Correction, 2026-10-01: the first version of this page said Google Play promo videos run 30 to 120 seconds, display in landscape, and leave far more room for AI storytelling. Google's current help page states no length limit (only the first 30 seconds autoplay), supports landscape and portrait, and recommends that at least 80% of the video show the real user experience, with title screens, logos, cutscenes and other pre-rendered or promotional content kept limited. The page also overstated where Apple allows AI: Apple says previews may only use video screen captures of the app itself, so AI-generated intro, outro and context beats do not belong in an App Store preview. The cost table was in dollars that did not match 8frame's prices, the studio comparison was unsourced, and the "tested" prompt was not a test we can show. Specs below come from Apple's and Google's developer pages, fetched 2026-10-01; costs come from 8frame's registry.
App Store preview videos have a rule that surprises most people the first time they read it: Apple says previews may only use video screen captures of the app itself, and must not show people interacting with a device. You cannot fill an App Store preview with AI-generated hero shots of your app. That sounds like it rules AI out entirely. It does not, but the lane is narrower than most guides suggest: on Apple, AI can help with the narration and the copy around the capture, not the footage. Google Play is a little more flexible, recommending that at least 80% of its preview video show the real app, which leaves a small share for a brand beat or a lifestyle shot. This guide covers both platforms' specs from their own documentation, where AI is allowed, and the cost math in credits.
What you'll end up with
A compliant Apple App Store preview built from real screen capture, with AI handling narration and localization; a Google Play preview video built mostly from the same capture, with a short AI-generated beat inside the share Google leaves for promotional content; and localized versions of both. Knowing the boundary up front saves you from generating footage Apple will reject in review, which is the expensive way to learn this. The AI portions in the example below cost about 936 credits (about $9.36 at pack rate).
TL;DR
- Step 1: Capture real screen recordings of the app (the body of both stores' videos)
- Step 2: Generate AI narration for both stores, and for Google Play only, a short brand or lifestyle beat
- Step 3: Assemble to spec: 15 to 30 seconds at device resolution for Apple; for Google Play, a YouTube video that shows the app within the first 10 seconds and stays at least 80% real user experience
- Step 4: Localize narration, captions and UI per market (Apple allows up to 3 previews per localization)
- Total for the AI portions in the example: about 936 credits
Specs: Apple vs Google Play
The two stores have different rules, and the difference shapes the strategy.
Apple App Store app preview (Apple specifications, Apple app preview guidance, App Review Guideline 2.3.4):
- Duration: 15 to 30 seconds. The default poster frame is at 5 seconds.
- Footage: screen captures of the app itself only. Apple: "App previews must show only content within the app itself. Don't film people interacting with a device, such as an over-the-shoulder angle or fingers tapping the screen." Guideline 2.3.4 adds: "You can add narration and video or textual overlays to help explain anything that isn't clear from the video alone."
- Resolution: device-specific, for example 886 x 1920 portrait (1920 x 886 landscape) for 6.9", 6.5", 6.3" and 6.1" iPhone displays, and 1200 x 1600 portrait for 13" and 11" iPads.
- File: H.264 (.mov, .m4v or .mp4, 10 to 12 Mbps target) or ProRes 422 HQ (.mov), 30 fps max, 500 MB max. Audio is stereo, 256 kbps AAC (or PCM for ProRes), 44.1 or 48 kHz.
- Up to 3 previews per localization.
- Sound: "By default, app previews play with the sound muted," so Apple suggests on-screen copy for context.
Google Play preview video (Google Play Console Help, preview assets):
- Delivery: a YouTube video URL (not a playlist or channel), public or unlisted, ads disabled, not age-restricted, embeddable. These four are listed as requirements.
- Length: no maximum is stated, but "only the first 30 seconds autoplays," inline and muted, so Google recommends keeping it short.
- Orientation: landscape or portrait, both supported.
- Content (listed as highly recommended): show the actual in-app experience within the first 10 seconds; "Aim for at least 80% of the video to be representative of the user experience. Limit title screens, logos, cutscenes, or other pre-rendered or promotional content"; no people tapping on the device unless the core usage is off-device; localize the UI, taglines and audio; use captions; and nothing that suggests Google Play performance, ranking, accolades or awards, user testimonials, or price and promotional information.
The key difference: Apple's preview is screen capture only, with narration and overlays allowed on top. Google Play's preview is mostly the real app too, but its 80% guideline leaves roughly a fifth of the runtime for promotional content, and that is where an AI-generated beat can go.
Where AI fits (and where it doesn't)
Be honest about the boundary, because it's what keeps you out of App Store rejection.
- AI does not do: the app's interface, in either store. Never generate a fake UI. On Apple, AI-generated scenes of any kind (lifestyle, intro, outro) fall outside "content within the app itself".
- AI fits on Apple: narration (Apple allows it, and it can be generated per language), on-screen copy and captions around the capture, and, if your app displays images, demo content loaded into the app before you record, as long as it reflects what users actually get.
- AI fits on Google Play: the same narration and captions, plus a short brand intro or a lifestyle beat (the outcome the app delivers) inside the share Google leaves for promotional content.
- Outside the stores: app-install ads and social posts are not bound by these preview rules, so the same AI beats can carry more of the story there. Check each ad platform's own specs.
Think of it as: the screen is real, the voice and the words around it can be AI, and on Google Play a few seconds of story can be too.
The hybrid workflow
Step 1: Capture the real screens
Record clean, high-resolution screen capture of the actual app flows. This is your compliant core for Apple and the bulk of your Google Play video. It has to be real, so make it good: smooth navigation, the strongest features first (Google recommends the core experience within the first 10 seconds), no dead time.
Step 2: Generate narration and the Google Play beat
For narration, write a short script and generate it with ElevenLabs text to speech on the canvas: 13 credits per started 1,000 characters, so any script up to 1,000 characters is 13 credits. Both stores autoplay muted, so treat the voice as a bonus and put the key message in captions too.
For Google Play only, generate one or two short beats for the promotional share: a brand intro on Veo 3.1 Fast, the model the Veo tool opens on (84 credits for 4 seconds with sound, 1080p, 16:9 or 9:16), or a lifestyle shot made from a Nano Banana Pro still (21 credits) animated with Seedance 2.0 (108 credits for 5 seconds at 720p).
Example prompt, a lifestyle beat:
A person finishing a morning run on a city waterfront at sunrise, relaxed
and satisfied, natural candid motion, no phone or other device in frame,
shallow depth of field, warm daylight. Cinematic, 9:16 vertical, 5 seconds.
Note there is no device in frame. Google recommends against people interacting with the device, and an AI-generated phone screen would imply a fake UI. Show the outcome the app delivers, not the app.
Step 3: Assemble to each spec
Cut the Apple preview at 15 to 30 seconds, at the device resolution, with the screen capture as the whole picture and narration and text overlays on top. Export H.264 at 30 fps or less, under 500 MB.
Cut the Google Play video with the in-app experience in the first 10 seconds and the AI beat inside the remaining share, so the real app stays at least 80% of the runtime. Upload it to YouTube with ads disabled, set it to public or unlisted, and keep it embeddable. Burn in captions for both stores, since both autoplay muted. Seedance tops out at 720p, while Veo 3.1 Fast renders 1080p, so pick Veo for a beat that has to sit inside a 1080p cut without a visible quality drop.
Step 4: Localize at scale
This is where AI earns its place even under Apple's tight rules. Every market needs its own preview: re-capture the UI in that language (free), translate the captions, and regenerate the narration in that language (13 credits per script under 1,000 characters). Google also recommends localizing the UI, taglines and audio of the preview video. If a lifestyle beat needs local context for Google Play, regenerating the still and the clip is 129 credits per market. Apple allows up to 3 previews per localization, so you have room to test per market.
Cost math
Here is the AI portion of a hybrid preview set: narration for both stores in six languages, one Google Play intro beat, one lifestyle beat, and five localized versions of the lifestyle beat. Prices are 8frame registry prices.
| Asset | Tool | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Screen capture, every language | On-device recording | 0 |
| Narration, base language (script under 1,000 characters) | ElevenLabs TTS | 13 |
| Narration in 5 more languages | ElevenLabs TTS | 65 (5 x 13) |
| Google Play intro beat, 4 s with sound | Veo 3.1 Fast | 84 |
| Google Play lifestyle beat: still + 5 s clip | Nano Banana Pro + Seedance 2.0, 720p | 129 (21 + 108) |
| 5 localized lifestyle beats | Nano Banana Pro + Seedance 2.0, 720p | 645 (5 x 129) |
| AI portion total | 936 credits, about $9.36 at pack rate |
Measured median generation times on 8frame: 37 seconds for a Nano Banana Pro image and 197 seconds for a Seedance 2.0 clip of up to 6 seconds at 720p. We do not have a sourced benchmark for what a studio charges for an app preview, so get quotes for your own project; the AI saving is largest in localization, where each extra market otherwise means another edit and another voice session. Budget human time for the capture and the edit either way.
FAQ
Can I use AI-generated video in an App Store preview?
Not as footage. Apple says previews may only use video screen captures of the app itself and must show only content within the app, without people interacting with the device. Apple does allow narration and text or video overlays to explain what the capture shows, so AI fits as generated narration and as captions around real capture. AI video belongs in Google Play's preview only as a small share (Google recommends at least 80% real user experience) and in ads outside the store.
What are the specs for App Store and Google Play preview videos?
Apple app previews are 15 to 30 seconds, device-specific resolution (for example 886 x 1920 portrait for 6.1" to 6.9" iPhone displays), H.264 in .mov, .m4v or .mp4 (or ProRes 422 HQ in .mov) at 30 fps max and up to 500 MB, stereo AAC audio, up to 3 per localization, and screen capture of the app only. Google Play preview videos are a YouTube URL, public or unlisted, with ads disabled, not age-restricted and embeddable; no maximum length is stated, but only the first 30 seconds autoplay, muted; landscape and portrait are both supported, and Google recommends at least 80% of the video show the real user experience.
How much does an AI-assisted app preview video cost?
In the example above, the AI portions (narration in six languages, a Google Play intro beat, and six versions of a lifestyle beat) come to 936 credits, about $9.36 at pack rate, plus your own screen capture. On Apple alone, where only narration applies, six languages of narration is 78 credits.
Sources
- Apple app preview specifications (length, formats, resolutions, audio, 3 per localization): App Store Connect Help, App preview specifications, checked 2026-10-01
- Apple app preview content rules and muted autoplay: Apple Developer, App previews, checked 2026-10-01
- Apple screen-capture rule and narration/overlays: App Review Guidelines, 2.3.4, checked 2026-10-01
- Google Play preview video requirements and recommendations: Play Console Help, Add preview assets to showcase your app, checked 2026-10-01
- 8frame prices, resolutions, defaults and median generation times (ElevenLabs TTS, Veo 3.1 Fast, Nano Banana Pro, Seedance 2.0): the 8frame tool registry and content fact sheet, checked 2026-10-01
Capture the screen honestly and generate the voice and the few seconds around it. Open a canvas on 8frame with Veo 3.1, Seedance 2.0 and ElevenLabs, cut a compliant Apple preview and a Google Play video from one set of assets, and localize every market. Reusable workflows live at /workflows.
Try it without signing up: the 8frame canvas opens on a real board. The canvas is free and unlimited; generation is paid from $19/month.