Before you put a quote in a store image
Testimonials in App Store Screenshots
A five star quote across the top of a screenshot looks like an easy win. The two big stores treat it differently, though. Google Play’s own asset guidance asks you to keep user testimonials out of screenshots altogether, and Apple asks that screenshots show the app in use and that you hold the rights to everything in them. Work through the checklist store by store before a designer starts on the frames.
- Store by store, from the guidance we read
- What to check before a quote goes in a frame
- Where the quote goes when it stays out
The problem, solved
Where store screenshot quotes go wrong, and what StoryProof covers
StoryProof does not touch your store listing. It handles the part before the designer: a quote you have the right to use.
We lifted a quote from a store review
A public review was written for the store, not for your artwork. Apple asks that you secure the rights to everything in screenshots, and a reviewer never agreed to that.
With StoryProof: Ask the user directly through a collection link they answer in the browser, so the quote is given to you rather than taken.
We do not know who our fans are
Store reviews are often anonymous or under a nickname, so there is no way to go back and ask permission.
With StoryProof: Add users who have written to support or replied to a survey as contacts, and send them the request from there.
Nobody checked the wording before design
A quote that mentions a removed feature or a typo ends up baked into a frame that takes a release to change.
With StoryProof: Nothing is public until you approve it. Read each one in the queue and approve only the quotes you would put in a frame.
Permission for screenshots is not on record
Months later nobody remembers which users said yes to store artwork and which only agreed to the website.
With StoryProof: Tag the quotes cleared for store use, so the designer only ever picks from that tag.
Play listing cannot carry our best quotes
If Google Play guidance keeps testimonials out of the images, the strongest proof has nowhere to go on that listing.
With StoryProof: Put it on your app’s landing page instead: choose the quotes for a widget and embed it with a div and the embed.js script.
Flip the switch to see how StoryProof handles each one.
Store screenshot checklist
Should this quote go in a store screenshot?
Work through each store separately. Items with a reference come from the guidance we read on 11 November 2026; stores change their rules, so open the source again before you submit.
Ticks stay in your browser. Nothing is sent or stored.
The two stores side by side
A summary of the guidance we read. It is not legal advice and not the store’s own wording in full.
In StoryProof
Source a store safe quote with StoryProof
Step 1 of 4
Ask the users you can reach
Add them as contacts and send the collection link. Say plainly that the quote may appear in App Store images.
Step 2 of 4
Read and approve
Approve only quotes that describe the current version and read well in one line.
Step 3 of 4
Tag by where it may be used
Use tags such as “store artwork” and “website only”, so permission travels with the quote.
Step 4 of 4
Put the rest on your landing page
Build a widget for the app landing page with the fuller quotes and embed it there.
Before you start
What this page does not settle
What this does not cover, and what to check on your side. Better to know now than after launch.
- 01
Not legal or store advice
This is a reading of published guidance, not a ruling. Only the store’s review team decides what passes.
- 02
Guidance changes
Both stores update their rules. The dates on this page tell you when we last read them.
- 03
StoryProof does not make screenshots
It collects and stores quotes with permission. Designing and uploading store images happens in your own tools and consoles.
- 04
Store ratings are separate
The star rating and reviews on a listing belong to the store. Nothing here changes or imports them.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
Can I put a five star review from the App Store in my screenshots?
The review was written for the store, not for your artwork, and Apple asks that you secure rights to everything in screenshots. Ask the reviewer directly if you can reach them, or collect a fresh quote from a user who agrees.
Does Google Play ban testimonials in screenshots?
Its preview asset guidance lists user testimonials among the things not to include in screenshots, the feature graphic and preview video text. Check the current help page before you submit.
Can the same screenshots go to both stores?
Only if they suit the stricter guidance. Many teams keep a quote frame for the App Store and a version without it for Google Play.
Where should our best user quotes go instead?
On your own app landing page, where you set the rules and can show a full quote, a name and a video.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
Start with a quote you are allowed to use
Collect permissioned quotes from real users, tag the ones cleared for store artwork, and put the rest on your landing page.
Sources
- Add preview assets to showcase your app, Google Play Console Help. Checked 2026-11-11.
- App Store Review Guidelines, section 2.3 Accurate Metadata, Apple Developer. Checked 2026-11-11.
Last updated 2026-11-11.