Why iPhone X Screenshots Could be Killing Your Conversion

June 22nd, 2018

by Anh Nguyen

COO & Co-Founder at Gummicube, Inc

Ever since the App Store has supported iPhone X screenshots, developers have been quick to update their creatives to be up to speed with the latest technology. In fact, the iPhone X was the best-selling smartphone in Q1 2018, so it would only seem natural to want to make adjustments as soon as possible. However, they should proceed with caution and consider the implications of updating screenshots to the device's measurements to avoid unintentional mishaps. The iPhone X’s screen is taller and thinner than previous iPhones, which causes screenshots to shrink when viewed on other devices. Additionally, the different sized screen makes callout texts less visible to those who do not have one. To avoid less screenshot visibility and the potential loss of conversion, developers must first understand screenshot sizing differences.

iPhone Screenshot Sizing

iPhone X screenshot dimensions measure at a 1125 x 2048 pixels portrait size, allowing the 5.8’’ display to stand 20% taller than its 4.7’’ predecessors at 1242 x 2208 pixels for iPhones 6s Plus, 7 Plus, and 8 Plus. It’s noteworthy to mention that iPhone X screenshots are optional for all App Store listings. Should your app forego these variants, the App Store defaults to the wider 1242 x 2208 screenshots in the search result listing.

Though it stands taller, the iPhone X’s portrait display slims down width-wise by 117 pixels and certain areas are shaved away through margins. In addition, it also has rounded corners as seen in the image above. This makes the iPhone X better-suited for taller (portrait orientation) or wider (landscape orientation) objects.

Compromising Image Quality

If developers are to maintain their current creative assets, they should be mindful of aspect ratio differences when reusing existing graphics. For this reason, it is not advisable to use iPhone X screenshots for testing as the viewing capability differs for each size of iPhone and may skew the results. The image below is a perfect representation of how iPhone X screenshots appear to other Apple users.

The comparison of the iPhone 8 Plus’ screenshots in the App Store next to an iPhone X’s creatives below shows that the height of the two are equivalent. However, with iPhone X’s unique aspect ratio, this standardized height decreases the area of the iPhone X’s screenshots in the App Store. With less space, content visibility is reduced in order to accommodate the new dimensions.

Reduced content visibility can have crippling affects for conversion, such as:

An overlooked CTA deprives the audience of learning of the app’s functionalities
An unnoticed logo costs the developer the chance to leverage brand identity
A vague in-app image prevents possible users from understanding the app’s UI

All of these factors affect conversion rates through their visibility. To be seen in the App Store, your creatives must be clear, communicative and unique.

Key Takeaways

Though updating to iPhone X’s taller screenshots should, in theory, provide more room for content, the App Store turns its height advantage into a handicap as all screenshots are displayed with equal height regardless of aspect ratio. Knowing this, developers should have their iPhone X’s screenshot content be more visible than their iPhone 8 Plus counterpart. This is crucial in that screenshots provide the first measure of attracting users in the App Store search results and should be optimized accordingly.

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