Podcast cover art is a 3000 x 3000 px square, and Apple sets the binding constraint by accepting 1400 x 1400 px to 3000 x 3000 px through the RSS feed with the largest preferred. The rejection people hit is transparency, since Apple does not allow an alpha channel.
Where it shows
- The show page in Apple Podcasts and Spotify
- Every episode row in a listener's library and queue
- The Now Playing screen and the mini player bar
- Category and search result grids across podcast apps
- Car dashboard and lock screen playback controls
The safe zone
Nothing is overlaid on podcast art, so the constraint is size rather than crop. Almost every place it appears is small, from an episode row in a library to the mini player bar to a car dashboard tile, so the show name has to carry the whole design on its own. Apple asks for a solid background, a clear and prominent title, good contrast between the text and the background, and no abrupt cropping or awkward text overlap.
Quirks worth knowing
- Apple names 3000 x 3000 px as the requirement and accepts 1400 x 1400 px to 3000 x 3000 px through the RSS feed, stating that the largest size is preferred.
- Show covers cannot contain transparency and should not contain an alpha channel, which is what catches a logo exported straight out of a design tool as PNG.
- Apple publishes no file size cap on the show cover page, so that field is empty here, and the exact safe area guidance is distributed inside Apple's downloadable template rather than in the page text.
- Apple asks that you do not add Apple logos or hardware to the artwork, so a mockup of a phone playing your show is a problem.
- Directories read the artwork from your RSS feed, so a file that satisfies Apple satisfies the apps pulling the same feed, which is why Apple sets the standard here.
- The art is square in every app, so the 16:9 artwork for the same show on YouTube cannot be reused without a full relayout.
Common mistakes
- Exporting a PNG with a transparent background, which fails Apple's no alpha channel rule.
- Loading the cover with host names, a tagline and a network logo, none of which survive at episode list size.
- Submitting a 1000 x 1000 px file, which sits under Apple's 1400 px floor and is refused before anyone hears an episode.
- Setting the title in a thin typeface over a photograph, so it disappears the moment the art is shown small.
What we recommend
- Export at 3000 x 3000 px, flattened onto a solid background, as JPG or PNG with no alpha channel.
- Put the show name on the cover and leave everything else off.
- Shrink the file to thumbnail size on screen and confirm the title still reads before you publish the feed.
- Pick one high contrast pairing of title and background, since the art has to hold up against both light and dark app themes.
Common questions
Why was my podcast rejected by Apple?
Artwork size and transparency are the two usual causes. Apple accepts 1400 x 1400 px to 3000 x 3000 px, and states that show covers cannot contain transparency or an alpha channel. Flatten the file onto a solid background and re-export at 3000 x 3000 px.
What size should podcast cover art be?
3000 x 3000 px square. Apple is the strictest of the major directories, so its requirement sets the standard everyone works to. The feed accepts anything from 1400 x 1400 px upward, and Apple prefers the largest size, so submitting the maximum means never redoing it.
Can I use a PNG for podcast cover art?
Yes, Apple accepts PNG or JPG. The restriction is on transparency, not on the file format. A PNG is fine as long as it carries no alpha channel and sits on a solid background.
Do Apple and Spotify need different podcast artwork?
No, both read the artwork from the same RSS feed, so there is one file to make. Apple has the tighter requirements, so a 3000 x 3000 px square with no transparency covers the other directories too. Change it once in the feed and it updates everywhere.
More answers on thumbnail, carousel and cover questions are on the FAQ.