RTL(Right-to-left)

What is RTL in App Store screenshots?

RTL stands for right-to-left, the reading direction of Arabic, Hebrew, Persian (Farsi), Urdu, and several other scripts. For screenshots targeting RTL markets, the layout itself mirrors: caption text right-aligns, device frames flip horizontally, multi-step layouts read right to left, and forward-direction icons (arrows, chevrons) flip to point left.

Apple supports two RTL languages on the App Store as of 2026: Arabic (across 16 Middle East and North Africa regions including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and the wider GCC) and Hebrew (Israel).

What mirrors and what doesn't in RTL?

Per Apple's Human Interface Guidelines and Material Design conventions:

What mirrors: caption alignment, device frame position relative to caption, carousel slide order, directional icons (forward/back arrows, progress indicators), sliders and progress bars, the overall visual hierarchy (right-side hook becomes left-side hook).

What does NOT mirror: numbers (numerals stay left-to-right even in Arabic sentences), logos and brand marks, photographs, video player controls (play triangle still points right because it represents tape direction), clocks (clockwise is universal), and charts and graphs.

Why does the RTL distinction matter?

Auto-mirroring the entire English screenshot file is the most common localization mistake. It produces a screenshot with a backwards logo, a mirrored video control, and an inverted clock. Arabic readers register this immediately as "not actually for this market." The correct workflow mirrors the layout container and selectively un-mirrors the don't-mirror set.