Where is the 1024x1024 app icon used?

Question

Apple now require that a 1024x1024 icon is submitted for the App store. Where can I see an example of where this icon is used? The largest icon I can find in the iTunes store is about 180x180 - even on a retina screen, 360x360 would be sufficient.

I am putting some time into designing a large version of my icon, but if it is going to then be shrunk down, I need to design for this, no?

Solution 1

The large version of the icon is used to generate smaller versions for display in the app store and in other places that require icons in sizes other than the ones you submit. That way, if they need a version of your icon that's 162 px square, or 204 px square, or whatever, they have plenty of pixels in the larger version to ensure a reasonable rendition at smaller size.

Apple used to require a 512 x 512 px icon for this purpose -- sounds like they've doubled the resolution to support retina displays.

Remember, we're talking about a megapixel image here, not a 32 x 32 px tiny icon. When you're dealing with teensy icons, you do have to hand tweak each pixel to get the best approximation of the image you're trying to represent. When you're talking about scaling from 1024 px square to 360 px square, there shouldn't be a problem unless you've added some very fine detail at the large size. Don't do that.

Solution 2

You can find all the 1024x1024 png files in the source of the app's preview page.

Here's the trick:

1. Go to the app's page: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/facebook-messenger/id454638411?mt=8
2. View Page Source (CTRL + U)

3. Find the "property="og:image" part. (CTRL + F) <meta content="http://a4.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Purple/v4/c0/92/69/c09269c0-85ca-fd85-5f0f-f235dff13ff8/mzl.lyucgsnh.png" property="og:image" /

4. Copy the png's url, and paste in to the browser: http://a4.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Purple/v4/c0/92/69/c09269c0-85ca-fd85-5f0f-f235dff13ff8/mzl.lyucgsnh.png

Voila! :)

Solution 3

From apple:

Starting in July, newly submitted iOS apps require high-resolution icons and cover art. Large icons and Newsstand cover art must have a minimum resolution of 1024 x 1024 pixels. To change your app icons or cover art, go to the Manage Your Applications module on iTunes Connect. For more information, see the Custom Icon and Image Creation Guidelines in the iOS Developer Library.

As the largest right now would be the iPad 3 retina, the icon would be used for the AppStore large icon, which used to be 512 x 512, so double that for retina.

Solution 4

The 1024x1024 icons are for the app store according to tho iOS Human Interface Guidelines.. The table states that it is the:

App icon for the App Store

I guess it is for retina and promotion purposes. So Apple can make the large banners in the store and smaller icons out of it.

View more solutions

Comments

[Ben Packard]

Yes, this is where I read the requirement. I want to know where it is used so I can see it rendered in context.

[j_mcnally]

I think they want this size for available for TV ads etc, also. If they decide to include your app in a commercial or for print.

[Ben Packard]

So I should design a 1024px icon that might scale well at some arbitrary sizes Apple may or may not chose to scale it to? I could understand this as a back-up for promotional material or other ad hoc requirements, but why not tell us the sizes that the various App store pages will display at and ask for custom built icons (rhetorical question I guess). Any advice on what to optimize for?

[Ben Packard]

So the iPad App store displays icons at 512 points (1025 px)? Those are some big icons! Or are they scaled down as they are on other App stores? So I guess in the end i'm designing an icon for the iPad app store and just have to accept that every where else it might look like crap.

[Caleb]

@BenPackard I think for three reasons: 1) so that you don't have to submit 27 different versions of your icon; 2) to ensure that your icon looks the same at all sizes; 3) because it may not be possible to anticipate every size that they'll need from now until you update your app.

[Ben Packard]

I guess I will pick an app store and optimize for it, in that case. Thanks.

[Oscar Gomez]

It doesn't really, but it is just so it will scale down nicely for some large icons in the app store.

[hotpaw2]

Apple may require one large size so they have the flexibility to at any time change the size that appears in the App Store without telling or waiting for any developer. You can't optimize for a size because they have and very possibly will continue to change the sizes they will use.

[MujtabaFR]

If you need to see the large icon of any app, just use appstore-icons.com

[joshim5]

As of Sept. 2015, this gives a png named "icon320x320.png". Go to "icon1024x1024.png" instead and you'll get the correct file :)