Why Screenshots Will Be Even More Important In iOS 8

We are preparing for the arrival of iOS 8 by gathering all the information we can on how the new update will affect app publishers. One area that we are excited about is how screenshots will be displayed in search.

This post will show you the differences between how your app screenshots will appear in iOS 8 and how they currently appear in iOS 7. When you see the changes, you will understand why it will be even more important to have the right screenshots when the update takes effect.

Let's begin by taking a look at how the search results will look in iOS 8. Here are a couple of results from a search for the keyword "game."

This is what the same search result looks like in iOS 7. The screenshots are much easier to read in iOS 8.

Why This Matters To App Publishers

There are two things that you should be aware of in the new format. First, landscape screenshots are going to display in the correct orientation and they will take up the entire width of the screen. This will save people the trouble of rotating their device (or their head).

Second, the first two screenshots will be displayed for apps with portrait screenshots. You can see this in the Despicable Me search result in the iOS 8 sample above. Therefore, the second screenshot will be equally as important as the first.

These two facts mean that it will be even more important that you create screenshots that will have an immediate impact on people who are searching for an app like yours. If your app has portrait screenshots, then be sure that the picture in the second position showcases something different than the first screenshot. Also check to see that it is equally easy to understand at a glance.

Vertical Scrolling

Before we end this post, let's take a quick look at a related benefit of iOS 8. The return of vertical scrolling will encourage people to look through more search results. This is good news for app publishers.

When we compared the scrolling experience of iOS 7 and iOS 8 side-by-side, we noticed that vertical scrolling in iOS 8 does feel more natural. We could also see more search results in the same period of time with vertical scrolling. Since people will be scrolling through search results faster, this is even more reason to have eye catching screenshots.

Conclusion

These are just a couple of the iOS 8 improvements that are on the way. We are happy to see that Apple has fixed the way that screenshots will display in search results and have returned to vertical scrolling.

Be sure that your screenshots look their best and quickly communicate the benefits of your app. For more tips on how to create better screenshots, read this post or see some examples here. If you would like to see the screenshot changes that other app publishers are making, be sure to take a look at the change timeline on our App Profile Pages.

We will continue to update you on the latest iOS 8 tips, as we discover them. Stay tuned to learn more.

Are you going to change your screenshots just for iOS 8? Let us know in the comments below.