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Get new App Store placement with in-app events
Field limits, the seven badges, card and details media sizes, timing rules and how to measure an in-app event in App Store Connect.
In brief
Create an in-app event for anything timely in your app: a challenge, a new season, a major update. The name can be 30 characters, the short description 50 and the long description 120. Events run 15 minutes to 31 days and can be published up to 14 days early, without a new app version.
What an in-app event gets you
An in-app event is a timely thing happening inside your app: a challenge, a premiere, a new season, a major update. Apple shows it as a card on your product page and in search results, and can pick it for editorial and personalized spots on the Today, Games and Apps tabs. People can also ask the App Store to notify them when it starts.
That makes events one of the few ways to get new store placement without a new version. If your app is already approved, you can submit an event with or without a new app version.
Events show on iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and later.
The fields and their limits
Apple App Store
In-app event reference name
64charactersInternal only; not shown on the App Store.
Official source ↗Apple App Store
In-app event name
30charactersTitle case. The badge already names the event type, so don't repeat it.
Official source ↗Apple App Store
In-app event short description
50charactersShown on the event card, in sentence case.
Official source ↗Apple App Store
In-app event long description
120charactersShown on the event details page. Specific prices lead to rejection.
Official source ↗Apple's in-app events guidance asks for the event name in title case and the descriptions in sentence case. Don't name the event type in the title ("Weekend Challenge") because the badge already shows it. Apple says specific prices in event metadata lead to rejection.
Every event also has a deep link (a universal link is Apple's recommendation; avoid URL shorteners), a priority (High Priority events appear ahead of Normal ones), an event purpose and a setting for whether an in-app purchase is required.
Draft all four fields against these limits in the Workbench In-app event tab.
Badges
Pick the badge that matches what's happening: Live Event, Premiere, Challenge, Competition, New Season, Major Update or Special Event.
Media
| Placement | Type | Ratio | Pixels | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event card | Image | 16:9 | 1920 × 1080 to 3840 × 2160 | JPEG, JPG, PNG · up to 500 MB |
| Event card | Video | 16:9 | 1920 × 1080 to 3840 × 2160 | MOV, M4V, MP4 · 15–30 s · 30 or 60 fps · up to 500 MB |
| Event details page | Image | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 to 2160 × 3840 | JPEG, JPG, PNG · up to 500 MB |
| Event details page | Video | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 to 2160 × 3840 | MOV, M4V, MP4 · 15–30 s · 30 or 60 fps · up to 500 MB |
Source: Apple In-App Event media and audio specifications. Card media is landscape; details page media is portrait.
Apple's guidance for the media: videos autoplay and repeat, so make them loop smoothly, and don't add borders or gradients.
Timing rules
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Event length | At least 15 minutes, at most 31 days |
| Publish before start | Up to 14 days before the start date |
| Different start times by region | All start dates within 48 hours of each other |
| Published at once | Up to 10 events on the App Store and Apple Games |
| Approved per app | Up to 15 in App Store Connect |
The publish date is when the event card can appear before the event starts. Use those days: people who tap "Notify me" during that window hear from the App Store when it begins.
Measure it
App Store Connect reports event impressions, event details page views, app opens from the event and how many people asked to be notified. You can also filter downloads and acquisition sources by event.
Compare the downloads during an event with the same days in the weeks before it. A spike in event impressions with flat downloads means the card was seen but didn't persuade; change the media or the short description for the next one.
Do this today
- List the next three things happening in your app in the coming two months and pick one that fits a badge.
- Draft its name and both descriptions in the Workbench In-app event tab.
- Set the publish date as early as Apple allows, up to 14 days before the start.
Official sources
Checked 2026-10-17. Store rules change; confirm anything submission-critical on these pages.