading and organizing
- Open Asset Library and click the + button.
- Choose Upload Creative Assets or Upload Previews and Screenshots.
- Select the files and click Upload.
Each asset has a name that only you see inside App Store Connect, and you can filter the library by type, status, and format. When you open an asset, you can see which placements it works in (Works With) and where it was last used (Recent Usage).
To clean up the library there are two options:
- Delete, only if the asset is still Prepared for Submission, meaning it was never sent for review.
- Archive, for everything else. An archived asset can’t be added to new placements, but you can unarchive it later.
One detail: a video’s poster frame can’t be changed once the asset is approved. Check it before submitting.
Getting approval without a new version
This is the most useful part of the change. Before, changing your page’s visuals almost always went along with a new version of the app. Now you can:
- Upload an asset to the Asset Library and submit it for review on its own, with no new build or version. Apple reviews it against your app’s latest version.
- Wait for approval, even if you’re not using it yet. For example, a header for a seasonal campaign you’re preparing weeks in advance.
- When the time comes, open the version that’s live on the store, go to Product Page Information → Header and Search Results, click Browse Assets, pick the approved asset, and click Publish.
The page updates without submitting a new version.
If instead you add the asset to a new version you haven’t released yet, it shows on the store once that version is approved and released.
Removing an asset from a placement doesn’t delete it: it stays in the library for later.
The preview
Before submitting, you can see how the header, search result, screenshots, and the rest of the page information look on iPhone and iPad, in both orientations, in each language, and in Dark Mode. If your asset has something important near the edges, this is where you’ll notice.
Automating
If you already upload your screenshots with scripts or the App Store Connect API, there are new endpoints for the Asset Library. They’re documented in App Asset Library.
Where to start
If you want to adopt this week:
- Confirm your account has one of the roles with access.
- Download the universal template and prepare a single 16:9 asset that works for both placements.
- Check it follows the rules: no prices, suitable for 4+, important parts in the center.
- Upload it to the Asset Library, look at it in the preview on iPhone and iPad, and submit it for review.
- Once it’s approved, publish it on the version you already have on the store.
Tomorrow, in part 2, it’s time for what’s still required: screenshots. There’s new App Review guidance on what they must show, and iPhone Duo brings new sizes and a deadline in April 2027.