App preview video

A preview gives motion to your listing: instead of inferring the experience from screenshots, the user watches it. Apple’s format is deliberately tight — you can add up to three app previews per localization, each 15 to 30 seconds, and Apple requires them to be actual screen captures recorded on the device, not filmed footage of someone holding a phone or staged scenes. Google Play takes a looser approach: the promo video is supplied as a YouTube link, which permits longer, more produced content. The shared point is that the preview is there to convert — to show the core value in action — not to rank, since it isn’t indexed for search.

Because the formats differ, plan a short, device-captured cut for the App Store and (optionally) a longer YouTube promo for Google Play, rather than reusing one identical video.

• Apple: up to 3 previews/localization, 15–30 s, device screen-capture only.
• Google Play: promo video as a YouTube link (longer-form allowed).
• Conversion asset, not search-indexed.

Open with the payoff. Most viewers don’t watch to the end, so the first few seconds must show the single most compelling thing the app does — the outcome, not a slow menu tour. Keep it focused on one core value, show real in-app interactions, and make it understandable with the sound off (many users watch muted), using captions where helpful. Localize the preview for major markets — the UI shown, any text, and audio — so it reads as native. And keep it honest: a preview that shows features or speed the app doesn’t deliver leads to refunds and bad reviews.

Treat the preview as a complement to strong screenshots, not a replacement — the icon and first screenshot still do the heaviest first-impression work.

• Lead with the payoff in the first seconds; most viewers don’t finish.
• Show real interactions, work sound-off, localize for major markets.
• Keep claims honest — over-promising drives refunds and one-star reviews.