Skip to content

News app screenshots with a dark background

A dark picture overall. The App Store follows the device’s light or dark appearance, so a dark screenshot stands out in one and blends into the other.

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
50% 49 of 98
Screenshots that do it
34% 177 of 517
The top ten
5 of 10 against 44 of the other 88

177 of the 517 News screenshots read (34%) do this, across 49 of the top 98 apps (50%). 5 of the top ten do it (50%), against 44 of the other 88 (50%): the top ten do it about as often as the rest. Of the 23 categories read so far, News is 8th for this. It is most common in Entertainment (79% of apps) and least common in Food & Drink (14%).

12 examples from the chart.

12 of the 177 News app screenshots with a dark background, one from each app, the highest on the chart first.

X App Store screenshot 1, headline “Be the first to know.”. Dark.
X#1 in News · screenshot 1“Be the first to know.”
CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio App Store screenshot 1, headline “Stay Aware with Timely Alerts”. Dark.
CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio#3 in News · screenshot 1“Stay Aware with Timely Alerts”
Citizen: Safety & Live Video App Store screenshot 1, headline “Get lifesaving, real-time alerts”. Dark.
Citizen: Safety & Live Video#7 in News · screenshot 1“Get lifesaving, real-time alerts”
Police Scanner Radio & Fire App Store screenshot 5, headline “Listen in on breaking news”. Dark.
Police Scanner Radio & Fire#8 in News · screenshot 5“Listen in on breaking news”
NYTimes: US and Global News App Store screenshot 1, headline “The app for every today.”. Dark.
NYTimes: US and Global News#9 in News · screenshot 1“The app for every today.”
Local 10 + Platinum App Store screenshot 1, no headline. Dark.
Local 10 + Platinum#12 in News · screenshot 1No headline
Squawster - Police Scanner App Store screenshot 1, no headline. Dark.
Squawster - Police Scanner#13 in News · screenshot 1No headline
Police Scanner: Fire Radio App Store screenshot 1, headline “Walkie Talkie”. Dark.
Police Scanner: Fire Radio#14 in News · screenshot 1“Walkie Talkie”
FOX LOCAL: Live News & Weather App Store screenshot 3, headline “Choose from your FOX LOCAL stations”. Dark.
FOX LOCAL: Live News & Weather#15 in News · screenshot 3“Choose from your FOX LOCAL stations”
5-0 Radio Pro Police Scanner App Store screenshot 1, no headline. Dark.
5-0 Radio Pro Police Scanner#17 in News · screenshot 1No headline
The White House App Store screenshot 1, headline “AMERICA IS BACK”. Dark.
The White House#19 in News · screenshot 1“AMERICA IS BACK”
The Pour Over App Store screenshot 1, headline “Join 1.5 million Christians already trusting our news”. Dark.
The Pour Over#20 in News · screenshot 1“Join 1.5 million Christians already trusting our news”

All 177 on the wall

What these screenshots say, word for word.

The words on 40 of the 145 that carry any, as each app wrote them.

  • “Be the first to know.”X · #1 · screenshot 1
  • Public-safety dispatch audio. Not an official report.“Stay Aware with Timely Alerts”CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio · #3 · screenshot 1
  • “Get lifesaving, real-time alerts”Citizen: Safety & Live Video · #7 · screenshot 1
  • “Listen in on breaking news”Police Scanner Radio & Fire · #8 · screenshot 5
  • “The app for every today.”NYTimes: US and Global News · #9 · screenshot 1
  • “Walkie Talkie”Push to talkPolice Scanner: Fire Radio · #14 · screenshot 1
  • “Choose from your FOX LOCAL stations”FOX LOCAL: Live News & Weather · #15 · screenshot 3
  • “AMERICA IS BACK”The White House · #19 · screenshot 1
  • “Join 1.5 million Christians already trusting our news”The Pour Over · #20 · screenshot 1
  • “World leading journalism all in one place.”BBC: World News & Stories · #25 · screenshot 1
  • Castbox“50 MILLION+ FREE PODCASTS”Up-to-date ContentPodcast App & Player - Castbox · #29 · screenshot 1
  • “Your Local Police Scanner”Police Scanner: Crime Radar · #32 · screenshot 1
  • “The Associated Press”Advancing the Power of FactsAP News · #33 · screenshot 1
  • “Stream the world's biggest stories”CNN: Live & Breaking News · #34 · screenshot 1
  • “Find Safer Routes”Crime Radar · #38 · screenshot 3
  • “Context changes everything.”Bloomberg: Business News Daily · #44 · screenshot 1
  • “Understand the world today, and tomorrow.”The Economist: News & Analysis · #45 · screenshot 2
  • “Explore the world of true crime”TrueShort - Stream True Crime · #46 · screenshot 1
  • THE WIRED APP“CONNECT TO WHAT MATTERS”WIRED · #49 · screenshot 1
  • “Catch up on the latest in seconds with Verts”ABC News: Live & Breaking · #52 · screenshot 2
  • “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
  • “Stream”Live TVCNBC: Stock Market & Business · #54 · screenshot 6
  • “The Day's News, Curated For You”MS NOW: Live & Breaking News · #55 · screenshot 2
  • The Washington Post“News happens fast. Don't miss a beat.”Washington Post: Breaking News · #56 · screenshot 1
  • Cleveland Police Dispatch and Metro Housing Au“CPD TRANSPORTS”Police Scanner + · #61 · screenshot 2
  • “The world's leading global business publication”Financial Times: Business News · #64 · screenshot 1
  • “THE #1 FREE STREAMING NEWS CHANNEL”LIVE NEWS, 24/7CBS News: Live Breaking News · #65 · 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
  • “The podcast app for podcast people”Pocket Casts: Podcast Player · #72 · screenshot 1
  • “A universe of content within reach.”Thousands of newspapers and magazines. One app.PressReader: News & Magazines · #75 · screenshot 1
  • “Barron's Magazine”Read the print edition on your phone or tablet.Barron’s - Investing Insights · #76 · screenshot 5
  • “Outstanding Exclusive Entertainment”Fox Nation · #77 · screenshot 1
  • “TRUSTED LOCAL NEWS”Very Local: News & Weather · #79 · screenshot 1
  • “NO CABLE LOGIN REQUIRED ENJOY UNLIMITED ENTERTAINMENT ON FREECABLE TV!”2000+ TV SHOWS, MOVIES, & NEWS CHANNELS ALL IN ONE APP!FREECABLE TV: News & TV Shows · #82 · screenshot 1
  • “A new app experience from Boston Herald”Boston Herald · #83 · screenshot 1
  • “Watch smarter.”Livestreams and recordings of conversations on the issues of the day.The Free Press · #86 · screenshot 3
  • “READ SMARTER, DAY OR NIGHT”NightVision makes staying informed easier on your eyesSnopes · #89 · screenshot 4
  • “0% INTEREST FOR UP TO 72 MONTHS”visit Pellawi.com620 WTMJ Radio · #94 · screenshot 3
  • “Video highlights أبرز مقاطع الفيديو”Al Jazeera - الجزيرة · #97 · screenshot 5

Top ten News apps that do it.

  1. #1X6 of its 6 screenshots
  2. #3CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio4 of its 4 screenshots
  3. #7Citizen: Safety & Live Video6 of its 6 screenshots
  4. #8Police Scanner Radio & Fire1 of its 6 screenshots
  5. #9NYTimes: US and Global News2 of its 6 screenshots

The same tactic in other categories.

CategoryApps that do itScreenshotsTop ten
Entertainment79% 79 of 10069% 376 of 54410 of 10
Music71% 71 of 10057% 311 of 55010 of 10
Weather70% 70 of 10048% 266 of 5557 of 10
Sports67% 67 of 10052% 288 of 55810 of 10
Developer Tools55% 55 of 10041% 208 of 5074 of 10
Photo & Video55% 55 of 10041% 232 of 5665 of 10
Graphics & Design54% 53 of 9939% 220 of 5646 of 10
News50% 49 of 9834% 177 of 5175 of 10
Navigation48% 48 of 9926% 146 of 5663 of 10
Social Networking45% 45 of 10028% 157 of 5543 of 10
Games44% 44 of 10026% 147 of 5675 of 10
Utilities44% 44 of 10029% 157 of 5493 of 10
Reference41% 41 of 10024% 138 of 5664 of 10
Travel38% 38 of 10016% 87 of 5615 of 10
Health & Fitness36% 36 of 10023% 134 of 5746 of 10
Finance34% 34 of 10015% 89 of 5814 of 10
Productivity33% 33 of 9916% 87 of 5512 of 10
Lifestyle33% 33 of 10018% 98 of 5563 of 10
Education29% 29 of 10013% 73 of 5550 of 10
Shopping22% 22 of 1009% 50 of 5621 of 10
Business21% 21 of 1006% 32 of 5542 of 10
Medical21% 21 of 1009% 48 of 5482 of 10
Food & Drink14% 14 of 1006% 35 of 5401 of 10

Dark, across all categories

Related tactics.

Often on the same screenshot

More in look

Questions, answered from the chart.

How many top News apps have App Store screenshots with a dark background?
49 of the top 98 News apps (50%) have at least one, and 177 of their 517 screenshots (34%) 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 dark background?
In the top ten: X (#1), CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio (#3), Citizen: Safety & Live Video (#7), Police Scanner Radio & Fire (#8) and NYTimes: US and Global News (#9). Further down the chart: Local 10 + Platinum (#12), Squawster - Police Scanner (#13), Police Scanner: Fire Radio (#14), FOX LOCAL: Live News & Weather (#15) and 5-0 Radio Pro Police Scanner (#17), and 39 more.
Should my News app have App Store screenshots with a dark background?
The chart shows who does it, not whether it would work for your app. 5 of the top ten News apps do it (50%), against 44 of the other 88 (50%), so the top ten do it about as often as the rest. Ten apps is a small group, so read that as a description of this chart and not as a rule.

See your own app against this.

Pagefully reads your screenshots the same way, and makes a custom product page for each search people type, from your real screens.

Preview your pages