Guide Checked against Google Play Console Help on 21 Oct 2026
Google Play feature graphic: size, rules & examples (2026)
It's the one wide banner Play asks for, and you can't publish without it. Here's the exact size, where Google shows it, how to lay it out, and what Google says to leave off. All taken from Google's own help pages, linked at the bottom.
The feature graphic in four lines
Short answer- Size
- exactly 1024×500 px
- Format
- JPEG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha)
- Required?
- Yes, to publish a store listing
- Alt text
- recommended, 140 characters or less
Not the app icon (512×512) and not the Android TV banner (1280×720). Upload it in Play Console under Grow users → Store presence → Main store listing → Graphics.
Requirements vs. recommendations
Google splits its guidance in two. Requirements are mandatory: Google says failing them may lead to removal or suspension from Google Play.
Highly recommended items won't affect your store listing page, but Google says ignoring them may change how your assets appear or limit promotional opportunities.
| What | Google says | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 1024×500 px | Requirement |
| File type | JPEG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha) | Requirement |
| Focal point | Keep prominent visuals and the focal point towards the center | Highly recommended |
| Cutoff zones | Keep the logo, app name, main slogan and main UI out of the edges, which may be cut off depending on the format | Highly recommended |
| Background | Restrict background elements to the edges of the graphic | Highly recommended |
| Alt text | Add alt text, 140 characters or less | Highly recommended |
Where Google shows it
- The cover image for your preview video, if you have one (not for Spatial Android XR videos). When the video doesn't autoplay, a play button is overlaid on the feature graphic.
- For apps: collections of apps shown in a large format with your feature graphic, including ads.
- For games: groups of recommended games shown in a large format with preview videos and screenshots, where your feature graphic is shown.
Source: Google, preview assets
Center what matters
Play crops and overlays the graphic differently depending on the format, and a play button sits on top of it when your video doesn't autoplay. Google's advice: focal point towards the center, key elements out of the edges, background at the edges.
Google adds that some formats use extra UI overlays, and that ignoring the focal point and cutoff zone guidance may make the graphic ineligible for them.
Source: Google, preview assets
What to put on it, and what to leave off
Each point is Google's own guidance, paraphrased, with a link to the page it's from.
Show the experience, not just the logo
Google recommends graphics that convey the app or game experience and highlight the core value. It advises against prominent branding similar to your app icon, because the two are often shown together and it reads as a duplicate. Branding that extends the icon is fine.
Source: Google, preview assets
Keep it simple enough for a phone
Google says to avoid overloading the graphic with fine details, which won't be visible on many phone screens.
Source: Google, preview assets
Pick colors that stand out from Play
Google suggests more vibrant colors and says to avoid pure white, black or dark gray, which blend into Google Play's background. Use a color theme that matches your app icon and the app itself.
Source: Google, preview assets
No ranking, price or promo words
Google says to avoid anything that suggests Play performance, ranking, user testimonials, awards, or price and promotions, naming “Best”, “#1”, “Top”, “New”, “Free”, “Discount”, “Sale”, “Million Downloads” as examples. Google's Metadata policy, which covers promotional images, lists text like “App of the year”, “10% off” and “Editor's choice” among its examples of violations.
Source: Google, preview assets · Metadata policy
Nothing that goes stale
Avoid time-sensitive content. Google says holiday or other time-bound graphics should be swapped in and out in a timely manner.
Source: Google, preview assets
No devices, store badges or borrowed logos
Google lists device imagery (it dates quickly), Google Play or any other store's badge or icon, and third-party trademarked characters or logos without permission as elements to avoid.
Source: Google, preview assets
Localize it
Google recommends localizing the graphic and any branding text for different markets and languages.
Source: Google, preview assets
Example taglines
Made-up lines, not real apps, showing how Google's word guidance plays out. Say what the app does instead of how it ranks or what it costs.
| Avoid | Why | Try instead |
|---|---|---|
| The #1 budget app | Suggests ranking | See where every rupee goes |
| Free download, 50% off Pro | Price and promotion | Plan a month of meals in minutes |
| New! Diwali update | “New” plus time-bound copy | Track habits with one tap |
| Download now | A call to action | Your workouts, timed and logged |
Source: Google, preview assets · Metadata policy
Check your graphic before you upload it
Rather hand it off? For $149 per app I'll make the feature graphic and the full screenshot set for both stores, with listing text. You review it and upload it yourself. See the makeover
Need screenshot sizes too? App Store & Google Play screenshot sizes.
Questions
- What size is the Google Play feature graphic?
- Exactly 1024×500 pixels, as a JPEG or a 24-bit PNG with no alpha channel. Those are the two requirements Google lists for it. That's a ratio of about 2.048:1, so a 2:1 image at any other size won't fit.
- Is a feature graphic required on Google Play?
- Yes. Google's Play Console help says you must provide a feature graphic to publish your store listing.
- Can the feature graphic have a transparent background?
- No. Google requires JPEG or 24-bit PNG with no alpha. Unlike the feature graphic, the 512×512 app icon is a 32-bit PNG and may include alpha.
- Where does Google Play show the feature graphic?
- Google lists these places: The cover image for your preview video, if you have one (not for Spatial Android XR videos). When the video doesn't autoplay, a play button is overlaid on the feature graphic; For apps: collections of apps shown in a large format with your feature graphic, including ads; For games: groups of recommended games shown in a large format with preview videos and screenshots, where your feature graphic is shown.
- What is the feature graphic safe zone?
- Google doesn't give pixel measurements. It says to keep prominent visuals and the focal point towards the center, keep key elements such as the logo, app name, main slogan and main UI out of the cutoff zones near the edges, and restrict background elements to the edges. It shows the zones in an example image. Google also says not following the focal point and cutoff zone guidance may make the graphic ineligible for some formats.
- Can I put text on the feature graphic?
- Google doesn't ban text, but it recommends avoiding fine detail that won't be readable on phones, avoiding words like “Best”, “#1”, “Top”, “New”, “Free”, “Discount”, “Sale”, “Million Downloads”, avoiding time-sensitive copy, and localizing branding text.
- Is the feature graphic the same as the Android TV banner?
- No. The Android TV banner is a separate 1280×720 asset (JPEG or 24-bit PNG, no alpha), required for Android TV-enabled apps and shown only on Android TV devices.
Sources, last checked 21 Oct 2026: Google, Play Console Help: Add preview assets · Google, Play Console Help: Metadata policy. Google changes these pages without notice, so check them before a big launch. Spotted something out of date? hello@shiplisting.app. ShipListing isn't affiliated with Google.