News app screenshots with a gradient background
A colour that shades into another. A gradient adds depth without adding anything to look at.
From the top 98 free News apps on the US App Store, read on October 9, 2026. Screenshots are the developers’ own, shown from Apple’s servers with a link to each app.
The numbers
Apps that do it
53% 52 of 98
Screenshots that do it
38% 196 of 517
The top ten
3 of 10 against 49 of the other 88
196 of the 517 News screenshots read (38%) do this, across 52 of the top 98 apps (53%). 3 of the top ten do it (30%), against 49 of the other 88 (56%): the top ten do it less than the rest. Of the 23 categories read so far, News is 18th for this. It is most common in Entertainment (79% of apps) and least common in Food & Drink (43%).
12 examples from the chart.
12 of the 196 News app screenshots with a gradient background, one from each app, the highest on the chart first.
“Track Locations You Care About”
“Listen to live police & fire radio”
“See the bias, factuality and ownership of any outlet”
“What's happening in your world?”
“Watch LIVE local news & top stores”
“The Biggest Movers in the Market, Live”
“Catch up on your favorite shows & podcasts”
“Your News, Your Language”
“Catch up on top news with Your Briefing”
What these screenshots say, word for word.
The words on 40 of the 189 that carry any, as each app wrote them.
- Public-safety dispatch audio. Not an official report.
“Track Locations You Care About”
CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio · #3 · screenshot 3 “Listen to live police & fire radio”
Police Scanner Radio & Fire · #8 · screenshot 1“See the bias, factuality and ownership of any outlet”
Ground News · #10 · screenshot 5“What's happening in your world?”
Fizz: Your Authentic Community · #11 · screenshot 1“Watch LIVE local news & top stores”
FOX LOCAL: Live News & Weather · #15 · screenshot 1“The Biggest Movers in the Market, Live”
Every stock on NYSE and NASDAQ, scanned in real time.Stocks.News－Market Alerts · #16 · screenshot 1“Catch up on your favorite shows & podcasts”
NPR: National & Local News · #23 · screenshot 3“Your News, Your Language”
Catch up on the news in Spanish, Chinese, and more.SmartNews: Breaking News · #24 · screenshot 1“Catch up on top news with Your Briefing”
Google News · #27 · screenshot 1“explore live audio chat rooms”
Clubhouse · #28 · screenshot 1“Stay Updated with Breaking News”
FOX News: US & World Headlines · #31 · screenshot 2“Your Local Police Scanner”
Police Scanner: Crime Radar · #32 · screenshot 1“Stream the world's biggest stories”
CNN: Live & Breaking News · #34 · screenshot 1“Podcast App”
Find great podcasts.Podcast App · #35 · screenshot 1“Read high-quality answers on your custom feed”
Quora · #37 · screenshot 1“Your Neighborhood's Incidents At a Glance”
Crime Radar · #38 · screenshot 1“View hourly and daily forecasts, live radar, and latest Weathercast video”
WEAR ABC 3 News · #43 · screenshot 1“Explore the world of true crime”
TrueShort - Stream True Crime · #46 · screenshot 1“GIAO DIỆN MỚI TỐI ƯU TRẢI NGHIỆM”
CẬP NHẬT TIN TỨC MỚI DỄ DÀNG - NHANH CHÓNGThanh niên Việt Nam · #48 · screenshot 1- THE WIRED APP
“CONNECT TO WHAT MATTERS”
WIRED · #49 · screenshot 1 “America's #1 most trusted news source”
ABC News: Live & Breaking · #52 · screenshot 1“WATCH LIVE AND ON DEMAND”
Watch live and on-demand coverage from NBC News NOW, TODAY All Day, Dateline, NBC Sports, local news and moreNBC News: Breaking & US News · #53 · screenshot 2“Live Market Coverage”
CNBC: Stock Market & Business · #54 · screenshot 1- ASK AWAY
“Answers you don't have to question.”
Washington Post: Breaking News · #56 · screenshot 4 “Get local anytime anywhere.”
news, weather and sportsFOX10 News · #57 · screenshot 1“Your favorite podcasts & livestreams at your fingertips”
Listen/Watch/Learn/EnjoyPodbean Podcast App & Player · #58 · screenshot 1“Navigate to exactly what you need”
FEED Mobile · #59 · screenshot 2“Make your show the next big thing”
Connect with fans, track analytics, and grow your show on Spotify.Spotify for Creators · #60 · screenshot 1“ALWAYS CONNECTED. ALWAYS ON.”
Your all-in-one destination for local news, weather forecasts and information.Spectrum News: Local Stories · #62 · screenshot 1“Privacy first. No ads, no tracking.”
Narwhal for Reddit · #63 · screenshot 2“THE #1 FREE STREAMING NEWS CHANNEL”
LIVE NEWS, 24/7CBS News: Live Breaking News · #65 · screenshot 1“中国领事”
以人为本 外交为民中国领事 · #66 · screenshot 1“YOUR SHOWS. YOUR MOVIES.”
TRACK EVERYTHING YOU WATCH, ALL IN ONE PLACE.TV Club: Movies & Show Tracker · #67 · screenshot 1“The #1 app for UFO sightings”
Enigma: What’s that in the Sky · #69 · screenshot 1“Talk Work. Stay Anonymous.”
Blind: Anonymous Work Network · #71 · screenshot 1“from 120+ countries”
PressReader: News & Magazines · #75 · screenshot 3“In-Depth Financial Analysis”
Expert insights from our award-winning newsroom.Barron’s - Investing Insights · #76 · screenshot 1“Outstanding Exclusive Entertainment”
Fox Nation · #77 · screenshot 1“Get local”
news, weather and sports anytime anywhere.WJHG News · #78 · screenshot 1“TRUSTED LOCAL NEWS”
Very Local: News & Weather · #79 · screenshot 1
Top ten News apps that do it.
- #3CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio1 of its 4 screenshots
- #8Police Scanner Radio & Fire6 of its 6 screenshots
- #10Ground News2 of its 6 screenshots
The same tactic in other categories.
| Category | Apps that do it | Screenshots | Top ten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entertainment | 79% 79 of 100 | 65% 352 of 544 | 9 of 10 |
| Utilities | 78% 78 of 100 | 64% 352 of 549 | 5 of 10 |
| Graphics & Design | 77% 76 of 99 | 60% 337 of 564 | 9 of 10 |
| Health & Fitness | 73% 73 of 100 | 57% 330 of 574 | 5 of 10 |
| Music | 73% 73 of 100 | 57% 315 of 550 | 6 of 10 |
| Sports | 71% 71 of 100 | 50% 279 of 558 | 7 of 10 |
| Social Networking | 68% 68 of 100 | 52% 290 of 554 | 6 of 10 |
| Games | 67% 67 of 100 | 41% 233 of 567 | 6 of 10 |
| Lifestyle | 66% 66 of 100 | 49% 275 of 556 | 5 of 10 |
| Reference | 65% 65 of 100 | 52% 294 of 566 | 8 of 10 |
| Productivity | 65% 64 of 99 | 49% 270 of 551 | 6 of 10 |
| Business | 63% 63 of 100 | 44% 243 of 554 | 6 of 10 |
| Education | 62% 62 of 100 | 37% 208 of 555 | 6 of 10 |
| Finance | 62% 62 of 100 | 46% 266 of 581 | 5 of 10 |
| Photo & Video | 60% 60 of 100 | 42% 236 of 566 | 4 of 10 |
| Developer Tools | 55% 55 of 100 | 46% 233 of 507 | 6 of 10 |
| Medical | 54% 54 of 100 | 33% 183 of 548 | 7 of 10 |
| News | 53% 52 of 98 | 38% 196 of 517 | 3 of 10 |
| Navigation | 52% 51 of 99 | 33% 189 of 566 | 5 of 10 |
| Travel | 50% 50 of 100 | 31% 173 of 561 | 5 of 10 |
| Shopping | 49% 49 of 100 | 32% 181 of 562 | 4 of 10 |
| Weather | 45% 45 of 100 | 35% 193 of 555 | 2 of 10 |
| Food & Drink | 43% 43 of 100 | 24% 130 of 540 | 3 of 10 |
Related tactics.
Often on the same screenshot
- Blue51% of these screenshots, against 33% of all News screenshots
- Has a headline96% of these screenshots, against 84% of all News screenshots
- Background is the icon’s colour52% of these screenshots, against 39% of all News screenshots
- Leads with a feature62% of these screenshots, against 51% of all News screenshots
- Words at the top88% of these screenshots, against 78% of all News screenshots
- Plain tone72% of these screenshots, against 62% of all News screenshots
More in look
- Black, white or grey60%
- Light58%
- Background is the icon’s colour56%
- Solid background54%
- Blue50%
- Dark50%
- A word in a different colour43%
- High contrast words34%
- Low contrast words26%
- Orange18%
- The app itself is the background18%
- Serif headline16%
- Pattern or texture14%
- Photo background14%
- Red13%
- Teal9%
- Green7%
- Rounded headline type7%
- Yellow5%
- Purple4%
- Pink3%
- Condensed or display type1%
Questions, answered from the chart.
How many top News apps have App Store screenshots with a gradient background?
52 of the top 98 News apps (53%) have at least one, and 196 of their 517 screenshots (38%) do it. Counted from the US App Store’s top free chart on October 9, 2026.
Which News apps have App Store screenshots with a gradient background?
In the top ten: CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio (#3), Police Scanner Radio & Fire (#8) and Ground News (#10). Further down the chart: Fizz: Your Authentic Community (#11), Squawster - Police Scanner (#13), FOX LOCAL: Live News & Weather (#15), Stocks.News－Market Alerts (#16) and 5-0 Radio Pro Police Scanner (#17), and 44 more.
Should my News app have App Store screenshots with a gradient background?
The chart shows who does it, not whether it would work for your app. 3 of the top ten News apps do it (30%), against 49 of the other 88 (56%), so the top ten do it less than the rest. Ten apps is a small group, so read that as a description of this chart and not as a rule.
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