Programming
Missing recommended icon file - The bundle does not contain an app icon for iPhone iPod Touch of exactly 120x120 pixels in png format
Encountering the “Missing recommended icon file - The bundle does not contain an app icon for iPhone / iPod Touch of exactly ‘120x120’ pixels, in .png format” error can be a frustrating roadblock for any iOS developer on the verge of submitting their application to the App Store. This specific error message, precise in its requirements, indicates that your app bundle is missing a crucial icon asset needed for proper display on iPhone and iPod Touch devices. Without this particular 120x120 pixel PNG file, your submission will be rejected, halting your progress. Understanding the root cause of this common App Store Connect validation failure is the first step toward a quick resolution, ensuring your hard work can finally reach your users.
Understanding the “Missing Recommended Icon File” Error
The “Missing recommended icon file” error is a direct signal from Apple’s App Store Connect validation system. It means that when your app bundle was compiled, it did not include a specific icon size required for display on certain iOS devices. Specifically, the error highlights the absence of a 120x120 pixel icon for iPhone and iPod Touch. This isn’t just a suggestion; it’s a mandatory requirement for your app to pass the preliminary checks before it can even enter the review queue. The error often arises from oversights in managing your app’s visual assets, particularly within Xcode’s asset catalog.
Every iOS application needs a comprehensive set of icons, each tailored to specific resolutions and device types, to ensure optimal visual fidelity across the diverse Apple ecosystem. From the SpringBoard (home screen) to Spotlight search results and settings, different contexts demand different icon sizes. The 120x120 pixel icon is typically used for the iPhone/iPod Touch @2x display, meaning it serves as the 60x60pt icon scaled up for Retina displays. Ignoring any of these required sizes, or providing them in the wrong format, will inevitably lead to validation failures like this one during the App Store submission process.
It’s crucial to understand that App Store Connect is highly particular about both the dimensions and the format of your icons. They must be exact, and they must be in PNG format. Any deviation, such as a JPEG image, an incorrect resolution, or even transparency issues, can trigger this error. Developers often overlook a single required size or misconfigure their asset catalog, leading to this precise error message, even if most other icons are correctly implemented.
The Core Culprit: Your App’s Asset Catalog
At the heart of iOS app icon management is Xcode’s Asset Catalog, typically named Assets.xcassets. This is where all your app’s visual assets, including icons and images, are organized and managed. Xcode uses this catalog to automatically select the correct image resolution for different devices and display scales (e.g., @1x, @2x, @3x). For icons, you’ll find an “AppIcon” set within Assets.xcassets, which provides dedicated slots for every required icon size for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
The “Missing recommended icon file - The bundle does not contain an app icon for iPhone / iPod Touch of exactly ‘120x120’ pixels, in .png format” error almost always points to an issue within this AppIcon set. Common mistakes include simply dragging in a single icon that doesn’t meet all the required dimensions, or perhaps missing the specific slot for the 60pt @2x iPhone icon, which translates to 120x120 pixels. Even if you’ve provided a 180x180 pixel icon for the 60pt @3x display, the 120x120 version is still a distinct and mandatory requirement for older or specific iPhone models.
Ensuring your asset catalog is correctly populated is paramount. Each slot in the AppIcon set corresponds to a specific device type and scaling factor. For instance, the ‘60pt @2x’ slot for iPhone and iPod Touch explicitly requires a 120x120 pixel PNG image. If this particular slot is empty, or if the image placed there is not precisely 120x120 pixels and in PNG format, you will encounter the validation error. Properly organizing these assets within Xcode streamlines the build process and minimizes the chances of submission issues, making it a critical aspect of iOS app development best practices.
To fix the “Missing recommended icon file” error, you need to meticulously check and correct your app’s icon assets within Xcode. This process typically Question & Answer :
I submitted an app update, but I have received an email telling me this error has occurred:
Missing recommended icon file - The bundle does not contain an app icon for iPhone / iPod Touch of exactly ‘120x120’ pixels, in .png format
How can I fix this problem?
Here are the current icon requirements from Apple.
I could not see 120x120 appearing anywhere? Is this iOS 7 specific? Should I include an icon named Icon-120.png or something?
Update: I added three icons to the resource folder (Icon-120.png : 120x120, Icon-76.png: 76x76 & Icon-152.png: 152x152), but it did not add them to the info.plist. The same warning email was received. I decided to not change anything and wait to see what would happen next.
To my utter amazement, the app went into the review stage 20 hours later and was released on the market the very next day! Kind of makes me wonder how many Apple/Windows app review people lurk around here.
If you get an icon error when submitting an application from Xcode9, or if you cannot see app icon on your simulator as well as a device, just update your cocoapods to the latest version in your project. That issue is a bug in Xcode9 with cocoapods.
There’s a new guideline for iPhoneX that can be seen here.
Here’s a helpful website that creates an icon for iOS, Mac App and Android app.
You just need to drag and drop your 1024 x 1024 icon and the site will create all the icon sizes and send it to your email. Then follow the following method to set icons for iOS app.
After Apple launched iOS 8, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the app icon sizes and launch image sizes changed. Please visit my post for new sizes:
Image resolution for new iPhone 6 and 6+, @3x support added?
Yes, you need to add a 120x120 high resolution icon. Now, if you want to target only iOS 7, you just need 76 x 76, 120 x 120 and 152 x 152 icon sizes. If you also want to target iOS 6, you’ll need 57 x 57, 72 x 72, 76 x 76, 114 x 114, 120 x 120, 144 x 144 and 152 x 152 icon sizes. Without counting Spotlight and Settings icon if you don’t want the OS to interpolate them!
As per the blog post New Metrics for iOS 7 App Icons.
UPDATE:
As per Apple Guideline App-icon OR Icon and Image Sizes:
Icon dimensions (iOS 7 and later)
Icon dimensions (iOS 6.1 and earlier)
Create different sizes of the app icon for different devices. If you’re creating a universal app, you need to supply app icons in all four sizes.
For iPhone and iPod touch, both of these sizes are required:
- 120 x 120 pixels
- 60 x 60 pixels (standard resolution)
For iPad, both of these sizes are required:
- 152 x 152
- 76 x 76 pixels (standard resolution)
Now set this into Project:
- Create a new icon with 120 pixels with high-resolution and 60 pixels as regular as above that the Apple documentation mentions and set the name. For example,
icon-120.pngandicon-152.png. - Put this icons into your project Resource folder and add this icon into the project:
- After this, click on
ProjectName-Info.plistand find the icon files row. If you can’t find it, then add it by clicking the(+)sign and select icon files and then set all icon images like below.
Now archive and distribute your project as we did for submission of the app binary into the App Store. I hope now you can submit your app without any icon issue.
NOTE:
Be careful to provide all the icons you need. Otherwise your app will not pass Apple validation. If you’ve received this kind of email:
Invalid Image - For iOS applications, icons included in the binary submission must be in the PNG format. - If your application supports the iPhone device family, you must include square icons of the following dimensions: 57x57 pixels and 120x120 pixels. - If your application supports the iPad device family, you must include square icons of the following dimensions: 72x72 pixels, 76x76 pixels and 152x152 pixels
Apple is now accepting applications that work on iOS 7 as well, so whatever the
Deployment target6.1 or earlier, but you also need to provide the iOS 7 icon sizes as I mention above (that the store is expecting).
Xcode 5 app icon Manage
If you are using xCode5 The first thing to update is the icons. Xcode 5 introduces Asset Catalogs to simply managing multiple copies of an image (such as for multiple resolutions). We’ll create one to manage both the Game’s icons, along with the Launch Images.
Now, click the Use Asset Catalog button. When confirming the migration, you’re also asked if you wish to migrate the Launch Images (which is iOS talk for the splash screen that appears when starting your app) - you’ll want to ensure this is checked as well.
Please take a Look for more Info Apple doc of Asset Catalogs
