# In-app events on the App Store: limits, badges, examples and a calendar

> In-app events are timely moments inside an app or game, such as a challenge, a competition, a livestream or new content, that you set up in App Store Connect and that the App Store shows as event cards on your product page, in search results and in editorial and personalized recommendations.

Uptika team · Published: 2026-11-05 · Last updated: 2026-11-05 · https://uptika.app/en/guides/in-app-events

## What are in-app events?

In-app events are time-limited moments inside your app or game that the App Store promotes for you. Each one gets an event card (image or video, name, short description) and a details page. People can download the app from the card, open the event directly, share it, or ask the App Store to notify them when it starts.

Apple shows event cards in four places:

- **Your product page**, which lists all your currently published events.
- **Search results.** People who already downloaded your app see the event card next to it; people who never did see your screenshots instead. People can also search for events directly.
- **Editorial selections and personalized recommendations** on the Today, Games and Apps tabs.
- **Apple Games**, which App Store Connect Help names next to the App Store.

You can submit events for review on their own, without a new app version.

## What are the limits?

All values come from Apple's In-App Events page and App Store Connect Help.

| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Published on the App Store at once | Up to 10 per app |
| Approved in App Store Connect at once | Up to 15 per app |
| Overlapping start dates and times | Up to 10 events, approved or draft |
| Event length | At least 15 minutes, at most 31 days |
| Earliest publish date | Up to 14 days before the start |
| Different start times by region | All starts within 48 hours of each other |
| Reference name (internal) | Up to 64 characters, unique |
| Event name | Up to 30 characters, title case |
| Short description (event card) | Up to 50 characters, sentence case |
| Long description (details page) | Up to 120 characters, sentence case |
| After the event is published | Only start and end dates can change |
| After the event begins | Only the end date can change |

Event name, short and long description, card media and details page media are localizable; badge, priority and dates are not.

## What media does an event need?

Every event needs card media (landscape) and details page media (portrait). Images cannot have alpha channels or transparency.

| Placement | Aspect ratio | Size | Image | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event card | 16:9 | 1920×1080 to 3840×2160 px | .jpeg, .jpg, .png | .mov, .m4v, .mp4; 15–30 s; 30 or 60 fps |
| Event details page | 9:16 | 1080×1920 to 2160×3840 px | .jpeg, .jpg, .png | .mov, .m4v, .mp4; 15–30 s; 30 or 60 fps |

Image files can be up to 500 MB. Videos are muted in search results and loop in every placement, so design a seamless loop. Apple asks you to avoid text and logos in the media, and not to add borders or gradients, because the App Store crops and applies gradients itself.

## Which event badge should I choose?

The badge sits above the event name on the card and details page. Apple offers seven:

| Badge | Apple's meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Challenge | Reach a goal before the event ends | A 30-day fitness challenge |
| Competition | Users compete for ranking or rewards | A weekend tournament |
| Live Event | Happens in real time for everyone at once | A livestreamed concert or match |
| Premiere | First-time availability of content or media | A new film or audio release |
| New Season | New content, storylines or media libraries on established content | A new season of a show, a new battle pass |
| Major Update | Significant new features, content or experiences | New game modes or levels; not UI tweaks or bug fixes |
| Special Event | Limited-time events no other badge captures | A collaboration spanning several activities |

Live Event, New Season, Premiere and Special Event should offer new content, features or goods, not general awareness.

### A badge decision tree

Ask these questions in order and stop at the first yes:

1. Does it happen in real time, for everyone at once? **Live Event.**
2. Do users compete against each other for a rank or reward? **Competition.**
3. Does each user try to reach a goal before the end date? **Challenge.**
4. Is a piece of content or media available for the first time? **Premiere.**
5. Is it a new chapter of content you already run, like a season or pass? **New Season.**
6. Is it a significant new feature or mode that stays after the event? **Major Update.**
7. Is it limited-time, with new content, and none of the above? **Special Event.**
8. None of these? It is probably not an event. Apple lists daily tasks, price promotions without new content, and general app awareness as poor candidates.

## How do I write the event name and descriptions?

Apple's guidance is short and strict:

- The name is the event's real name, such as "June Leaderboard Climb", not a call to action like "Watch the livestream". Do not repeat the event type; the badge already shows it.
- No all capitals, no stacked punctuation, no unverifiable claims like "the best" or "#1", and no filler like "game event".
- No specific prices. Apple says prices in event metadata lead to rejection.
- The short description says what the person will do; the long description can add details such as rewards.

## Ten example events

These are invented examples. Character counts were checked against the 30 and 50 character limits.

| Badge | App type | Event name | Chars | Short description | Chars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenge | Step counter | May Ten Thousand Steps | 22 | Hit 10,000 steps every day this May | 35 |
| Competition | Word puzzle game | Autumn Word Duel Cup | 20 | Top the duel table by Sunday night | 34 |
| Live Event | Cooking app | Sunday Fresh Pasta Class | 24 | Cook along with a chef, live at 7 pm | 36 |
| Premiere | Sleep and meditation app | The Quiet Forest | 16 | A new 40-minute sleep story tonight | 35 |
| New Season | Language-learning app | Kitchen Spanish: Market Days | 28 | Twelve new lessons on food and markets | 38 |
| Major Update | Budgeting app | Shared Budgets for Two | 22 | Plan bills and goals with a partner | 35 |
| Special Event | Photo editor | Retro Film Week | 15 | Seven vintage film looks, one week only | 39 |
| Challenge | Reading app | June Five-Book Sprint | 21 | Finish five short books before July | 35 |
| Competition | Puzzle game | Lantern Night Puzzle Race | 25 | Fastest solvers earn a lantern badge | 36 |
| Live Event | Running app | City Marathon Live Map | 22 | Follow every runner on a live race map | 38 |

## How do I create an in-app event in App Store Connect?

These steps follow App Store Connect Help. You need the Account Holder, Admin, App Manager or Marketing role.

1. Open your app, then click **In-App Events** in the left sidebar.
2. Click **Create In-App Event** (or the add button (+)), enter a reference name and click **Create**.
3. Enter the event name, short description and long description, and upload card and details page media. **Browse Assets** reuses approved media from the Asset Library.
4. Choose the badge.
5. Add localizations from the language pop-up menu.
6. In **Country or Region Availability**, set the start and end dates and times and the publish date, then click **Save**. Events go to all storefronts where your app is available unless you change it. **Customize Dates and Times** sets different starts per region.
7. Add the event deep link (a universal link is recommended; for new users, Apple suggests onboarding first, then the event), test it, and choose the purpose: appropriate for all users, attract new users, keep active users informed, or bring back lapsed users. Apple uses the purpose for personalized recommendations; it is not shown on the card.
8. Set the priority. Events appear on your product page by start time; High Priority events come before Normal ones.
9. Say whether an in-app purchase is required. For subscription apps, only when the event costs extra on top of the subscription.
10. Choose the primary language, then click **Add for Review**, add it to a draft or new submission, and click **Submit for Review**.

## A 12-month planning template

Use this as a blank plan, not a tool. Fill one row per event, check the limits before you add it, and keep three dates per event: submit, publish (up to 14 days early) and start. Before submitting, check that card and details media are ready and the deep link is tested.

| Month | Moment (yours to fill) | Badge | Submit by | Publish, start and end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | New-year goals | Challenge |  |  |
| February |  |  |  |  |
| March |  |  |  |  |
| April |  |  |  |  |
| May |  |  |  |  |
| June |  |  |  |  |
| July |  |  |  |  |
| August |  |  |  |  |
| September | Back to school or work |  |  |  |
| October |  |  |  |  |
| November |  |  |  |  |
| December | Year-end |  |  |  |

Planning rules that come from the limits:

- At most 10 events live and 15 approved, so a monthly event plus a few short live sessions fits easily; weekly events need archiving as you go.
- 31 days maximum: a month-long challenge fits, a season-long one must be split.
- Leave review time. Apple does not publish a separate review time for events; plan to submit well before your publish date.
- Localize the name and descriptions for your top storefronts, and keep the media free of text so it works in every language.

## How do I measure an event?

App Analytics in App Store Connect shows event performance: downloads filtered by event, the sources where people found it, event impressions, details page views, app opens, and how many people asked to be notified. Compare the event period with the weeks before. For search, track the keywords around the event's theme so you see whether the event brought searches your way.

## How do in-app events compare with Google Play promotional content?

Google Play's closest feature is promotional content in Play Console. It is available to all games, and to apps that meet Google's eligibility criteria for Premium growth tools.

| | App Store in-app events | Google Play promotional content |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum length | 31 days | Four weeks |
| Shown early | Up to 14 days before start | Preview up to 14 days before start |
| Submit | Apple publishes no earliest submit date; the event needs approval before it publishes | Earliest 60 days before start; approval can take up to four days |
| Featuring | Editors may pick events; you can share events with Apple's editors | Request featuring at least 14 days before start; app developers have up to 6 featuring slots per quarter for broad audiences |
| Limits | 10 live, 15 approved | Any number of events without featuring; featuring requests are limited per quarter |

Details are in [Google Play promotional content](https://uptika.app/en/guides/google-play-promotional-content).

## How does Uptika help?

Uptika has no event calendar or event submission feature; events are created in App Store Connect. What it does help with is the search side. The free [Chart Movers](https://uptika.app/en/tools/chart-movers) tool shows daily category top 10s, climbers and new entrants, and [Keyword Atlas](https://uptika.app/en/tools/keyword-atlas) checks the popularity of an event's theme terms in up to 10 countries. In the panel, the free [Keyword radar](https://uptika.app/en/product/keyword-radar) records your daily rank, popularity and difficulty per keyword, so you can compare the weeks around an event. [Create a free account](https://uptika.app/app/#/?signup=1) to start.

## Questions

### What are in-app events on the App Store?

They are time-limited events inside your app or game, such as challenges, competitions, live events, premieres, new seasons or major updates. Each event gets a card with an image or video, a name and a short description, and a details page. People can download your app, open the event or ask to be notified from the card.

### How do I create an in-app event?

In App Store Connect, open your app, click In-App Events in the left sidebar and click Create In-App Event. Add a reference name, the event name, short and long descriptions, media, a badge, dates, a deep link, purpose, priority and whether a purchase is required, then submit it for review with or without an app version.

### How long can an in-app event run?

An event can run for at least 15 minutes and at most 31 days. It can become visible on the App Store up to 14 days before it starts, so the longest total time on the store is about 45 days.

### What are good in-app event examples?

Apple names challenges, competitions and special content launches as good candidates. Daily tasks, price promotions without new content and general awareness campaigns are not. A good event has a real name, a clear start and end, and something new to do.

### How many in-app events can I have?

Up to 10 events published on the App Store at a time and up to 15 approved events per app in App Store Connect. Up to 10 events can have overlapping start dates and times, counting approved and draft events.

## Sources

- [In-App Events (Apple Developer)](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/in-app-events/)
- [Offer In-App Events (App Store Connect Help)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/offer-in-app-events/offer-in-app-events)
- [Manage events (App Store Connect Help)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/offer-in-app-events/manage-events)
- [In-App Event badges (App Store Connect Help)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/in-app-events/in-app-event-badges)
- [Submit an In-App Event (App Store Connect Help)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/manage-submissions-to-app-review/submit-an-in-app-event)
- [Creative assets specifications (App Store Connect Help)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/app-information/creative-assets-specifications)
- [Create promotional content (Play Console Help)](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/12932541)

## Free tools

- [Chart Movers](https://uptika.app/en/tools/chart-movers): Daily: a category's top 10 in a country, the climbers, new entrants and apps launched in the last 90 days.
- [Keyword Atlas](https://uptika.app/en/tools/keyword-atlas): Measures one search term in up to 10 countries on both stores: popularity, difficulty and each market's top 3 apps in one table.

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Uptika is an ASO and store-intelligence tool for the App Store and Google Play. https://uptika.app/en