News app screenshots with a top-cropped phone
The device runs off the top edge. Cropping the device at the top shows the lower part of the screen larger: tab bars, buttons, keyboards.
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
16% 16 of 98
Screenshots that do it
4% 21 of 517
The top ten
2 of 10 against 14 of the other 88
21 of the 517 News screenshots read (4%) do this, across 16 of the top 98 apps (16%). 2 of the top ten do it (20%), against 14 of the other 88 (16%): the top ten do it about as often as the rest. Of the 23 categories read so far, News is 16th for this. It is most common in Finance (30% of apps) and least common in Games (3%).
12 examples from the chart.
12 of the 21 News app screenshots with a top-cropped phone, one from each app, the highest on the chart first.
“Track Locations You Care About”
“Local weather, forcasts, and radar”
“Read to Me”
“Listen live to your local station”
“explore live audio chat rooms”
“Search for specific episodes within a show”
“Listen to Dispatch Audio”
“Understand the world today, and tomorrow.”
“Stay Informed and Connected”
“Your favorite podcasts & livestreams at your fingertips”
What these screenshots say, word for word.
The words on all 18 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 “Local weather, forcasts, and radar”
FOX LOCAL: Live News & Weather · #15 · screenshot 5“Read to Me”
Listen to WSJ anywhere, anytime.The Wall Street Journal News · #18 · screenshot 6“Listen live to your local station”
NPR: National & Local News · #23 · screenshot 2“explore live audio chat rooms”
Clubhouse · #28 · screenshot 1“Search for specific episodes within a show”
Podcast App · #35 · screenshot 5“Listen to Dispatch Audio”
Crime Radar · #38 · screenshot 2“Understand the world today, and tomorrow.”
The Economist: News & Analysis · #45 · screenshot 2“Stay Informed and Connected”
Live Q&A Happening NowMS NOW: Live & Breaking News · #55 · screenshot 1“Your favorite podcasts & livestreams at your fingertips”
Listen/Watch/Learn/EnjoyPodbean Podcast App & Player · #58 · screenshot 1“Find out where on Spotify you’re being discovered”
Spotify for Creators · #60 · screenshot 6“Today's top news. A tap away.”
The Guardian - US & World News · #80 · screenshot 2“LISTEN TO AUDIO NEWS”
NewsNation: Unbiased News · #92 · screenshot 4“talk or just listen in”
ask to speakClubhouse · #28 · screenshot 3“Step inside the newsroom with Insider.”
The Economist: News & Analysis · #45 · screenshot 3“stay connected with friends”
Clubhouse · #28 · screenshot 5“Get smart suggestions in “For you”.”
The Economist: News & Analysis · #45 · screenshot 5“Listen to professionally narrated articles.”
The Economist: News & Analysis · #45 · screenshot 6
Top ten News apps that do it.
- #1X1 of its 6 screenshots
- #3CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio1 of its 4 screenshots
The same tactic in other categories.
| Category | Apps that do it | Screenshots | Top ten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance | 30% 30 of 100 | 7% 43 of 581 | 2 of 10 |
| Food & Drink | 26% 26 of 100 | 6% 35 of 540 | 2 of 10 |
| Music | 25% 25 of 100 | 5% 26 of 550 | 2 of 10 |
| Business | 24% 24 of 100 | 6% 33 of 554 | 2 of 10 |
| Travel | 24% 24 of 100 | 6% 33 of 561 | 4 of 10 |
| Health & Fitness | 23% 23 of 100 | 5% 31 of 574 | 2 of 10 |
| Lifestyle | 23% 23 of 100 | 5% 26 of 556 | 3 of 10 |
| Sports | 22% 22 of 100 | 4% 25 of 558 | 0 of 10 |
| Utilities | 22% 22 of 100 | 5% 28 of 549 | 2 of 10 |
| Navigation | 21% 21 of 99 | 5% 26 of 566 | 1 of 10 |
| Entertainment | 20% 20 of 100 | 5% 27 of 544 | 0 of 10 |
| Productivity | 19% 19 of 99 | 4% 23 of 551 | 3 of 10 |
| Reference | 19% 19 of 100 | 5% 26 of 566 | 1 of 10 |
| Education | 18% 18 of 100 | 4% 23 of 555 | 2 of 10 |
| Social Networking | 18% 18 of 100 | 4% 24 of 554 | 2 of 10 |
| News | 16% 16 of 98 | 4% 21 of 517 | 2 of 10 |
| Graphics & Design | 13% 13 of 99 | 3% 15 of 564 | 1 of 10 |
| Developer Tools | 12% 12 of 100 | 3% 15 of 507 | 1 of 10 |
| Medical | 12% 12 of 100 | 2% 13 of 548 | 1 of 10 |
| Photo & Video | 12% 12 of 100 | 2% 14 of 566 | 1 of 10 |
| Shopping | 9% 9 of 100 | 2% 9 of 562 | 3 of 10 |
| Weather | 7% 7 of 100 | 2% 9 of 555 | 1 of 10 |
| Games | 3% 3 of 100 | 1% 4 of 567 | 0 of 10 |
Related tactics.
Often on the same screenshot
- Tells you to do something67% of these screenshots, against 48% of all News screenshots
- Solid background57% of these screenshots, against 39% of all News screenshots
- Serif headline33% of these screenshots, against 15% of all News screenshots
- Background is the icon’s colour57% of these screenshots, against 39% of all News screenshots
- Red24% of these screenshots, against 6% of all News screenshots
- Low contrast words29% of these screenshots, against 11% of all News screenshots
More in layout
- Screen fills the picture99%
- Phone drawn94%
- Whole phone shown90%
- A photograph89%
- Words at the top83%
- A person in the picture67%
- Headline readable at thumbnail size61%
- Illustration or mascot60%
- App icon shown52%
- Phone cut off at the foot41%
- Headline too small to read38%
- No phone, bare screen35%
- Arrows or callouts23%
- Words aligned left23%
- Two or more screens21%
- Screen is small15%
- Phone at an angle13%
- Zoomed detail of the UI13%
- Words at the bottom11%
- A hand holds the phone8%
- No app screen at all8%
- Watch, iPad or Mac beside it6%
- Words over the screen6%
Questions, answered from the chart.
How many top News apps have App Store screenshots with a top-cropped phone?
16 of the top 98 News apps (16%) have at least one, and 21 of their 517 screenshots (4%) 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 top-cropped phone?
In the top ten: X (#1) and CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio (#3). Further down the chart: FOX LOCAL: Live News & Weather (#15), The Wall Street Journal News (#18), NPR: National & Local News (#23), Clubhouse (#28) and Podcast App (#35), and 9 more.
Should my News app have App Store screenshots with a top-cropped phone?
The chart shows who does it, not whether it would work for your app. 2 of the top ten News apps do it (20%), against 14 of the other 88 (16%), 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.
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