Shipshot guide

How to plan a Google Play screenshot variation

A listing variation is only useful if you can attribute the result to something specific. Most variations fail that test before they start, because they change several things at once, run during a noisy week, or compare two options that differ so slightly no visitor would notice.

Make the difference large enough to be noticed

Two variants that differ by a shade of blue or a synonym in a caption will produce a result you cannot act on. Vary something a visitor would actually register: a different opening claim, a different opening screen, a different order of arguments. Small aesthetic differences are the most commonly wasted variations.

  1. Describe the difference as a visitor would perceive it, not as a file diff.
  2. Discard the variation if that description sounds trivial when read aloud.
  3. Prefer a different argument over a different decoration.

Vary one thing and hold the rest identical

Keep everything except the variable fixed: the same targets, the same file quality, the same count of screenshots, the same order for the frames you are not testing. If the variant also happens to have five frames where the control has seven, you have tested two things and can conclude neither.

  1. Write the one variable down before producing either variant.
  2. Produce both variants from the same project so nothing drifts accidentally.
  3. Verify both variants have identical counts, targets, and export settings.

Respect Google's mechanical rules in both variants

Both variants have to be valid listings. Google accepts JPEG or 24-bit PNG with no alpha, requires each dimension to fall between 320 and 3840 pixels, and requires that the longest side be no more than twice the shortest. It allows up to eight screenshots per device type and asks for a minimum of two screenshots overall to publish. A variant that breaks one of these never gets to run.

  1. Confirm both variants use an accepted format with no alpha channel.
  2. Check each dimension falls between 320 and 3840 pixels.
  3. Confirm the long side is at most twice the short side in every file.

Pick a quiet window and a decision rule

A variation running across a feature launch, a price change, a holiday, or a press mention will measure that event rather than your change. Choose a window without those, decide in advance what result would make you adopt the variant, and let it run long enough to cover a normal weekly cycle rather than reading it after two days.

  1. Check the calendar for launches, promotions, and seasonal effects.
  2. Write the adoption threshold before the variation starts running.
  3. Let it cover a full weekly cycle before drawing a conclusion.

Review checklist

✓ The difference is one a visitor would actually notice.✓ Exactly one variable differs; counts, targets, and settings match.✓ Both variants satisfy format, pixel range, and aspect-ratio rules.✓ No launch, price change, or promotion overlaps the window.✓ The adoption threshold and review date were set in advance.

Questions to ask before handoff

How many screenshots can each variant use?

Google Play allows up to eight per supported device type, and a listing needs at least two screenshots to publish. Whatever you choose, use the same count in both variants.

Why is 1080×2400 a problem?

Its long side is 2.22 times its short side, which exceeds the rule that the longest side may be at most twice the shortest. It is a common Android capture size and a common cause of a rejected file.

Is a colour change worth testing?

Rarely on its own. If a visitor would not describe the two variants differently, the result will not tell you anything you can reuse.

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