What are icons and splash screens?
The app icon is your presence on the home screen and in the store; the splash screen is what users see while the app loads. Along with screenshots and store graphics, these are the first impression and the assets every store submission requires.
Why it matters
Users judge an app before opening it, from its icon and store listing. A generic or low-quality icon signals a low-quality app. These assets are also mandatory and have strict size and format rules per platform — getting them wrong blocks submission. Polish here is cheap and high-impact.
What to learn
- Icon requirements and sizes per platform
- Adaptive icons on Android
- Configuring icon and splash in Expo
- Splash screen behavior and the load transition
- Store screenshots and required dimensions
- Keeping branding consistent across assets
- Generating all sizes from one source
Common pitfall
Shipping with the default placeholder icon or a hastily made one. It is the most visible part of the app and the first thing reviewers and users see, yet it is often left to the last minute. Treat the icon and store assets as a real design task, generated cleanly at every required size.
Resources
Primary (free):
- Expo — App icons · docs
- Expo — Splash screen · docs
- Apple — App icon guidelines · docs
Practice
Configure a real app icon and splash screen in your Expo project from a single source image, generating the required sizes, and confirm they appear on a device. Prepare one set of store screenshots at the correct dimensions. Done when the app shows your icon and splash, not the placeholder.
Outcomes
- Configure app icons and splash screens in Expo.
- Meet per-platform size and format requirements.
- Produce store screenshots at correct dimensions.
- Keep branding consistent across all assets.