iPhone icon size

Question

I am developing an application for iPhone to support multiple devices, iPhone 2-4. I had an issue with the app icon as it was shown pixelated in the iPhone 4 simulator so I have used a new image with higher resolution (300 x 300) to be precise. On the simulator its showing fine for both iPhone 4 and the iPhone device simulators. However, when I ported my app to an iPhone 3 actual device the icon did not show at all and instead I get a blank white icon. I don't have an iPhone 4 yet so I cant tell if the same issue will happen on the physical device.

I am not sure what is the best dimensions/dpi to use for an icon to display perfectly on an iPhone 4 and older devices? Would appreciate a help if possible..

BoltClock · Accepted Answer · 2013-10-07T13:52:05.457

53

For older devices, save your 57x57 icon as Icon.png. For the iPhone 4, save your 114x114 icon as Icon@2x.png. The image resolution doesn't matter at all; only the pixel dimensions matter.

There are other sizes to cater to, like Spotlight/Settings icons and iPad icons. There's a full list written up in the library documentation.

edited Oct 07 '13 at 13:52

answered Jul 07 '10 at 13:45

BoltClock

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So does that mean that I should bundle two different apps. One for iPhone 4 and the other for older devices??? Isn't there a way to lets say choose between the two images depending on the device the app is being installed on??? – Zaid Amir Jul 07 '10 at 13:56
No, both `Icon.png` and `Icon@2x.png` belong in the same universal app bundle. – BoltClock Jul 07 '10 at 14:03
Can you elaborate more as I'm somewhat new to the whole iPhone development stuff. – Zaid Amir Jul 07 '10 at 14:03
He's saying to just include both icon files in your Resources folder. The OS will pull the correct one to use based on the device capabilities. It's the same for a universal app (for all iDevices) where you include an icon for the iPod/iPhone and also for the iPad and the device chooses the correct one to display. – iwasrobbed Jul 07 '10 at 14:11
Nope, you can just leave that field blank or delete the key all together and let the OS make that decision for you. – iwasrobbed Jul 07 '10 at 15:35
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iOS will pick the icon name automatically. `@2x` is a special string that iOS looks for to use on a high-res display. – BoltClock Jul 07 '10 at 17:50
**Update**: You can have more info about all the updated sizes at [Apple documentation](http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/userexperience/conceptual/mobilehig/IconsImages/IconsImages.html). – Himanshu A Jadav Jan 04 '13 at 05:29

Liam George Betsworth · Answer 2 · 2013-11-01T11:03:48.530

As the iOS device range got a whole lot more complicated in recent years, here is a current list of icons and their requirements for each platform:

iOS 7+

iPhone and iPod touch

Both of these sizes are required:

120px x 120px
60px x 60px (standard resolution)

iPad

Both of these sizes are required:

152px x 152px
76px x 76px (standard resolution)

App Store

Create a large version of your app icon in two sizes so that it looks good on all devices:

1024px x 1024px
512px x 512px (standard resolution)
//Be sure to name this version of your app icon iTunesArtwork@2x and iTunesArtwork, respectively.

Spotlight search results on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad (recommended)

Create an icon in the following two sizes:

80px x 80px
40px x 40px (standard resolution)

Settings on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad (recommended /wSB)

Create an icon in the following two sizes:

58px x 58px
29px x 29px (standard resolution)

iOS 6.1-

iPhone Only

Image(px)   File Name          Used For                          Required Status

512x512     iTunesArtwork      Ad Hoc iTunes                     Optional
1024x1024   iTunesArtwork@2x   Ad Hoc iTunes HiRes               Optional
57x57       Icon.png           App Store and Home screen         Required
114x114     Icon@2x.png        Home screen iPhone 4/5            Optional
72x72       Icon-72.png        Home screen (iPad compatibility)  Optional
29x29       Icon-Small.png     Spotlight and Settings            Optional
50x50       Icon-Small-50.png  Spotlight (iPad compatibility)    Recommended(/wSB)
58x58       Icon-Small@2x.png  Spotlight and Settings iPhone 4/5 Recommended(/wSB)

iPad only

Image(px)   File Name          Used For                          Required Status

512x512     iTunesArtwork      Ad Hoc iTunes                     Optional
1024x1024   iTunesArtwork@2x   Ad Hoc iTunes HiRes               Optional
72x72       Icon-72.png        App Store and Home screen iPad    Required
144x144     Icon-72@2x.png     App Store and Home screen HiRes   Optional
50x50       Icon-Small-50.png  Spotlight on iPad                 Optional
29x29       Icon-Small.png     Settings on iPad                  Recommended(/wSB)

Universal Apps

Image(px)   File Name          Used For                          Required Status

512x512     iTunesArtwork      Ad Hoc iTunes                     Optional
1024x1024   iTunesArtwork@2x   Ad Hoc iTunes HiRes               Optional
57x57       Icon.png           App Store and Home screen         Required
114x114     Icon@2x.png        Home screen iPhone 4/5            Optional
72x72       Icon-72.png        App Store and Home screen iPad    Required
144x144     Icon-72@2x.png     App Store and Home screen HiRes   Optional
29x29       Icon-Small.png     Spotlight and Settings            Optional
50x50       Icon-Small-50.png  Spotlight iPad                    Recommended(/wSB)
58x58       Icon-Small@2x.png  Spotlight and Settings iPhone 4/5 Recommended(/wSB)

*(/wSB) = Recommended if you have a Settings bundle, otherwise optional but recommended

So why is it that Apple say (in the docs referenced here) that the app Icon.png must be 60x60 (and 120x120), yet listed here (and enforced by Xcode) it must be 57x57 (and 114x114)? — jrg, Oct 31 '13 at 17:44
In the most recent documents, Apple only reference iOS 7. Therefore, these icon sizes only work for iOS 7. Either change your target to iOS 7, or download the newest Xcode. — Liam George Betsworth, Nov 01 '13 at 10:54

score 13 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 07 '10 at 13:45

13

Red,

Please follow these guidelines: http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/documentation/userexperience/conceptual/mobilehig/IconsImages/IconsImages.html

I have not seen the pixelated issue on the iOS4 simulator like you did using an app that was originally written for iOS3+ with a standard 57x57 icon.

answered Jul 07 '10 at 13:45

iwasrobbed

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Well to tell you the truth, the pixelation might not be an issue when the icon is shown on a physical device. The thing is that the 4 simul;ator showing on the screen is huge. It fills the whole screen and still got clipped from the bottom :( – Zaid Amir Jul 07 '10 at 13:59
I recently upgraded my OS to iOS4 and it looks very crisp and clean still. Since the user won't be able to zoom on the Springboard (where all the app icons are), they won't be able to see it like you do on your computer screen in the simulator. – iwasrobbed Jul 07 '10 at 14:13

score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 18 '12 at 15:34

2

Ive put all the images named correctly at the correct size into a github repo, so there can be no confusion.

https://github.com/FattusMannus/iOS-Development-Image-Placeholders

Just download them as a zip, edit them and copy them into your project

AH

answered Apr 18 '12 at 15:34

Andrew Hall

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score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Nov 22 '12 at 02:48

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Make sure that "Icon.png" and "Icon@2x.png" are capitalized or else the application archive will not pass the validation process.

answered Nov 22 '12 at 02:48

Zorayr

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score 1 · Answer 6 · answered Dec 21 '10 at 13:17

1

You can set the various icon image names in the plist, under "icon files".

answered Dec 21 '10 at 13:17

tbone

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