App Store screenshots are one of the most important factors in your app's conversion rate. They are the first thing potential users see on your App Store listing, and they directly influence whether someone taps "Get" or keeps scrolling.
And yet, managing screenshots in App Store Connect is one of the most painful tasks in the entire app development workflow.
Between device sizes, localizations, and the limitations of a browser-based upload interface, what should be a simple "upload some images" task turns into an hour-long ordeal. Let's talk about why, and how you can make it better.
The Screenshot Requirements
Before we get into the tooling problems, let's acknowledge the scope of what Apple requires.
For a universal iOS app, you need screenshots for up to six device sizes:
- 6.9" display (iPhone 16 Pro Max)
- 6.3" display (iPhone 16 Pro)
- 6.1" display (iPhone 16)
- 5.5" display (iPhone 8 Plus — still required for older compatibility)
- 12.9" iPad Pro (6th generation)
- 11" iPad Pro (4th generation)
For each device size, you can upload up to 10 screenshots. And for each localization your app supports, you need a separate set.
If your app supports 10 languages and you use 6 screenshots per device across 4 device sizes (a fairly typical setup), that is:
- 10 languages x 4 device sizes x 6 screenshots = 240 images
That is 240 individual file uploads, organized into the correct device category, in the correct language. In a browser. And this is just screenshots — if you also deal with in-app purchases and subscriptions, the tedium compounds fast.
Why App Store Connect Makes This Painful
Slow Upload Interface
App Store Connect's screenshot upload is a drag-and-drop zone that processes images one at a time. For each device size, you drag your screenshots in, wait for them to upload, then verify the order. If you accidentally uploaded to the wrong size or the wrong language, you delete and re-upload.
There is no bulk upload across device sizes. There is no "copy these screenshots to another localization" feature. Every device size for every language is a separate upload session.
No Preview
When you upload screenshots to App Store Connect, you see thumbnails in a strip. What you do not see is how they will actually appear on the App Store. The framing, the spacing, the way they look in the search results page versus the product page — none of that is visible until you submit and check on a device.
This means you might not catch a text truncation issue, a poorly cropped screenshot, or a visual inconsistency until your update is already live or in review.
Localization Is Manual
If your screenshots are localized — showing the app's UI in different languages — you need to upload each set separately. Navigate to the localization, scroll to screenshots, upload, repeat. There is no overview screen that shows you which localizations have screenshots and which are missing them.
If you add a new language to your app, you have to manually check which device sizes still need screenshots. App Store Connect does not surface this information clearly.
Reordering Is Clunky
The order of your screenshots matters. The first two or three are what users see before they tap to view more. If you want to rearrange the order after uploading, App Store Connect lets you drag them — but the drag interface in the browser is finicky, especially when you have many screenshots and the page is slow.
How Forge Handles Screenshots
The Screenshots & Previews module in Forge was designed specifically to solve these workflow problems.
Visual Grid Layout
When you open Screenshots in Forge, you see your screenshots in a grid organized by device size. All device sizes are visible at once, so you can immediately spot gaps — missing device sizes or localizations that need screenshots.
The grid view shows actual thumbnails at a readable size, not the tiny strips that App Store Connect's browser interface uses. You can see what each screenshot looks like without clicking into it.
Drag and Drop That Works
Uploading in Forge is genuinely drag and drop. Select your files in Finder, drag them to the appropriate device size slot, and they upload. You can drag multiple files at once, and they will be arranged in the order you drop them.
Reordering is equally smooth. Because Forge is a native macOS app, the drag interactions use the system's native drag and drop framework — the same one that Finder, Mail, and every other Mac app uses. No browser-specific weirdness, no dropped drags, no accidental mis-drops.
Localization Overview
Forge shows you a per-language breakdown of your screenshots. You can see at a glance which languages have a full set and which are missing screenshots for certain device sizes. This is invaluable when you are preparing a localized release and need to make sure every language is covered before submitting.
Switching between localizations is instant — click the language in the sidebar and you see its screenshots. No page reload, no waiting.
Preview Your Listing
One of Forge's most useful screenshot features is the ability to preview how your screenshots will look on the App Store. Instead of uploading and hoping for the best, you can see the layout, spacing, and visual flow before you submit your update.
This catches common problems: text that is too small to read on a storefront thumbnail, screenshots that look great individually but do not tell a coherent story when viewed in sequence, or color schemes that clash when images are placed side by side.
App Previews (Videos)
Screenshots are just part of the story. App Store listings also support app preview videos — up to three 30-second videos per device size per localization. The management challenges are even worse for videos than for screenshots because file sizes are larger and upload times are longer.
Forge handles app previews alongside screenshots in the same interface. Upload your videos, arrange them in order, and preview how they will appear alongside your screenshots.
Custom Product Pages
With iOS 15, Apple introduced Custom Product Pages — alternative versions of your App Store listing that you can target to specific audiences via unique URLs. Each custom product page has its own set of screenshots.
If you use custom product pages for your ad campaigns (which you should — they significantly improve conversion rates), managing screenshots for each variant in App Store Connect means navigating between the default listing and each custom product page separately.
In Forge, custom product pages have their own dedicated module, and each page's screenshots are managed with the same visual tools as your default listing.
Product Page Optimization Tests
Apple's Product Page Optimization feature lets you A/B test different screenshots (and other metadata) to see which versions convert better. Setting up these tests in App Store Connect involves creating treatment variants, uploading alternative screenshots, and configuring the test parameters.
This is another area where the browser's slowness compounds — you are uploading even more screenshot variants, comparing them visually, and trying to keep track of which images belong to which treatment. Forge's visual approach makes this significantly more manageable.
A Practical Screenshot Workflow
Here is what a healthy screenshot update workflow looks like with Forge:
- Generate your screenshots using your preferred tool (Xcode simulators, Fastlane snapshot, or a design tool like Figma)
- Open Forge and navigate to Screenshots & Previews
- Drag and drop your screenshots to the correct device sizes
- Check the localization overview to confirm all languages are covered
- Preview the layout to catch any visual issues
- Submit your version update with confidence
Total time: minutes, not hours. And critically, you have visual confirmation that everything looks right before it goes to review.
Stop Dreading Screenshot Day
Every developer has that moment of dread when it is time to update App Store screenshots. A new design, a new device size, or a new localization means re-entering the screenshot gauntlet.
Download Forge and turn screenshot management from your least favorite task into a straightforward, visual process. Your screenshots deserve to look great on the App Store — and you deserve a tool that does not fight you every step of the way. See why developers are switching from App Store Connect entirely.