60/40 rule

What is the 60/40 rule?

The 60/40 rule is shorthand for Apple's preference that App Store screenshots show what an app actually does. Apple's Review Guideline 2.3.3 requires screenshots to "accurately reflect the app in use." Apple doesn't publish an exact pixel ratio, but reviewers consistently reject listings where lifestyle photography, oversized headlines, or decorative graphics crowd out the actual product UI.

The "60/40" framing is the practical interpretation: at least 60 percent of the frame should display recognizable app UI (real screens, dashboards, interactions); at most 40 percent can be marketing layer (caption text, accent shapes, device frame, background gradients).

How does the 60/40 rule apply per frame?

The rule applies per screenshot, not averaged across the set. A single frame that's 90 percent lifestyle photography with a tiny phone in the corner gets rejected even if the rest of the set is UI-heavy. The strictest reviewers also count text overlay area against the 40 percent budget, so a frame that's 50 percent app UI and 50 percent giant headline text is borderline.

When does the 60/40 rule break listings?

Lifestyle-hero layouts (large background photo with a small phone composite) and pure-text-marketing layouts (no app UI, just a headline and value proposition) are the highest-risk patterns. Teams targeting fitness, wellness, dating, and lifestyle categories most often run into this because category-appropriate visual style leans heavily on lifestyle imagery. The fix is usually to show the app prominently in 3-4 of the 5 frames, then allow 1-2 lifestyle-heavy frames late in the set where conversion already concluded.