BuildNot yet confirmed elsewhere1 publisher2 min readPublished
Apple's App Store header and search-result creative goes to review without an app update
Apple's new App Store header and search placements take creative in 21:9 and 3:2 formats, approved through a separate Asset Library review. A dev.to guide to the specs says the files have to be made, versioned and reviewed before a campaign or release depends on them.
The Engineer · Build desk
What happened
- Creative can be submitted from the Asset Library as a standalone item, with no app version update and no placement chosen in advance.
- A universal asset can serve both header and search placements, or teams can upload dedicated files for each and assign a compatible asset to in-app events.
- Videos for both placements run 5 to 30 seconds at 30 or 60 frames per second, delivered as MOV, M4V or MP4 files.
- The assets are optional brand material, separate from screenshots, app previews, In-App Purchase images and promotional artwork requested by Apple's editorial teams.
- Apple lists the placements for iOS and iPadOS apps and games running iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 or later.
Why it matters
- decision Release plans now need a creative review milestone set ahead of the campaign date, since these assets can be approved before any build is ready.
- cost Design and localization pay for it: dedicated image and video for both slots means four exports per language, each tracked through its own review.
- constraint Search-result video has to carry its message with the sound off, so voiceover and music reach only product-page viewers who choose to unmute.
We think the standalone path is good engineering on Apple's part. The dev.to guide works from Apple's October 5 announcement and its creative asset specifications [2]. It treats the creative set as a product message managed independently of an app version [12]. Its author wrote that the standalone submission is "the key schedule change" [13].
Review is the link back to the binary. Apple reviews a standalone submission against the app's latest version, according to the guide [18]. In our view, a header for a content update that has not shipped yet is the case to check before submitting early. The guide does not say how long review takes, or whether "latest version" means the live build or the last one submitted.
The image specs make one source file hard to reuse. The 21:9 header image is 3840 x 1646 pixels [6]. Search images are 3:2, from 1920 x 1280 to 3840 x 2560 [7]. Cropping the largest search image to 21:9 at full width keeps 1,646 of its 2,560 rows and drops 914, about 36% of the height [19]. The guide warns that a master image cropped across ratios can lose its subject or key message [17]. The only image spec on both placement lists is a 16:9 PNG at 5244 x 2950 [20]. PNG is accepted on both lists, and an alpha channel on neither [8].
Video gets no equivalent. We'd expect most teams to cut a separate clip for each slot, because the header and search video lists share no aspect ratio [21].
The guide's process advice is a checklist with one row per placement and version [14]. Each row records whether the creative is universal or dedicated, plus its source file, ratio, resolution, format, localization and review status [14]. Editable sources and final exports stay apart, so a corrected crop does not overwrite the asset already in review [15]. Meeting the spec does not guarantee acceptance, and the guide points to the preview tool for checking that the subject sits inside the visible crop [16].
What to watch
- Whether Apple publishes a review turnaround for standalone creative submissions; that figure sets the real lead time.
- Whether Apple clarifies if 'latest version' means the live build or the most recent submission when it reviews standalone creative.
- Whether Apple adds a video format accepted by both the header and search placements, which today share no aspect ratio.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence55
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap−5
- Incentives
- Insufficient
- Confidence55
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Apple is adding more places for an app's creative to appear: a large product-page header and assets in App Store search results.
- [2]
Apple's October 5 announcement introduces the placements and the Asset Library; its creative asset specifications set the production requirements.
- [3]
Creative assets are optional material for a product's broader brand or value proposition, distinct from app screenshots, app previews, subscription or In-App Purchase images, and promotional artwork requested by Apple's editorial teams.
- [4]
A universal creative asset can serve both product-page header and search result placements; otherwise dedicated files are chosen for each placement. A compatible asset can also be assigned to an in-app event placement.
- [5]
Apple lists creative assets for iOS and iPadOS apps and games running iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 or later.
- [6]
Apple lists a 21:9 product-page header image at 3840 x 1646 pixels in JPEG, JPG or PNG, and a 16:9 option at 5244 x 2950 pixels in PNG.
- [7]
Search-result images support 3:2 from 1920 x 1280 through 3840 x 2560 pixels in JPEG, JPG or PNG, plus a 16:9 option at 5244 x 2950 pixels in PNG.
- [8]
Creative images cannot contain alpha channels or transparency.
- [9]
Product-page header video uses 21:9 at 3840 x 1646; search-result video uses 3:2 between 1920 x 1280 and 3840 x 2560. Both accept 30 or 60 frames per second, clips from 5 to 30 seconds, and MOV, M4V or MP4 files.
- [10]
Videos loop continuously and are muted by default on both placements; viewers can unmute on the product page, while search-result videos currently cannot be unmuted.
- [11]
Creative assets can be submitted as a standalone submission from the Asset Library, without updating the app version or specifying a placement.
- [12]
The goal of the creative-asset set is a product message that can be prepared and managed independently of an app version.
- [13]
"That is the key schedule change: you can send the creative for review before the campaign needs to go live"
- [14]
The guide recommends an export checklist with one row per placement and version, recording whether the creative is universal or dedicated, the source file, aspect ratio, resolution, format, localization, and review status.
- [15]
Keeping editable source files and final exports separate makes it easier to re-export a corrected crop without losing the approved version or overwriting the asset already in review.
- [16]
The placement specifications are not a guarantee that every creative will be accepted; the subject and essential content should be kept inside the visible crop and checked in the preview tool.
- [17]
A single master image cropped differently for each placement can lose the subject or key message, especially when the ratios differ.
- [18]
A standalone creative submission is reviewed against the app's latest version.
- [19]
Cropping a 3840 x 2560 search image to 21:9 at full width keeps 1,646 of 2,560 rows and drops 914, about 36% of the height.
- [20]
The only image spec that appears on both the header and search-result lists is a 16:9 PNG at 5244 x 2950 pixels.
- [21]
The header and search-result video specifications listed in the guide share no aspect ratio.
- [22]
Using dedicated image and video files for both the header and search placements means four exports per localization.
Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- dev.toApp Store creative assets: prepare headers and search placements early
1 article · October 9, 2026
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