Guide

iOS app icon sizes explained for iPhone, iPad, and App Store

If you are preparing assets for an iOS app, one of the fastest ways to create avoidable friction is to export the wrong icon sizes. Xcode expects a set of icon images that map to different devices, display scales, and historical asset slots.

The most important modern size is the App Store icon at 1024x1024, but that is only part of the story. Inside the asset catalog, iPhone and iPad still use multiple slots such as 20x20, 29x29, 40x40, 60x60, 76x76, and 83.5x83.5, often multiplied by 2x or 3x. Depending on your workflow, you may also keep older legacy sizes like 57x57 or 72x72 to support older templates or migration scenarios.

Why there are so many iOS icon sizes

Apple uses logical point sizes in the asset catalog and combines them with display scale factors. A 29x29 icon at 3x becomes an exported image at 87x87 pixels. This lets Xcode map icons cleanly across retina and non-retina contexts without forcing designers to think only in raw pixels.

Common size groups you should expect

• iPhone notification, settings, spotlight, and app icons
• iPad notification, settings, spotlight, and app icons
• App Store marketing icon at 1024x1024
• Optional legacy sizes for older asset workflows

How to export them correctly

Start with a square source logo at 1024x1024 or larger. Keep the artwork centered, make padding intentional, and avoid squeezing detailed logos too close to the edges. If you use a generator that also writes Contents.json, you save time and avoid manual asset catalog mistakes.

If you want the fastest path, use the generator on the home page to create a ready-to-use AppIcon.appiconset ZIP directly in the browser.