Guideline 4.0

Guideline 4.0 - Design: Blurry Icons or Low-Resolution Assets

Low RiskEasyTypical Fix: 1-3 hours0 Reports

Also known as:App icon is missing required sizes or appears pixelated on high-resolution devicesApp icon contains transparency or an alpha channelIn-app images are only @1x and appear blurry on Retina displaysImages are upscaled from small originals, producing visible artifactsIcon does not fill the full canvas — has visible padding or is not edge-to-edge within the icon shape

Our Take

Apple rejected your app because the app icon or in-app image assets appear blurry, pixelated, or incorrectly sized. This includes missing @2x or @3x variants, an app icon that does not meet the required 1024×1024 pixel specification, icons with transparency or alpha channels (not allowed), or images that are upscaled from low-resolution sources. Apple expects all visual assets to be crisp and sharp on every supported device.

Resolution Guide

Provide a 1024×1024px app icon — Create your icon at 1024×1024 pixels as a single PNG file with no transparency and no rounded corners (iOS applies the mask automatically). Add it to your asset catalog as the "App Icon" in Xcode.

Remove transparency from the app icon — iOS app icons must not have an alpha channel. In your image editor, flatten the image and export as PNG-24 without transparency. Xcode will warn about this during validation.

Provide @1x, @2x, and @3x for all assets — Every image in your asset catalog needs three variants:

@1x: base size (e.g., 24×24px)

- @2x: double (48×48px)

- @3x: triple (72×72px)

Alternatively, use PDF or SVG vector assets in the asset catalog with "Preserve Vector Data" checked, and Xcode generates all sizes automatically.

Use SF Symbols for system icons — Replace custom icon assets with SF Symbols where possible. They automatically render at the correct resolution and scale with Dynamic Type.

Audit image assets — Open each image in your asset catalog and verify all three slots (@1x, @2x, @3x) are filled. Check that no image appears to be a low-resolution source that was upscaled.

Export from vector sources — Always export raster assets from vector originals (Figma, Sketch, Illustrator) at the exact target resolution. Never upscale a raster image.

Test on high-resolution devices — Run your app on the iPhone 15 Pro Max simulator (3× scale) and an iPad Pro (2× scale) to catch any blurry assets.

Example Rejection Email

From:Apple App Review Team

Subject:Guideline 4.0 - Design: Blurry Icons or Low-Resolution A

Your app icon is not correctly sized and appears blurry on some devices. Specifically, your app icon does not include all required sizes and appears pixelated on iPhone 15 Pro Max. Additionally, some in-app images appear blurry on Retina displays, indicating they may not include @2x and @3x variants. App icons must be provided at 1024x1024 pixels without transparency or layers. Next Steps: Please provide correctly sized assets and resubmit.

Consider Appealing

Do not appeal — this is a clear-cut asset quality issue with a straightforward fix. Regenerate your assets at the correct resolutions and resubmit. The turnaround is faster than waiting for an appeal response.

Generate Appeal

Before & After

Before — Rejected

// Asset catalog with only @1x images

Assets.xcassets/

├── AppIcon.appiconset/

│ └── icon-180.png // upscaled from 60x60, blurry at 3x

├── logo.imageset/

│ └── logo.png // only @1x, no @2x or @3x

└── banner.imageset/

└── banner.png // 375px wide, blurry on Plus/Max devices

After — Approved

// Complete asset catalog with all required resolutions

Assets.xcassets/

├── AppIcon.appiconset/

│ └── icon-1024.png // 1024x1024, no transparency, no corners

├── logo.imageset/

│ ├── logo.pdf // vector with "Preserve Vector Data" ✓

│ └── Contents.json // "preserves-vector-representation": true

└── banner.imageset/

├── banner@1x.png // 375px wide

├── banner@2x.png // 750px wide

└── banner@3x.png // 1125px wide

What changed: Provide the app icon at 1024×1024px and let Xcode generate all required sizes. For in-app assets, either provide all three scale variants or use vector PDFs with 'Preserve Vector Data' enabled for automatic scaling.

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Guideline 4.0 - Design: Blurry Icons or Low-Resolution Assets

Our Take

Resolution Guide

**Provide a 1024×1024px app icon** — Create your icon at 1024×1024 pixels as a single PNG file with no transparency and no rounded corners (iOS applies the mask automatically). Add it to your asset catalog as the "App Icon" in Xcode.

**Remove transparency from the app icon** — iOS app icons must not have an alpha channel. In your image editor, flatten the image and export as PNG-24 without transparency. Xcode will warn about this during validation.

**Provide @1x, @2x, and @3x for all assets** — Every image in your asset catalog needs three variants:

**Use SF Symbols for system icons** — Replace custom icon assets with SF Symbols where possible. They automatically render at the correct resolution and scale with Dynamic Type.

**Audit image assets** — Open each image in your asset catalog and verify all three slots (@1x, @2x, @3x) are filled. Check that no image appears to be a low-resolution source that was upscaled.

**Export from vector sources** — Always export raster assets from vector originals (Figma, Sketch, Illustrator) at the exact target resolution. Never upscale a raster image.

**Test on high-resolution devices** — Run your app on the iPhone 15 Pro Max simulator (3× scale) and an iPad Pro (2× scale) to catch any blurry assets.