To make an App Store preview video for my app, you record the app running on a real iPhone, trim the capture to 15 to 30 seconds, and upload the file in App Store Connect under the app version’s media section. The recording part is where most developers get stuck, because the iOS built-in recorder gives you no face cam, no on-screen text, and no control over how the capture starts.
Short answer: Use DemoScope (HD Face Cam Screen Recorder on the App Store) in Other App mode to record your own app with a floating face cam overlay, then trim the clip to 15-30 seconds in the Photos app and upload it in App Store Connect. DemoScope Pro is $19.99 one-time and removes the watermark, which an App Store preview needs.
Last updated: October 2026
What Apple actually wants in an app preview
An App Store preview is a 15 to 30 second video, captured from the app itself, uploaded per localization in App Store Connect. It has to be device-native resolution, in portrait or landscape matching your screenshots, and it should show real app usage rather than a marketing montage. Nothing in that list requires a Mac, a capture card, or Xcode’s simulator recording. A clean on-device capture is enough.
The tools people usually reach for: the iOS built-in screen recorder (free, in Control Center), iMovie or the Photos app for trimming, CapCut for a fancier cut, and Loom or Record It! for face cam work. Each covers part of the job. None of them records your app system-wide with a face cam bubble the way DemoScope’s Other App mode does.
Recording your app with DemoScope, step by step
Your app is not DemoScope, so in-app recording mode will not help. You need Other App mode, which uses the iOS Broadcast Extension to capture everything on screen while DemoScope sits in the background with a floating picture-in-picture face cam.
- Open DemoScope and set the recording source to Other App.
- Configure the camera first: pick circle, square, vertical rectangle or horizontal rectangle, drag the bubble to a corner, pinch to resize. If you want a totally clean capture for the App Store cut, turn the face cam off here.
- Add a PiP border or a text overlay if you want one. In Other App mode those three (Camera, PiP Border, Text on screen) are the only tools available.
- Start the broadcast. DemoScope drops to the background and the floating face cam stays on top of everything.
- Open your app and run the flow. Tap slower than feels natural, pause a beat on each screen, and give yourself 40 to 60 seconds of footage so you have room to cut.
- Stop from the iOS system recording UI. The file lands in your camera roll as an MP4 (H.264) at device resolution.
- Trim to 15-30 seconds in the Photos app or iMovie, then upload it in App Store Connect under App Previews for that device size.
Two things DemoScope will not do here, stated plainly
DemoScope has no video editing. No trimming, no cutting, no cropping, no filters. Your 45 second capture comes out as a 45 second MP4 and you cut it down in the Photos app (drag the yellow handles) or iMovie. That is a 30 second job, but it is a job DemoScope does not do for you.
DemoScope’s touch indicators and teleprompter do not work in Other App mode. That is an iOS limitation, not a licensing one: the Broadcast Extension captures the system screen, so DemoScope’s HUD overlays cannot appear. Touch indicators and the teleprompter are available when you record inside DemoScope (a website, a photo, or a camera roll video). If showing taps matters more than recording your actual app binary, read how to record an app store preview video on iphone for the trade-off.
My actual recommendation: record two versions in one sitting. One clean capture with the face cam off for App Store Connect, since App Review is strict about previews showing genuine app footage and a face bubble is an unnecessary rejection risk. Then a second take with the face cam on for Product Hunt, your landing page, and X. Same flow, same script, two minutes of extra work.
The free way, and where it breaks
The iOS built-in screen recorder is in Control Center and costs nothing. Long-press the record button to enable the microphone, record your app, stop, trim in Photos, upload. For a basic preview that genuinely works.
It falls short the moment you want a face, on-screen text, or a presence in the video. The built-in recorder has no camera overlay and no text overlay at all, and it also grabs notifications and the status bar exactly as they are, so turn on Do Not Disturb and charge to 100% before you hit record. More detail on that split in this ios screen recorder guide: built-in tool vs dedicated apps.
| iOS built-in recorder | DemoScope Pro | Loom | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $19.99 one-time | Subscription |
| Face cam over another app | No | Yes (Other App mode) | Not on iPhone system-wide |
| Touch indicators | No | Yes (in-app mode only) | No |
| Teleprompter | No | Yes (in-app mode only) | No |
| Trim / edit | In Photos, separately | No editing in app | Basic web trimming |
| Watermark | None | None on Pro, free tier watermarks and caps at 10 min | On free plan |
| Output | MP4 to camera roll | MP4 (H.264) to camera roll | Cloud link |
If you are weighing the whole category rather than this one task, the breakdown in ios screen recorder: built-in tool vs third-party apps covers it.
Things that go wrong on the day
Storage is the big one. A two minute device-resolution capture is not small, and a recording that fails at the 90 second mark because the drive filled is a wasted take. Clear a few GB first. Second: mic routing. If AirPods are connected, iOS records through them, and AirPod mic audio sounds thin next to the built-in mic. Disconnect them. Third: retakes. Plan on five or six. Record them back to back while your hands remember the flow, then pick the best one in Photos.
If your preview needs narration over the flow, the setup in record a tutorial on iphone with voiceover and camera carries over directly.
Try the free tier first to confirm the Other App flow works with your app. The watermark and the 10 minute cap are fine for testing, and $19.99 one-time clears both when you are ready to ship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Mac to make an App Store preview video?
No. You can record your app on the iPhone itself, trim it in the Photos app, and upload the MP4 through App Store Connect in Safari on the same phone or any computer. A Mac with Xcode’s simulator recording is one option, not a requirement.
How long does an App Store preview video have to be?
15 to 30 seconds. Record 40 to 60 seconds so you have slack, then trim to length. DemoScope does not trim, so use the Photos app or iMovie for the cut.
Can I put my face in an App Store preview video?
Technically yes, but I would not. App Review expects previews to show the app itself, and a face cam overlay is an avoidable rejection risk. Record the face cam version with DemoScope’s Other App mode for Product Hunt, your landing page, and social, and keep the App Store cut clean.
Does the free version of DemoScope work for this?
Partly. The free tier records in Other App mode but adds a watermark and stops at 10 minutes per take, and a watermarked video is not acceptable as an App Store preview. Pro at $19.99 one-time removes both.
Can I show taps in my App Store preview?
Not while recording another app. DemoScope’s touch indicators work in in-app recording mode only, because iOS Broadcast Extension capture cannot carry DemoScope’s overlays. For an app preview, slow, deliberate tapping plus a text overlay does most of the same work.