How to fix app preview video that is too long or too short
Table of Contents
When you upload an app preview video to App Store Connect, it can be rejected because of its duration. App preview videos must be between 15 and 30 seconds long.
Anything outside that window fails — a 31-second video is too long, and a snappy 10-second demo is too short.
In this article, we will learn how to get your recording into the accepted range.
Cause of the problem
Apple requires app previews to be 15 to 30 seconds. Raw feature recordings rarely land in that window naturally:
- A full walkthrough of your app easily runs 45+ seconds.
- A quick demo of a single interaction is often under 15 seconds.
There is no tolerance here. App Store Connect checks the duration when you upload, and the video is rejected before it even reaches review.
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How to fix the duration error
For a video that is too long, you need to trim it to 30 seconds or less (while keeping it at least 15 seconds).
Option 1: QuickTime Player
QuickTime can trim without re-encoding: Edit > Trim (⌘T), drag the yellow handles, and export. This is the quickest built-in option, but be careful: QuickTime shows whole seconds only, so it is easy to end up at 30.4 seconds and get rejected again.
Option 2: ffmpeg
This command cuts a clip starting at 5 seconds with a duration of 25 seconds, re-encoding for a frame-accurate cut:
ffmpeg -ss 5 -i input.mov -t 25 -c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 18 -c:a aac -ar 48000 output.mp4Option 3: App Preview Converter (built-in trimming)
I built a Mac app for preparing app previews: App Preview Converter.
It has a trim control built into the preview screen — drag the handles to select the segment you want, and the app keeps the selection within Apple's 15–30 second window so you can't accidentally export an invalid duration. The same export also handles every other requirement that can reject your upload:
- The exact resolution for your selected device slot (886×1920 and friends).
- Constant 30 fps frame rate.
- A silent audio track added if your recording has none.
- H.264 in an accepted container.
Trim, convert, and upload — one pass through the tool instead of a round trip between QuickTime, ffmpeg, and App Store Connect.
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Related errors
Read more article about Debugging, App Store Connect, or see all available topic
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