A localized screenshot set is only finished when each language's images sit in that language's slot in App Store Connect. This guide covers the manual route step by step, how to check the set before you drag it in, and the one-pass route with an API key. The Apple steps follow Apple's own App Store Connect Help; the Shotlingo parts come from how the product works.
What does Apple do with a new language's screenshots?
When you add a language to your app, its screenshots default to those of your primary language. Only the description and keywords start empty (Apple, "Localize app information"). That is why a localized listing can look done while every storefront still shows English screenshots. A language is localized only once its screenshot slot holds its own images.
One more rule from the same Apple page: to change the primary language later, the new language must already have approved screenshots for every platform you support, at the same sizes as the current primary language. If you plan that move, upload those screenshots first.
How do I upload screenshots for one language by hand?
Apple's "Upload app previews and screenshots" page gives this path:
- In Apps, select the app.
- In the sidebar, select the app version under the platform you want to edit. To work on another localization, choose the language from the pop-up menu on the top right.
- Under Product Page Information, click the App Previews and Screenshots tab.
- Select the device tab for the screenshots you want to upload.
- Click Upload, or drag your screenshots into the appropriate well.
Apple notes that Media Manager, reached with View All Sizes on the right, is where you manage scaled screenshots for other device sizes and the iMessage and watchOS sets. Repeat the steps for every language and every device size. Uploads are possible while the version is in Prepare for Submission, Invalid Binary, Rejected, Metadata Rejected or Developer Rejected.
Count the work before you start: languages x device sizes x screenshots. Five screenshots, ten languages and two device sizes is 100 files to place. That arithmetic is why people look for a faster route.
What should I check before dragging files in?
- Folder names. Name each folder with a locale code App Store Connect recognises, such as
de-DE,pt-BRores-MX. The App Store locale codes tool lists them. Google Play uses a different style. - Sizes. Use the sizes App Store Connect lists for each device: App Store screenshot sizes. Some sizes have no verified upload slot in Shotlingo's direct upload, so they are exported as files instead of pushed.
- Text fit. Longer languages overflow captions. Check with the text expansion calculator and read text expansion by language.
- Right-to-left. Arabic and Hebrew need a mirrored layout, not only translated text: RTL screenshot preview and the RTL guide.
Can I upload every language in one pass?
If your plan includes it, Shotlingo can send the rendered files straight to App Store Connect instead of the drag and drop above. Direct upload is a Plus and Studio feature; see pricing for the current plans. How it works:
- You connect an App Store Connect API key once: key ID, issuer ID and the private key.
- At export you choose the app and version, pick the languages and device sizes, and upload.
- Each language's screenshots go to that language's slot. The editor reports how many uploaded and names any language that failed.
- Shotlingo uploads to 34 of its 42 editor languages. The other 8 (Bulgarian, Estonian, Persian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Slovenian, Serbian and Urdu) are not App Store languages, so export those as files.
Full steps are in Uploading to App Store Connect. If you would rather not use an API key, export files with the App Store folder style and use the manual steps above. Both routes end with the same screenshots in App Store Connect.
What if a language still shows English after upload?
- Apple validates images after the upload. Shotlingo's own message tells you to check App Store Connect after a minute or two, and says that if images are still missing, Apple rejected them silently. Check size and format, then upload that language again.
- A device size you did not upload keeps the primary-language image for that language.
- If the rejection is about the screenshots themselves, not the upload, see App Store Connect rejection recovery.
FAQ
Do I need a new app version to change screenshots?
See updating screenshots without a new build.
Which languages can I add?
Apple lists them in its App Store localizations reference.
Can I test the localized set before it goes to everyone?
Yes, with Product Page Optimization.
Sources
- Apple, "Upload app previews and screenshots": https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/manage-app-information/upload-app-previews-and-screenshots
- Apple, "Localize app information": https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/manage-app-information/localize-app-information
- Apple, "App Store localizations": https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/app-information/app-store-localizations
Translate your set and send it to App Store Connect (upload needs Plus or Studio)