Official App Icon Guidelines

iOS, Android, Design

Designing a great app icon is easy. Navigating the specific formatting requirements for Apple and Google, that's the tricky part. Here are the official specifications for each platform.

I first started designing icons back when iOS used heavy gloss effects and skeuomorphism. The design language has undergone countless iterations since then, but the core technical requirements remain strict. Apple and Google both have entirely different approaches to how an app icon should be constructed and submitted.

iOS & iPadOS

Apple's approach is highly standardized. You must provide a perfectly square image, and their system handles the squircle masking, drop shadows, and gloss effects (though gloss is mostly a relic of the past).

• Format: PNG (no transparency or alpha channels allowed). If you include transparency, it will render as black on the device.
• Shape: Square (do not round corners yourself; Apple automatically applies their mathematical squircle mask).
• App Store Size: 1024x1024 pixels.
• Design: Keep the background simple and avoid using text when possible. Ensure the central icon is visually balanced.

Android (Google Play)

Google introduced Adaptive Icons in Android 8.0, which completely changed how Android icons are built. Instead of a single flat image, icons are separated into two layers: a foreground and a background. This allows different Android manufacturers to mask the icon into circles, squircles, or teardrops dynamically.

• Format: PNG (transparency allowed) or WebP.
• Adaptive Layers: Both the foreground and background layers must be exactly 108x108 dp.
• Google Play Size: 512x512 pixels for the flat store listing. Maximum file size is 1024KB.
• Safe Zone: Ensure important elements are kept within the inner 72x72 dp safe zone. The system will mask and crop the outer 18dp edges depending on the device's icon shape preference.

If you have a project that you want to get started or think you need help making sure your assets are perfectly optimized, feel free to use the generator on the home page!