Automate App Store screenshot capture across devices and languages
Scanned 2/12/2026
Install via CLI
openskills install greenstevester/fastlane-skill---
name: snapshot
description: Automate App Store screenshot capture across devices and languages
argument-hint: [--devices "iPhone 15 Pro"] [--languages "en-US,ja"]
allowed-tools: Bash, Read, Write, Edit
---
## Automated App Store Screenshots
Set up Fastlane Snapshot to automatically capture App Store screenshots across multiple devices and languages.
### Pre-flight Checks
- Fastlane installed: !`fastlane --version 2>/dev/null | grep "fastlane " | head -1 || echo "✗ Not installed - run: brew install fastlane"`
- Fastfile exists: !`ls fastlane/Fastfile 2>/dev/null && echo "✓ Found" || echo "✗ Not found - run /setup-fastlane first"`
- Existing Snapfile: !`ls fastlane/Snapfile 2>/dev/null && echo "✓ Already configured" || echo "○ Not configured yet"`
- UI Test target: !`find . -maxdepth 3 -name "*UITests*" -type d 2>/dev/null | head -1 || echo "○ No UI test target found"`
- Simulators available: !`xcrun simctl list devices available | grep -E "iPhone|iPad" | head -3`
### Arguments: ${ARGUMENTS:-setup}
---
## Why Automate Screenshots?
App Store requires screenshots for multiple device sizes. Manual capture means:
- 5+ device sizes × 5+ screenshots × N languages = **hours of work**
- Risk of inconsistency between screenshots
- Repeat everything for each app update
Snapshot automates this: run once, get all screenshots.
---
## Step 1: Initialize Snapshot
```bash
fastlane snapshot init
```
This creates:
- `fastlane/Snapfile` - Configuration file
- `fastlane/SnapshotHelper.swift` - Helper for UI tests
---
## Step 2: Configure Snapfile
Edit `fastlane/Snapfile`:
```ruby
# Devices to capture (App Store requirements)
devices([
"iPhone 15 Pro Max", # 6.7" display (required)
"iPhone 15 Pro", # 6.1" display
"iPhone SE (3rd generation)", # 4.7" display (if supporting older phones)
"iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)", # iPad screenshots (if universal app)
])
# Languages to capture
languages([
"en-US",
# "ja", # Japanese
# "de-DE", # German
# "fr-FR", # French
# "es-ES", # Spanish
])
# UI Test scheme
scheme("YourAppUITests")
# Output directory
output_directory("./fastlane/screenshots")
# Clear old screenshots before capture
clear_previous_screenshots(true)
# Stop on first error (set false to continue despite failures)
stop_after_first_error(true)
# Dark mode variants (iOS 13+)
# dark_mode(true)
# Workspace or project (uncomment one)
# workspace("YourApp.xcworkspace")
# project("YourApp.xcodeproj")
```
---
## Step 3: Add SnapshotHelper to UI Tests
1. **Add SnapshotHelper.swift** to your UI test target:
- Drag `fastlane/SnapshotHelper.swift` into Xcode
- Ensure it's added to your **UITests** target (not main app)
2. **Import and configure** in your UI test file:
```swift
import XCTest
class ScreenshotTests: XCTestCase {
override func setUpWithError() throws {
continueAfterFailure = false
let app = XCUIApplication()
setupSnapshot(app) // Initialize snapshot
app.launch()
}
func testTakeScreenshots() throws {
let app = XCUIApplication()
// Screenshot 1: Home screen
snapshot("01_HomeScreen")
// Navigate to feature and capture
app.buttons["Feature"].tap()
snapshot("02_FeatureScreen")
// Screenshot with content
app.textFields["Search"].tap()
app.textFields["Search"].typeText("Example")
snapshot("03_SearchResults")
// Settings screen
app.buttons["Settings"].tap()
snapshot("04_Settings")
// Any additional screens...
snapshot("05_DetailView")
}
}
```
---
## Step 4: Run Snapshot
```bash
# Capture all screenshots
fastlane snapshot
# Specific device only
fastlane snapshot --devices "iPhone 15 Pro Max"
# Specific language only
fastlane snapshot --languages "en-US"
# Skip launch (use existing simulator state)
fastlane snapshot --skip_open_summary
```
Screenshots are saved to `fastlane/screenshots/{language}/{device}/`.
---
## Step 5: Upload to App Store Connect
After capturing, upload with deliver:
```bash
# Upload screenshots only (no binary)
fastlane deliver --skip_binary_upload --skip_metadata
# Or use the screenshots lane from setup-fastlane
fastlane ios screenshots
```
---
## App Store Screenshot Requirements (2024)
### Required Device Sizes
| Display Size | Example Devices | Dimensions |
|-------------|-----------------|------------|
| 6.7" | iPhone 15 Pro Max, 14 Pro Max | 1290 × 2796 |
| 6.5" | iPhone 15 Plus, 14 Plus, 11 Pro Max | 1284 × 2778 |
| 5.5" | iPhone 8 Plus (legacy) | 1242 × 2208 |
| 12.9" iPad | iPad Pro 12.9" | 2048 × 2732 |
> **Minimum**: You need at least 6.7" or 6.5" iPhone screenshots. Other sizes can be auto-generated by App Store Connect.
### Screenshot Count
- **Minimum**: 1 per device size
- **Maximum**: 10 per device size
- **Recommended**: 5-6 highlighting key features
---
## Optional: Frame Screenshots with Device Bezels
Add device frames around screenshots using `frameit`:
```bash
# Install frameit
brew install imagemagick
# Frame screenshots
fastlane frameit
# Silver device frames
fastlane frameit silver
```
Create `fastlane/screenshots/Framefile.json` for custom titles:
```json
{
"default": {
"title": {
"font": "./fonts/MyFont.ttf",
"color": "#000000"
},
"background": "#FFFFFF",
"padding": 50,
"show_complete_frame": true
}
}
```
---
## Troubleshooting
### "SnapshotHelper.swift not found"
Re-run `fastlane snapshot init` and add the helper to your UI test target.
### "Unable to boot simulator"
Reset the simulator:
```bash
xcrun simctl shutdown all
xcrun simctl erase all
```
### Screenshots are black/blank
- Ensure `setupSnapshot(app)` is called **before** `app.launch()`
- Add small delays if content loads asynchronously:
```swift
sleep(1) // Wait for content
snapshot("01_HomeScreen")
```
### "No matching device found"
Check available simulators:
```bash
xcrun simctl list devices available
```
Update Snapfile device names to match exactly.
### UI test fails to find element
Use accessibility identifiers:
```swift
// In your app code
button.accessibilityIdentifier = "settingsButton"
// In UI test
app.buttons["settingsButton"].tap()
```
---
## Integrate with Fastfile
Add a dedicated lane for screenshots:
```ruby
lane :screenshots do
snapshot(
scheme: "YourAppUITests",
devices: ["iPhone 15 Pro Max", "iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)"],
languages: ["en-US"]
)
# Optional: frame screenshots
# frameit(white: true)
end
lane :upload_screenshots do
deliver(
skip_binary_upload: true,
skip_metadata: true,
overwrite_screenshots: true
)
end
```
---
## Best Practices
1. **Use sample data**: Pre-populate app with attractive demo content
2. **Consistent state**: Reset app state before each test run
3. **Accessibility IDs**: More reliable than text matching
4. **Handle async**: Add waits for network content to load
5. **Dark mode**: Capture both light and dark variants
6. **Localization**: Test with actual translations, not placeholders
7. **Landscape**: Include landscape screenshots for iPad if relevant
---
## Files Created
```
fastlane/
├── Snapfile # Snapshot configuration
├── SnapshotHelper.swift # Helper for UI tests (copy to test target)
└── screenshots/
├── en-US/
│ ├── iPhone 15 Pro Max/
│ │ ├── 01_HomeScreen.png
│ │ ├── 02_FeatureScreen.png
│ │ └── ...
│ └── iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)/
│ └── ...
└── ja/
└── ...
```
---
## Complete Workflow
```bash
# 1. Set up snapshot
fastlane snapshot init
# 2. Write UI tests with snapshot() calls
# 3. Capture screenshots
fastlane snapshot
# 4. Review screenshots in fastlane/screenshots/
# 5. Optional: add device frames
fastlane frameit
# 6. Upload to App Store Connect
fastlane deliver --skip_binary_upload --skip_metadata
```
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