google-play-specs

All data from support.google.com and developer.android.com as of March 2026.

Google Play Store — Official Specs & Guidelines

All data from support.google.com and developer.android.com as of March 2026.

Character Limits

| Field | Limit | Indexed? | Notes | | ----------------- | ----------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------- | | App Title | 30 chars | Yes (strongest signal) | Reduced from 50 in Sept 2021 | | Short Description | 80 chars | Yes | Visible without expanding | | Full Description | 4,000 chars | Yes (heavily) | Google NLP indexes entire text | | Developer Name | 64 chars | Partial | Same emoji/caps restrictions as title |

Prohibited in Metadata (enforced since Sept 2021)

Title, Icon, Developer Name:

• Emojis, emoticons, repeated special characters
• ALL CAPS (unless registered brand)
• Performance claims: "top," "best," "#1," "free," "no ads"
• Misleading store performance or endorsement
• Calls-to-action: "update now," "download now"

Short Description:

• Same performance claims as title
• Calls-to-action
• Unattributed testimonials

Screenshots, Feature Graphic, Video:

• Time-sensitive taglines
• Calls-to-action ("Download now," "Play now")
• Must authentically showcase app functionality

Screenshot Specs

| Device | Min | Max | Aspect Ratio | Min Resolution | Max Long Edge | | ---------- | ----- | ----- | ------------ | -------------- | ------------- | | Phone | 2 | 8 | 9:16 or 16:9 | 320px any side | 3,840px | | 7" Tablet | 4 | 8 | 9:16 or 16:9 | 1,080px short | 7,680px | | 10" Tablet | 4 | 8 | 9:16 or 16:9 | 1,080px short | 7,680px | | Chromebook | 4 | 8 | 9:16 or 16:9 | 1,080px short | 7,680px | | Wear OS | 1 | 8 | 1:1 | 384x384 | 3,840px | | Android TV | 1 | 8 | 16:9 | 1,920x1,080 | 3,840px |

• Recommended phone size: 1080x1920 (portrait)
• Format: JPEG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha)
• Max file size: 8 MB each

Note: Google Play max is 8 screenshots per device, not 10 like Apple.

Feature Graphic

• Dimensions: 1024 x 500 px (exact, required)
• Format: JPEG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha)
• Displayed at top of listing and in featured placements

App Icon

• Dimensions: 512 x 512 px
• Format: 32-bit PNG (with alpha)
• Max file size: 1,024 KB
• Shape: Full square (Google applies 30% corner radius automatically)
• Prohibited: Ranking claims, download counts, deal text, emoji

Preview Video

• Format: YouTube URL (public or unlisted)
• Duration: 30 seconds to 2 minutes recommended
• No ads, no monetization, must be embeddable, not age-restricted
• Does NOT autoplay (only ~6% of visitors tap to play)

Store Listing Experiments (A/B Testing)

• Variants: Up to 3 per experiment (plus control)
• Testable: Icon, feature graphic, screenshots, video, short description, full description
• Concurrent: Cannot run more than 1 default graphics experiment simultaneously
• Audience: Signed-in Google Play users only
• Metrics: First-time installers + retained first-time installers (1-day retention)
• Duration: Run at least 7 days (weekday/weekend variance)
• Localized: Test across up to 5 languages simultaneously

Custom Store Listings

• Max: 50 per app (100 for Play partners)
• Customizable: Title, short/full description, icon, screenshots, feature graphic, video
• Targeting: Country/region, pre-registration, install state, Google Ads campaigns, inactive/churned users (28+ days)
• 2025 addition: Gemini AI auto-generates text for CSLs in Play Console

Promotional Content (LiveOps)

| Type | Description | Duration | | ----------------- | ------------------------------ | -------------------- | | Offers | Discounts, free items, bundles | Up to 28 days | | Events | Time-limited in-app events | Must have time limit | | Major Update | Significant new features | Max 1 week | | Crossover (games) | Cross-game/IP collaboration | Varies |

• Submit 4+ days before start (standard review)
• Submit 14+ days before for featuring requests
• Impact: "Over twice as many explore acquisitions during featuring" (official Google)

Android Vitals — Ranking Thresholds

Apps exceeding these thresholds get reduced visibility in search and recommendations.

| Metric | Overall Threshold | Per-Device Threshold | | ---------------------------- | ----------------- | -------------------- | | User-Perceived Crash Rate | 1.09% | 8% | | User-Perceived ANR Rate | 0.47% | 8% | | Excessive Partial Wake Locks | 5% | N/A |

Consequences: Reduced search visibility, warning labels on listing, quality alerts to users before install. Recovery: Google checks daily using 28-day rolling average.

Search Ranking — Official Factors

Google confirms these affect ranking:

1. Metadata relevance — Title carries most weight. NLP scans title + short desc + full desc.
2. App quality — Android Vitals (crash/ANR rates)
3. Ratings and reviews — Star rating + review text. 85% of featured apps have 4.0+
4. Install volume and velocity — Total installs + daily/weekly frequency
5. Engagement and retention — Session frequency, duration, retention rates
6. Update frequency — Regular updates signal active maintenance
7. Localization — Regional keyword/visual adaptation. 59% of US apps localize titles.

Sources: support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/4448378, support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9898842, developer.android.com/topic/performance/vitals