Introduction

This warning means your app bundle is missing the required iPhone app icon slot for 60pt @2x, which corresponds to a 120x120 PNG image. In modern Xcode projects, the usual fix is not manual Info.plist editing but correcting the AppIcon asset catalog so the exact icon size is present and assigned to the right slot.

Understand What 120x120 Means

On iPhone, the classic home-screen icon size is 60x60 points. On a 2x Retina asset scale, that becomes 120x120 pixels.

That is why Xcode or App Store validation complains specifically about 120x120. It is not asking for an arbitrary image. It is asking for one exact icon asset used by a particular device and scale combination.

Fix It in the Asset Catalog

The cleanest workflow is:

1. Open Assets.xcassets
2. Select the AppIcon set
3. Find the iPhone 60pt @2x slot
4. Drop in a 120x120 PNG with no transparency issues and the correct exported dimensions

If you use an asset catalog correctly, Xcode handles the bundle wiring for you.

For teams generating icons from a design source, it is common to maintain one large master image and export the required sizes from that source. The exported file should then be placed into the exact slot, not referenced manually by filename in random project settings.

Verify the App Icon Configuration

Sometimes the image exists, but the project is still pointing at the wrong icon set. Check the target settings:

• Target
• 'General'
• 'App Icons and Launch Images'
• 'App Icons Source'

Make sure the target is using the AppIcon asset set you actually edited.

In project files, the key relationship is conceptually similar to this:

<key>ASSETCATALOG_COMPILER_APPICON_NAME</key>
<string>AppIcon</string>

You do not usually edit this manually, but it helps to know what Xcode is trying to resolve under the hood.

Keep the Export Clean

The image file itself should be:

• exactly 120x120 pixels
• PNG format
• square
• exported from the original artwork, not resized repeatedly from older exports

Bad resizing workflows are a common source of blurry or rejected icons. Export from the original vector or high-resolution master every time.

Rebuild and Re-Archive After Fixing

After updating the asset catalog:

xcodebuild -scheme MyApp clean build

Then produce a fresh archive. Old archives can preserve stale asset packaging, which makes it look like the fix did not work even though the project has been corrected.

If you upload through Xcode Organizer or Transporter, always use the newly created archive after the asset fix.

Common Pitfalls

The biggest mistake is placing the icon file somewhere in the project tree without assigning it to the correct AppIcon slot. Xcode validation does not care that the PNG exists somewhere; it cares that the asset catalog includes it correctly.

Another issue is confusing pixels and points. The warning asks for 120x120 pixels because that corresponds to the required 60pt @2x asset.

Developers also sometimes keep old manual icon declarations in Info.plist while also using asset catalogs. That can create confusing, mixed configuration states. In modern projects, let the asset catalog be the source of truth unless you have a very specific legacy setup.

Finally, do not reuse a compressed screenshot or marketing graphic as the icon. App icons need exact dimensions and clean source artwork, not approximate images scaled down at the last minute.

Summary

• The warning usually means the iPhone 60pt @2x icon slot is missing its 120x120 PNG.
• Fix the issue in Assets.xcassets, not by scattering icon files around the project.
• Confirm the target points at the correct AppIcon asset set.
• Export the icon from the original artwork at the exact required size.
• Rebuild and archive again so the corrected asset catalog is packaged into the bundle.