Launch Screen

A launch screen appears instantly when your app starts up. The launch screen is quickly replaced with the first screen of your app, giving the impression that your app is fast and responsive. The launch screen isn’t an opportunity for artistic expression. It’s solely intended to enhance the perception of your app as quick to launch and immediately ready for use. Every app must supply a launch screen.

Because device screen sizes vary, launch screen sizes vary too. To accommodate this, you can provide a launch screen as an Xcode storyboard or as a set of static images for the devices your app supports. Using an Xcode storyboard is the recommended approach, as storyboards are flexible and adaptable. You can use a single storyboard to manage all of your launch screens. To learn about implementing adaptable interfaces, see Auto Layout Guide.

Design a launch screen that’s nearly identical to the first screen of your app. If you include elements that look different when the app finishes launching, people can experience an unpleasant flash between the launch screen and the first screen of the app.

Avoid including text on your launch screen. Because launch screens are static, any displayed text won’t be localized.

Downplay launch. People are likely to switch apps frequently, so design a launch screen that doesn’t draw attention to the app launching experience.

Don’t advertise. The launch screen isn’t a branding opportunity. Don’t design an entry experience that looks like a splash screen or an "About" window. Don’t include logos or other branding elements unless they’re a static part of your app’s first screen.

Static Launch Screen Images

It’s best to use an Xcode storyboard for your launch screen, but you can provide a set of static images if necessary. Create static images in different sizes for different devices, and be sure to include the status bar region.

Device	Portrait size	Landscape size
iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6 Plus	1080px by 1920px	1920px by 1080px
iPhone 6s, iPhone 6	750px by 1334px	1334px by 750px
iPhone SE	640px by 1136px	1136px by 640px
12.9-inch iPad Pro	2048px by 2732px	2732px by 2048px
9.7-inch iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 2	1536px by 2048px	2048px by 1536px