App icon

What is an iOS app icon?

The app icon is the visual identity of an iOS app across every Apple surface: App Store search results, App Store product pages, the home screen, Spotlight Search, Settings, and notifications. Apple requires a single 1024 x 1024 PNG with no transparency and generates all derivative sizes from it.

App icons must be a square with corners that Apple rounds at render time. Submitting a pre-rounded icon doubles the corner-rounding and looks wrong. Icons must not contain transparent pixels; the entire 1024 x 1024 must be opaque.

How does the app icon affect App Store conversion?

The icon is the smallest but highest-leverage conversion surface. In search results, the icon appears alongside the app name, subtitle, and rating before any screenshots load. A weak icon drops tap-through to the full product page; a strong icon increases it. SplitMetrics and Apptweak data consistently shows icon A/B tests producing 5-15 percent install-rate lifts.

The strongest icons read clearly at the smallest display size (29 x 29 in Settings) while still feeling distinctive at larger sizes. Common patterns: a single bold letter or symbol, a recognizable shape, a saturated color block. Cluttered icons that try to communicate the entire app at icon scale typically underperform.

How is the app icon tested?

Product Page Optimization supports app icon A/B testing as one of its three test types (alongside screenshot variants and preview video poster frames). Apple delivers icon variants to a portion of organic traffic and measures install conversion. Note: icon changes require a new build submission, unlike screenshot variants which can update via metadata-only changes.