App Store and G2 Video Requirements for SaaS Listings

The video specs for App Store, Google Play, and G2 have nothing in common. A file that meets Apple's rules may not meet Google Play’s requirements, and a video formatted for Google Play may not display on G2. Plan on three different videos from day one. Using a single clip on three platforms wastes your money, because it gets bounced before viewers ever watch.

Apple App Store preview video: every technical requirement

Apple's app preview stays brief, tough, and unforgiving during upload. As soon as your file reaches App Store Connect, it is bounced for breaking spec, with no person seeing it first.

Length runs from 15 to 30, that's it. A 31-second video can't slip through, and neither can an extended walkthrough. You may upload three previews for each device class and localization, letting you highlight separate parts to various viewers, though every clip must stay within those limits.

File formats must be.mov.m4v, or.mp4 and encoded as H.264 video plus AAC audio. H.265 (HEVC), VP9, and AV1 all get rejected, and that trips up more teams than it should, since modern iPhones and Macs often record in HEVC by default without anyone touching a setting. The frame rate must stay fixed at 30 fps. You have to re-encode Screen recordings first, since the footage often ends up variable. Each video can't go over 500 MB.

If your clip has audio, use stereo AAC at 256 kbps. Before sending out any video lacking audio, see Apple Developer documentation first, because guidance here changes more than many people think.

The device class sets the pixel size:

• iPhone portrait default: 886×1920 (landscape at 1920×886)
• 6.9-inch iPhone: portrait 1320×2868, landscape 2868×1320.
• Apple's tablet: portrait 1200×1600 (1600×1200 landscape)
• Apple TV: resolutions vary by device class, check current requirements for each

Every supported device, from iPhone and Mac to Apple TV, gets a separate video. A single clip won't work for more than one device family. Apple now supports previews for Vision Pro apps, so check current requirements for each device class.

Forget the device. Use a simulator tool. Nothing else here is as easy: it can help ensure the correct pixel dimensions and avoid common encoding issues. It's free, and you avoid re-encoding down the road.

Ordered by frequency, rejection triggers are: dimensions off, unsupported codec, duration under 15 seconds or over 30, sizes past 500 MB, variable frame rate, audio settings entered incorrectly.

Apple App Store preview video: content rules and review behavior

The rules Apple sets are tough. On content it's stricter, with rules just as unbending.

You need a real screen recording from in-app. No live action, no mockups with simulated interfaces, no screenshots stitched into a demo. Any feature that shows in your video must be part of the exact app build you're getting submitted. Show finger movements where they help explain a feature, since Apple reviewers won't pause to figure things out.

Front-load what matters. Lead with your most compelling functionality, since the reviewer or someone browsing gives it only a few moments before choosing to continue or stop.

Outright prohibited are costs, discounts, action prompts, promotional statements, objectionable or misleading material, mentions of other platforms, plus footage showing something besides the app itself. You can use text overlays, but keep them short, simple, and ready for global audiences. They back up those visuals rather than standing in for the product itself. Any third-party audio, imagery, and branding requires explicit approval; any unlicensed copyrighted content gets rejected outright.

Many first-time submitters get surprised by one thing: the videos autoplay muted when shown on your product page and in listings. Your video must get its message across without any audio. That job falls mostly to Text overlays. Once upload is done, App Store Connect gives you the option to select the frame that appears ahead of playback, so make sure it reflects what the video shows instead of defaulting to the initial frame.

App Review checks each video. In 2024, the Apple App Store rejected a significant number of apps for guideline violations, including video non-compliance. Most video-specific rejections involve footage outside the app, banned text or prohibited claims, missing features shown in the sent submitted version, plus a video judged so broad it says little.

Google Play promo video: how the format works and what the specs allow

For submission, Google Play shares nothing with Apple. Direct upload isn't possible. Sellers paste the YouTube URL in the Store Listing’s Promo Video box. A direct video URL is required, because Playlist or other links fail. The listing also needs a feature graphic attached, or that promo video won't display, a small catch that derails far more listings than content policies ever do.

Time limits are more relaxed here. Google recommends a duration between 30 seconds and 1 minute, with no hard cap enforced by the platform itself. Experts suggest the sweet spot is in the 30-to-60-second range. For each app listing, one promo video is permitted, a constraint beside Apple's three-per-device-class quota.

Content rules relax a lot here. Motion graphics, promotional copy, live action, act-now messages, people shown across the screen: Google allows them all. On this platform, storytelling can breathe instead of getting trapped in a plain screen recording. Google says 80% or more of each video should show actual app use, so the freedom doesn't mean making an ad separate from its product. Spend the opening 30 seconds showing what your app actually does, so users know exactly what they get after it installs.

YouTube's settings add extra rules people often don't expect. Unlisted works, but videos set to hidden won't display, so keep your video open for anyone. Monetization must stay off, since ads ahead of or inside that video violate Google Play rules. Videos that are age-restricted won't be accepted.

Orientation counts more than you'd think, and that's where groups who reuse any Apple asset get stuck. Google still suggests landscape, even if your app runs portrait. One decision like that largely explains why a portrait Apple preview doesn't simply land on Google Play; its framing never works from the beginning. Since Play videos on Google usually autoplay muted, add captions.

Banned content includes fake UI, features the app doesn't actually have, misleading visuals, copyrighted material that triggers monetization flags, and promotional superlatives like "#1 app." Placement-wise, the promo video shows up before screenshots on the Store Listing and across various promotional slots on Google Play.

G2 video requirements: what the platform accepts and how the gated experience works

G2 operates in an entirely separate way. No app store validation, no YouTube-specific rules. Videos live past a lead-capture form, and the whole approach is focused on B2B buyer goals, not everyday scrolling.

Sellers add videos by entering a supported URL in the Videos tab of their G2 profile. Files can't be uploaded directly. Only Vimeo, Vidyard, YouTube Universal Links, and Wistia are supported; nothing else will work. For thumbnails, documentation from G2 recommends a 1280×720 pixels high-definition YouTube thumbnail so it shows properly in its media gallery. To include another video on your page, paste the link inside the URL box and click Save.

The format itself only exists because of that barrier. The buyer needs to fill out the lead form before seeing a product video. It's not a scroll-past asset you idly skip: it functions as lead-capture embedded in the platform itself. That shifts the video's job: you're addressing a viewer who was interested enough to share their details, not a person idly scrolling past.

The Content rules focus less on technical specs and more on commercial sense. Proprietary product facts and sensitive customer data are off limits, and whatever shows up on a company's own page is on that company. Videos in the media gallery require a G2 plan. G2 only accepts B2B software and services, so consumer products don't qualify for a listing at all.

G2 doesn't set a hard duration cap; its guidance calls 60 to 90 the sweet spot when making demo videos. That window is not arbitrary: pctechmag coverage links a 40% drop-off to that two-minute boundary, and padding any demo out that far mainly sheds watchers rather than convincing anyone. G2 suggests starting with the issue you fix rather than showing your name or a moving graphic, since those initial 5 to 10 moments determine if any viewer stays.

The gains from doing this well show up in the data. Insider saw a 14% conversion boost after adding screenshots and video to its G2 listing. Siemens reported a 47% increase in demo requests after optimizing its G2 profile with richer media. Prospects from G2 convert at rates 66% higher than those from paid ads. G2 hosts over 175,000 vendors and 190,000 products, and draws more than 100 million visitors a year who are actively evaluating software. With this backdrop set, the divide is whether your listing actively generates real leads or merely sits around earning page hits.

In January 2026, G2 announced plans to acquire Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp for roughly $110 million, with the deal closing February 5, 2026. The combined platform is set to host over 6 million reviews and serve more than 200 million annual buyers, which raises the stakes further on getting a G2 listing, and its video, right the first time.

Side-by-side comparison of all three platforms across every dimension that affects production

When you compare them side by side, they clearly don't match. One single clip won't cut it across three platforms at once.

Submission. Apple allows direct upload via App Store Connect. For Play, Google accepts just a YouTube URL. G2 accepts Vidyard, Wistia, Vimeo, and YouTube Universal Links.

Duration. For upload, Apple enforces 15 to 30 sec, zero exceptions. Google Play recommends 30 seconds to 2 minutes with no hard cap. G2 doesn't have a hard cap, but 60 to 90 seconds is the sweet spot it runs best at, and interest drops sharply after 2 minutes.

Apple allows a max of 3 videos for each device class in each localization. Google Play allows 1 video for each listing. G2 lets you add multiple videos.

Orientation. For iPhone, Apple wants portrait (886×1920, or, for the 6.9-inch class, 1320×2868), though landscape is also allowed. No matter how your app runs, Google Play recommends landscape. G2 doesn't demand any particular orientation.

Content rules. Only genuine in-app screen recording is allowed on Apple, with action and pricing banned outright. Google Play recommends 80% or more actual app footage, yet allows people, live action, and promotional messages. On G2, sellers only need to leave any proprietary or even sensitive customer details out.

Autoplay with audio. Apple's videos start muted in results and on every product page, meaning they need to make sense with no audio. Captions matter since videos on Google Play usually autoplay with no audio. G2 videos play only once a viewer submits their lead form, meaning autoplay isn't a factor.

Paid gating. Apple: no. Google Play: no. G2: yes, video sits beyond a lead form for buyers and a paid plan for sellers.

Required or optional. Video is optional on these platforms, while G2 encourages it and needs a paid account to enable it.

These incompatibilities pile up instead of evening out. A portrait Apple video won't work on Google Play, since its orientation is off from the first frame. Google's support for calls for action directly conflicts with Apple's ban. Apple's hard 30-second cap runs 2 to 3 times past G2's sweet spot of 60-to-90 seconds. Every platform requires a separate asset, made for that spec alone from day one, rather than retrofitted using work created for the other pair.

What these requirements mean for how SaaS teams should plan production

Make three videos, instead of a single video saved using three settings. These specs won't give way to one format, and acting like that could happen is how groups wind up re-doing footage right before drop.

Before sending to Apple for submission, check this: make video using the exact pixel dimensions across every device class, then re-encode it to stable 30 fps when the source is variable, as nearly all screen recordings require this, check for H.264 codec rather than HEVC, put each file below 500 MB with a runtime of 15 to 30 sec, plus remove any prices or CTAs and footage not showing the app itself.

Upload it to YouTube, make sure visibility is unlocked, then drop the URL into your Play listing. Keep monetization disabled, since video ads violate the rules. Frame videos in landscape for broader compatibility. Since viewers mostly watch muted, add captions. Make sure the feature graphic is included. No matter how great the promo video itself is, it won't appear on your listing without one.

On G2, host the video on YouTube, Wistia, Vidyard, or Vimeo. Choose a thumbnail at 1280×720 so it appears right in the media gallery. Keep it 60 to 90 seconds long, and spend the initial moments showing what your product solves rather than putting up an intro or company mark. Frame up the product video as a revenue asset instead of a hype teaser: viewers must submit a lead form to access the video, so the crowd is high-intent from the start and deserves a straight pitch. Make sure the tier allows video in the media gallery before putting money or work into it.

Research shows 88% of SaaS buyers won’t book a demo without seeing the product first, which shows why this matters. One technicality, a bad codec, bad orientation or duration, and the video gets rejected, wasting your upload and all the work. You also lose that missed chance, since you can't show a buyer your product before they figure out if talking makes sense.