Designing an iOS app icon requires precision because Apple provides a strict matrix of sizes to ensure your visual identity appears crisp on every device. A single mis-scaled asset can make your app look amateurish on the App Store and inconsistent once installed on the home screen. This guide breaks down the exact pixel dimensions, scaling factors, and submission requirements you need to master.
Understanding Scale Factors, Not Just Pixels
Before diving into specific dimensions, you must understand iOS’s reliance on points versus pixels. Apple uses a points system to create a consistent design language across devices with different screen densities. Your icon design should be created at a multiple of these points to avoid blur or pixelation. The primary scale factors are 1x, 2x, and 3x, where 3x represents the Retina HD quality seen on modern iPhones.
Required App Store and Device Icon Sizes
When you submit your app to the App Store, Xcode expects a specific set of PNG files to cover every possible display scenario. While you design in a vector editor, you must export these bitmaps exactly as specified to maintain sharp edges and proper transparency. Missing a single size can result in warnings during the validation process or a generic icon generated by Xcode that does not match your vision.
Essential App Store and Device Sizes
1024 x 1024 pixels (App Store Required)
180 x 180 pixels (iPhone Plus/Max Retina)
167 x 167 pixels (iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2nd Gen)
120 x 120 pixels (iPhone 8 Plus / X / 11 Pro)
87 x 87 pixels (iPad Pro 12.9-inch 1st Gen)
80 x 80 pixels (iPad Pro 11-inch 1st Gen)
Legacy Sizes for Older Devices
Supporting older iOS devices means providing assets at slightly smaller scales. While new submissions might not target these devices exclusively, including these sizes ensures consistency for users on older hardware or when your app appears in system features like Spotlight or Settings. These icons are typically 4x smaller than their modern counterparts to match the 1x and 2x scaling logic.
Legacy and Special-Purpose Icons
57 x 57 pixels (Original iPhone)
114 x 114 pixels (iPhone Retina)
72 x 72 pixels (Original iPad)
144 x 144 pixels (iPad Retina)
50 x 50 pixels (iPad Spotlight)
29 x 29 pixels (Settings/Spotlight Small)
Design and Export Best Practices
To maintain a professional look, start your design at the largest required size—in this case, 1024 x 1024 pixels—using a vector-based tool like Figma or Sketch. This allows you to scale down without losing detail, ensuring that corners remain sharp and gradients stay smooth. When you export, convert the image to PNG-24 to preserve transparency and color depth, and disable any compression artifacts that might dull the details.
Submission and App Store Optimization (ASO)
The 1024 x 1024 icon you upload to App Store Connect serves as the primary asset for your preview screenshots and marketing pages. Apple dynamically resizes this image to fit various placements, but if your artwork contains fine text or intricate details, you must ensure they remain legible at smaller sizes. Treat this icon as your primary branding moment, as it is the first visual cue a user sees in search results.
