iPad launch · Official sources first
Launch an iPad app that feels made for iPad
An iPad App Store launch and ASO guide for shared iOS metadata, 13-inch screenshots, tablet-native creative, multitasking, input, review, and measurement.
In brief
iPad is part of the iOS platform in App Store Connect, not a platform you add separately. The listing shares core iOS metadata, but an iPad-supporting app needs current iPad screenshots and deserves tablet-specific proof of layout, multitasking, keyboard, pointer, and large-canvas value.
On this page
iPad belongs to the iOS platform version
In App Store Connect, you do not add iPad as a separate platform. iPhone and iPad share the iOS platform version and its core listing information. Supporting iPad does create device-specific creative requirements and a higher bar for the product experience.
This shared model makes consistency easy, but sameness dangerous. The iPad prospect should not have to infer tablet value from a portrait phone composition.
Earn the big canvas
Use space with intent
Reveal more context or reduce mode switching. Do not simply enlarge controls and margins.
Survive resizing
Test every supported size, orientation, split arrangement, and window state with real content.
Respect touch and precision
Touch remains primary, while keyboard, pointer, trackpad, drag and drop, and shortcuts should improve serious work.
Decide which iPad jobs are genuinely stronger than the iPhone version: overview, comparison, creation, review, presentation, research, or extended focus. Those are candidates for both product investment and store proof.
Build an iPad-native visual argument
- 01Show the canvas
Lead with a recognizable full iPad layout rather than floating a phone-shaped crop inside a large frame.
- 02Prove information architecture
Use a credible state that shows navigation, hierarchy, and why the larger display reduces work.
- 03Show a tablet job
Demonstrate comparison, multitasking, creation, keyboard flow, pointer precision, or another behavior that matters on iPad.
- 04Keep type readable
A large source image can still become illegible in the store. Judge every frame at actual browse size.
- 05Localize the composition
Plan for longer strings and different line breaks; do not trap captions inside a brittle template.
The shared app name, subtitle, and iOS description still need to make sense for both iPhone and iPad. Use the device-specific screenshot set to express iPad value that the shared fields cannot carry alone.
Test like an iPad user, not an enlarged iPhone user
- 01Resize continuously
Watch hierarchy, truncation, focus, overlays, sheets, navigation, and empty states throughout supported window sizes.
- 02Change orientation
Preserve the task, selection, scroll position, text input, media, and transient state through rotation.
- 03Use keyboard and pointer
Verify focus order, hover, context menus, selection, shortcuts, escape behavior, and discoverability.
- 04Work beside another app
Test supported multitasking arrangements, memory pressure, clipboard, drag and drop, and interrupted workflows.
- 05Complete accessible tasks
Assess the common iPad workflows for every accessibility feature you declare for that device.
- 06Test the signed build
Use representative physical iPads where possible, including the minimum supported OS and constrained conditions.
- Apple · Test compatible devices ↗
- Apple · Accessibility nutrition labels ↗
- Apple · TestFlight overview ↗
Launch and learn by device
Submit the shared iOS version with all required iPhone and iPad information complete. In review notes, explain iPad-only behaviors, multitasking or hardware requirements, and the route to any gated functionality.
After release, separate iPad outcomes where your analytics and App Store Connect views allow it. Watch acquisition, activation, task completion, retention, subscriptions, support themes, crashes, memory pressure, and reviews. The useful question is not “Did iPad conversion rise?” but “Did the iPad page recruit people for a job the iPad product performs well?”