ThisIsATest is a meta-app for Android™ developers. It is not intended to be installed (although you can if you want to). It exists in order to illustrate what happens to the promotional assets that are included with an app when it is published.
When publishing an app, you are asked to provide 4 types of promotional assets:
- Screenshots (at least 2): 320w x 480h, 480w x 800h, 480w x 854h (+ tablet-specific sizes).
- A high resolution application icon: 512 x 512.
- A promotional graphic: 180w x 120h.
- A feature graphic: 1024w x 500h.
Not all of the promotional assets are required, but all are recommended so that your app can participate fully in the Android™ Market. For more information see Android™ Market Featured-Image Guidelines on the Android™ Developers Blog.
It is not, however, obvious what happens to these assets after you supply them: some are clipped and/or resized; some appear in the Market app, whilst others appear on the Market website; some are 'scraped' (and further processed) by third-party market places, like AppBrain. Hence ThisIsATest.
The following promotional assets have been associated with the app listing for ThisIsATest in the Android™ Market - compare these with what you see in the Market (app and website), and elsewhere on the web. Each asset has a single pixel border and 'test pattern' corners (10-pixel x 10-pixel checkerboard) to help assess clipping. Each asset is labelled so you can see where they end up, and which is used where.
We hope this helps other Android™ developers with the process of developing their own promotional assets.
Raw Promotional Assets
Screenshots
A high resolution application icon
A promotional graphic
A feature graphic
In-app Icons
Results...
... 1:1 scale, as captured 17th/18th November, 2011...
- Market: Web
- Old Market: Device (Samsung Galaxy S/Android 2.1)
- New Market: Device (Samsung Galaxy S/Android 2.3.3)
- Miscellaneous
- AppBrain
Market: Web
Full Market listing
Feature graphic downscaled to 705w x 354h.
High resolution application icon downscaled to 124 x 124.
Screenshots downscaled to 230h.
Checkout screen
Uses 'high resolution application icon' downscaled to 65 x 65.
Old Market: Device (Samsung Galaxy S/Android 2.1)
Note: Android 2.1 and below uses the old Market format.
'My apps' listing
App details, top
App details, screenshot list
Note significant, asymmetric clipping.
App details, screenshot 1 detail
App details, screenshot 2 detail
App details, screenshot 3 detail
New Market: Device (Samsung Galaxy S/Android 2.3.3)
Note: Android 2.2 and up uses the new Market format.
Summary listing
Note use of 'high resolution application icon' (downscaled to 63 x 63) instead of 'in-app, mdpi' icon used in old Market app.
App details, top, left
Note use of 'high resolution application icon' (downscaled to 72 x 72) instead of 'promotional graphic' used in old Market app (or using the 'in-app, hdpi' icon, which would have looked much better).
App details, top, right
Miscellaneous
As seen on the Developers Console
As seen on home screen
(Samsung Galaxy S/Android 2.1).
AppBrain
AppBrain: list
High resolution application icon downscaled to 48 x 48.
AppBrain: detail
High resolution application icon downscaled to 48 x 48.
Screenshots clipped/downscaled to 128 x 128.