App Store header and search videos: 17 files tested in App Store Connect
Published October 13, 2026 · Tested on App Store Connect, October 12, 2026 (processing only, not App Review)
Apple’s product page header (21:9) and search results video (3:2) come with a short spec sheet. It leaves out the video codec and the audio track, and the App Store Connect API asks for longer videos than the help page. So we uploaded 17 real files to App Store Connect and recorded what it did with each one.
What we found
- 17 of 17 files were processed and matched to the right spec.
- 5-second files were processed for both placements.
- Files with no audio track were processed (H02, S02 and S04).
- HEVC was processed as well as H.264 (H06 and S06).
- 29.97, 30 and 60 fps were all processed.
- H.264 at level 6 was processed (S03 and S04).
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The specs
Each value says where it comes from: Apple’s help page, the App Store Connect API, our upload tests, or our own recommendation where nobody has published anything.
Product page header (21:9)
| Size | 3840 × 1646 px | Published by Apple |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 21:9 | Published by Apple |
| Frame rate | 30 or 60 fps | Published by Apple |
| Length | 5–30 sHeadloop exports 15 s by default | Confirmed by our upload tests |
| Audio track | Optional | Confirmed by our upload tests |
| Sound on the App Store | Muted by default, can be turned on | Published by Apple |
| Video codec | H.264 or HEVC | Confirmed by our upload tests |
| Container | MP4, MOV or M4V | Published by Apple |
| File size | Under 500 MB | Our recommendation |
| Safe area | About 8% on the left and right | Estimate |
Search results video (3:2)
| Size | 1920 × 1280 to 3840 × 2560 pxTested: 1920 × 1280, 2880 × 1920 and 3840 × 2560 | Published by Apple |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 | Published by Apple |
| Frame rate | 30 or 60 fps | Published by Apple |
| Length | 5–30 s5 s minimum confirmed by our upload tests. Headloop exports 15 s by default | Published by Apple |
| Audio track | Optional | Confirmed by our upload tests |
| Sound on the App Store | Always muted | Published by Apple |
| Video codec | H.264 or HEVC | Confirmed by our upload tests |
| Container | MP4, MOV or M4V | Published by Apple |
| File size | Under 500 MB | Our recommendation |
| Safe area | About 10% on every edge | Estimate |
Sources: Creative assets specifications (App Store Connect Help); List app asset library ref data (App Store Connect API). The safe areas are our estimates; Apple publishes no pixel values.
How we tested
Every file started from the same test pattern, rendered by Headloop’s engine. Most files changed a single thing from a reference file: length, frame rate, codec, container, size or audio track. A few combine two on purpose: HEVC at the largest search size, and the exact profile of a failing forum report.
We uploaded each file to the asset library of our own test app through the App Store Connect API, then read its processing state until Apple returned a final answer. The tests ran on October 12, 2026. Nothing was submitted for review or placed on a product page.
Results
17 of 17 files were processed and matched to the right spec.
| File | What changed | Measured file | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product page header (21:9) | |||
| H01 | Reference: H.264, 30 fps, 15 s, with audio | H.264 High level 5.1 · 3840 × 1646 · 30 fps · 15 s · audio · MP4 · 45.5 MB | Processed |
| H02 | No audio track | H.264 High level 5.1 · 3840 × 1646 · 30 fps · 15 s · no audio · MP4 · 45.5 MB | Processed |
| H03 | 5 s long | H.264 High level 5.1 · 3840 × 1646 · 30 fps · 5 s · audio · MP4 · 14.7 MB | Processed |
| H04 | 10 s long | H.264 High level 5.1 · 3840 × 1646 · 30 fps · 10 s · audio · MP4 · 30.3 MB | Processed |
| H05 | 60 fps | H.264 High level 5.2 · 3840 × 1646 · 60 fps · 15 s · audio · MP4 · 85.4 MB | Processed |
| H06 | HEVC instead of H.264 | HEVC Main level 5.0 · 3840 × 1646 · 30 fps · 15 s · audio · MP4 · 14.1 MB | Processed |
| H07 | 30 s long | H.264 High level 5.1 · 3840 × 1646 · 30 fps · 30 s · audio · MP4 · 92 MB | Processed |
| H08 | 29.97 fps | H.264 High level 5.1 · 3840 × 1646 · 29.97 fps · 15 s · audio · MP4 · 14.2 MB | Processed |
| H09 | MOV container | H.264 High level 5.1 · 3840 × 1646 · 30 fps · 15 s · audio · MOV · 45.5 MB | Processed |
| Search results video (3:2) | |||
| S01 | Reference: H.264, 30 fps, 15 s, with audio | H.264 High level 5.0 · 1920 × 1280 · 30 fps · 15 s · audio · MP4 · 17.8 MB | Processed |
| S02 | No audio track | H.264 High level 5.0 · 1920 × 1280 · 30 fps · 15 s · no audio · MP4 · 17.8 MB | Processed |
| S03 | 3840 × 2560 in H.264 | H.264 High level 6.0 · 3840 × 2560 · 30 fps · 15 s · audio · MP4 · 71.5 MB | Processed |
| S04 | Repeats a failing forum report: 3840 × 2560, 16 s, no audio | H.264 High level 6.0 · 3840 × 2560 · 30 fps · 16 s · no audio · MP4 · 75.8 MB | Processed |
| S05 | 2880 × 1920 | H.264 High level 5.1 · 2880 × 1920 · 30 fps · 15 s · audio · MP4 · 40.1 MB | Processed |
| S06 | HEVC at 3840 × 2560 | HEVC Main level 6.0 · 3840 × 2560 · 30 fps · 15 s · audio · MP4 · 24.1 MB | Processed |
| S07 | 5 s long | H.264 High level 5.0 · 1920 × 1280 · 30 fps · 5 s · audio · MP4 · 5.7 MB | Processed |
| S08 | 10 s long | H.264 High level 5.0 · 1920 × 1280 · 30 fps · 10 s · audio · MP4 · 11.8 MB | Processed |
What this proves, and what it doesn’t
Our upload tests record whether App Store Connect processed each file and which spec it matched it to. They don’t cover App Review, placement on a product page, or how a device displays the video.
The tests come from one developer account on one date. Apple can change how it processes these videos at any time, and a processed file can still be turned down in App Review, for example over content.
Stuck processing or failed?
Developers have reported problems on Apple’s forums. As of October 13, 2026, none of these threads had an answer from Apple.
- Search results videos that end in
FAILEDwithPOST_PROCESSING_FAILED, some with a failed poster frame. The reported file was 3840 × 2560, H.264, 30 fps, 16 seconds, with no audio track and about 2 MB. (forum thread on failed search videos) - A 5-second header that looks right in App Store Connect’s preview but shows at the wrong aspect ratio on an iPhone 17 with iOS 27. (forum thread on the header aspect ratio)
- Header and search previews that don’t show after processing, or disappear after switching to another localization. (forum thread on missing previews)
We repeated the first profile in file S04: H.264 High level 6.0 · 3840 × 2560 · 30 fps · 16 s · no audio · MP4 · 75.8 MB. Result: processed, matched to the search spec. The main difference we know of is the size: about 2 MB in the report, 75.8 MB in our test. That alone doesn’t prove what made the reported file fail.
Files with no audio track (H02, S02 and S04) were processed. H.264 files at level 6 (S03 and S04) were processed too.
What to check before you upload
- Size: 3840 × 1646 px for the header, 1920 × 1280 to 3840 × 2560 px at exactly 3:2 for search.
- Frame rate: 30 or 60 fps. A 29.97 fps file was processed too, but exactly 30 fps is the safest choice.
- Length: 5–30 seconds. Headloop exports 15 seconds by default.
- Container: MP4, MOV or M4V.
- Codec: H.264 or HEVC. We recommend 8-bit SDR video with no transparency.
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