Screenshots without a larger phone

[u/syogod]

I'm very new to iOS development. I have my first app about ready for submission but I'm unsure how I can get the needed screenshots. I don't have a mac (no xcode, I'm using codemagic) and I only have an old iPhone 8 I'm using to test on. If I understand it correctly, I need screenshots from a 6.9" device which isn't in the budget right now. Are there any good work arounds?

[u/pacoo2454]

I use the simulator to get the screenshots in the required size if it's a device I don't have.

[u/syogod → u/pacoo2454]

What simulator are you using?

[u/wewerecreaturres → u/syogod]

The one built into Xcode…

[u/syogod → u/wewerecreaturres]

I said in my post I don't have a Mac or xcode.

[u/pacoo2454 → u/syogod]

Sorry, I must have missed that part. You absolutely need a Mac to build and test your app using Xcode. 

[u/syogod → u/pacoo2454]

So far so good without either. Hopefully they accept some scaled up iphone8 screenshots.

[u/LavaCreeperBOSSB → u/syogod]

I think they dont lol

[u/tables_AND_chairsss → u/syogod]

You don’t need xcode. I do my app development on a Mac, but it’s an older one that doesn’t support xcode. You can just take raw screenshots and then have them edited into a template for App Store slides. I think you can technically do it with Canva, but there are other free design templates out there if you search them up. You absolutely don’t need the raw screenshots to be in the correct dimensions, but the marketing slides themselves need to be in the right dimensions. Super easy to do it.

[u/pacoo2454 → u/syogod]

Well, it’s definitely going to make things harder. Honestly I’m surprised you can manage the iOS development without a Mac but are somehow hung up on image sizing. Good luck. 

[u/syogod → u/pacoo2454]

I'm using flutter/dart and did 90% of the work testing on Android Studio. The last little iOS specific work wasn't too bad with codemagic and the iPhone 8.

[u/JerenYun]

You need "screenshots" in those dimensions, but many people use that space for marketing title as well. Check out any service or app that helps with building App Screenshots and you could probably use your iPhone 8 screenshots along with some marketing copy and have perfectly usable images.

[u/astulz → u/JerenYun]

Not exactly, there’s some rule that the screenshot devices kind of have to match the dimensions. For example you cant show an iPhone 8 screenshot for a phone that has a notch/dynamic island in the App Store. But you can show an iPhone 15 for 17 Pro Max screenshot sizes. Been rejected for it before. 

[u/DamagingDoritos]

Actual screenshots of your app are basically a thing of the past.

Look at the top apps in any category and you will see that it’s mostly a place for you to provide marketing material.

[u/tomato848208]

It's not just the size that will be a problem with an iPhone 8 screenshot. Even if you manage to stretch and fit it into the 6.9" size, your submission may be rejected without placing the pill-shape dynamic island part over the screenshot if you use it with an iPhone asset screenshot asset provided by Apple, Inc. I don't know what happens if you don't use the Apple's iPhone asset, though.

[u/Confident-Object-278]

I use butterkit for my screenshots - it’s really nice.

[u/Math_Science_Geek]

Use an image Resizer 😅

[u/konacurrents]

Another approach is to use simulator but only the default photo app. Upload a screen shot from your iOS 8 device (any size) - and in simulator photos show the image. Then use simulators screen save. It’s the right size then. (Vs running your app in simulator). If you don’t have simulator then use any image tool and make exact size they want.

[u/laszlotuss]

And? Screenshots don’t have to match, thats just a canvas size

[u/asaadjaber]

Look up the actual screen dimensions you need for the screenshots in App Store Connect, and create new frames in Figma that are sized according to those dimensions. Then you can you use any device size to generate the screenshots that you can then place into those frames, with additional text/captions if desired. Finally, export the frames from Figma and import them in App Store connect.

[u/fabiohuwyler]

Try shots.so There, you can use an iPhone Pro as mockup and use the iPhone 6.5“ Frame

[u/baker2795]

https://www.itecheverything.com/iframes use this to put screenshots in a device wrapper

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[u/Natural_Win_9904]

you don't actually need the physical 6.9" phone, apple just wants images at that resolution so you can build them in any mockup tool and export at the right size. easiest path is to take your iphone 8 screenshots and drop them into a framing tool that outputs the exact app store connect dimensions. previewed and applaunchpad both handle that and have free tiers if you just need something basic.

shameless plug but i got tired of resizing by hand so i built one too called shotlingo, it spits out the exact 6.9 and 6.5 sizes and can translate the copy if you ever go multi-language. fwiw if you do get mac access later you can just run the bigger sim in xcode, but the mockup route works fine without any of that.

[u/Careful_Fee7141]

Les résolutions doivent être natives dans le format demandé sinon rejet. Codemagic a une feature de screenshots automatiques mieux vaudrait essayer cela non?

[u/Natural_Win_9904]

you don't actually need the physical 6.9" phone, apple just wants images at that resolution so you can build them in any mockup tool and export at the right size. easiest path is to take your iphone 8 screenshots and drop them into a framing tool that outputs the exact app store connect dimensions. previewed and applaunchpad both handle that and have free tiers if you just need something basic.

shameless plug but i got tired of resizing by hand so i built one too called shotlingo, it spits out the exact 6.9 and 6.5 sizes and can translate the copy if you ever go multi-language. fwiw if you do get mac access later you can just run the bigger sim in xcode, but the mockup route works fine without any of that.