The App Store has changed drastically with the release of the new iOS 11 and iPhone X. From how apps appear on the search page, to the difference between landscape and portrait modes – there’s a lot to know. As a mobile marketing agency that works with top brands, we’ve got you covered. Read on to learn about recent changes to effectively promote your app.

Screenshot Design Space

You can choose whether a screenshot of the app appears in portrait or landscape mode. Portrait mode is the classic option for most apps on iOS 10. Before iOS 11, users could only see 2 screenshots in the search page. Now users can see 3 screenshots, changing everything. How is that? Since more screens are displayed, each individual screen will be smaller. So before you could read captions clearly, now you have to use 25% larger font. With portrait mode, your 3 screenshots are the most important because they are the ones the user sees immediately. iOS 11 has also brought some changes to the landscape mode option. Compared to portrait mode where the user sees 3 screenshots, in landscape mode the user only sees the first one. However, that one horizontal screenshot has the potential to blow users away. Here’s how: After a user searches for something in the store, they’ll see a list of apps that match their search criteria. Based on our research, about 70% of users will download the app directly from the search results page. They won’t click to see the app’s page. They will make quick decisions based on what shows up on the search page: first screenshots, titles, subtitles, ratings, and logos. The remaining 30% will actually click to view the app’s page and learn more. Of the 30% who go to an app’s page, 50% will download it or leave immediately. Therefore 85% of users will make a decision based on the first horizontal screenshot.

This is why it is important to give users a good first impression of your app.

Landscapes provide 3x more space

You read that right. You can benefit from 3x more space by using screenshots horizontally. How are you asking? Well, whether you choose portrait or landscape mode, you only enjoy 5 screens. But because a landscape is larger than a portrait-sized picture, you can tell your story with more space. One of our strategies for capturing user attention is to divide each of the 5 screenshots into 3. This way you basically have 15 vertical images, which look like 3 landscape images. . We maximize the spatial landscape with this clever illusion. The uniqueness captures the attention of the users in the store and gives our customers amazing results.

Combine elements: regular iPhone screenshot + iPad video

Since Apple prefers video, it will always put your video as the first screenshot, regardless of size. It’s important to keep in mind when combining elements like iPad video and iOS 11 screenshots. Since iOS 11 screenshots are smaller than before, and iPad videos are larger than usual, the first screenshot is (video) will look much larger than the rest of the photos. Because of the size difference, it all ends up looking out. This may sound like a problem at first, but it can really benefit you. Because it looks different and “wrong” aesthetically, it catches the eye of the user and grabs their attention. So if the performance of your app is as important to you as branding (and perhaps more), then this could be a great opportunity.

Combine elements: vertical screenshot + landscape video

The same is true when combining vertical screenshots with landscape videos. The video will be displayed first in the search page, but when clicking on the application’s page, the video will be displayed under the title “look closer”, below screen shots. It’s an aesthetic behavior that gives the app the best of both worlds. In the search page, you can bold and show the user an eye-catching, landscape video. Then, in the app’s page itself, the user can view the vertical screenshot for discovery. They will be encouraged to scroll through the screens, which will drive more interactions in the store.

iPhone X Creative Design

Screen size

When optimizing elements of the App Store for iPhone X, there are many things to consider. For starters, the iPhone X’s screen is taller, which is important to keep in mind when designing your screenshots. This is the first time Apple has launched a new device, and it’s not mandatory for marketers to upload resized screenshots. In iPhone X screenshot, you have to show your app in iPhone X device, if you choose to show real device in screenshot. This means it’s not just a different resolution for your screenshots, but the way you present the app really needs to be done by the iPhone X. It also means because the device is taller and thinner so you need to modify the text to fit the screen. new size. Our next points will discuss why it is better to optimize your existing screenshots than to update them to iPhone X.

Portrait mode in App Store search page

When thinking about the app’s appearance in the search results page on the iPhone X, it’s important to note that the vertical screenshot appears much smaller. Screenshots are thinner, taller, and narrower than older iPhone models. You have less space to convey your message and tell your story. Therefore, you need to use a much larger font size for any text. Screenshots on older iPhone models are more proportional and fit better in a given space.

Horizontal screenshot in App Store search page

Just like portrait screenshots, landscape screenshots also appear smaller in iPhone X. Horizontal screenshots are shorter, leaving marketers with less space to present their stories. As a reseller with many years of experience in this field, we use landscape screenshots since the release of iOS 11, but do not necessarily recommend optimizing them for iPhone X. From tests AB initially, we did not find that the new iPhone X screenshot size conversion better.

Vertical screenshot in app page

Now let’s explore the actual app page, after the user clicks on it in the search results page. The vertical screenshot doesn’t fit the screen. They are cropped, forcing the user to scroll down to see the full image. It’s as if the bottom of the image doesn’t matter, because without extra effort it wouldn’t be seen by anyone. Imagine placing your logo or call to action in the bottom right corner of each screenshot. It will never be seen because the user rarely scrolls down.

Horizontal screenshot in app page

Horizontal screenshots are similar to vertical ones in a real app page, in that they are smaller. You lose about ⅙ of the screen. Shorter screens mean less space, less space means fewer opportunities to capture and capture the user’s attention.

iPhone X screenshot combined with regular video

As mentioned before, promotional videos are very important. Because they start playing automatically (mute), they do an amazing job of capturing the user’s attention. They cause users to convert, especially when the video is in landscape mode. When combining a vertical video, made for older iPhones, with iPhone X screenshots, it often looks mismatched. The video will keep its original size, while the screenshot will be significantly smaller. To avoid that, we recommend optimizing all your elements, including video. We recommend optimizing all your elements, including video, but of course, this takes time and money.

iPhone X screenshot combined with iPad video

Since Apple automatically combines elements, such as iPhone X screenshots with iPad videos, you don’t have many options. If you optimize for iPhone X and have an iPad version video, that video will look mismatched in iPhone X. Your only options are to remove the video from the iPad version entirely or recreate the video for iPhone X.

iOS 11 Screenshots – Best Practice Conclusion

Apparently, the release of iOS 11 and iPhone X changed a lot in the App Store. We definitely recommend optimizing your app and its elements for iOS 11. We also recommend optimizing your app itself for iPhone X, since you don’t want to give it to people. My user experience is bad. If you want to optimize your App Store screenshots for iPhone X, make sure to AB test before streaming as it can currently hinder your conversion rate.