App Store screenshots with a photo background
A photograph behind the screen. A photograph behind the screen sets a scene, and the words need enough contrast to be read over it.
From the top free apps in 23 categories of the US App Store, last 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
25% 573 of 2295
Screenshots that do it
11% 1435 of 12745
The top tens
59 of 230 against 514 of the other 2065
1435 of the 12745 screenshots read (11%) do this, across 573 of the 2295 top apps in 23 App Store categories (25%). 59 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (26%), against 514 of the other 2065 (25%): the top ten do it about as often as the rest. It is most common in Weather (46% of apps) and least common in Developer Tools (6%).
By category, most to least.
The share of each category’s top apps with App Store screenshots with a photo background. Each category opens its own page, with every example and headline.
| Category | Apps that do it | Screenshots | Top ten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | 46% 46 of 100 | 30% 166 of 555 | 5 of 10 |
| Shopping | 40% 40 of 100 | 16% 92 of 562 | 2 of 10 |
| Travel | 39% 39 of 100 | 25% 138 of 561 | 5 of 10 |
| Lifestyle | 36% 36 of 100 | 17% 92 of 556 | 6 of 10 |
| Food & Drink | 33% 33 of 100 | 15% 81 of 540 | 4 of 10 |
| Sports | 33% 33 of 100 | 16% 92 of 558 | 4 of 10 |
| Entertainment | 31% 31 of 100 | 14% 76 of 544 | 3 of 10 |
| Games | 31% 31 of 100 | 12% 67 of 567 | 3 of 10 |
| Navigation | 30% 30 of 99 | 13% 74 of 566 | 3 of 10 |
| Graphics & Design | 28% 28 of 99 | 11% 61 of 564 | 3 of 10 |
| Reference | 27% 27 of 100 | 11% 60 of 566 | 2 of 10 |
| Music | 26% 26 of 100 | 9% 47 of 550 | 2 of 10 |
| Photo & Video | 26% 26 of 100 | 10% 59 of 566 | 0 of 10 |
| Productivity | 20% 20 of 99 | 8% 46 of 551 | 2 of 10 |
| Social Networking | 19% 19 of 100 | 9% 48 of 554 | 2 of 10 |
| Health & Fitness | 18% 18 of 100 | 7% 43 of 574 | 2 of 10 |
| Business | 17% 17 of 100 | 6% 33 of 554 | 2 of 10 |
| Education | 15% 15 of 100 | 5% 27 of 555 | 0 of 10 |
| News | 14% 14 of 98 | 9% 45 of 517 | 1 of 10 |
| Finance | 14% 14 of 100 | 6% 32 of 581 | 3 of 10 |
| Utilities | 13% 13 of 100 | 5% 25 of 549 | 2 of 10 |
| Medical | 11% 11 of 100 | 3% 17 of 548 | 2 of 10 |
| Developer Tools | 6% 6 of 100 | 3% 14 of 507 | 1 of 10 |
Examples from each category.
Up to 6 from each category, from the apps highest on its chart.
Weather 166 examples · 46% of apps
“Keep Dry”
“NOAA Weather Radar Live Map”
“Accurate weather forecast”
“Most Trusted Weather App with Proven Superior Accuracy™”
“Rain & Snow”
“NOAA weather radar live”
Shopping 92 examples · 40% of apps
“Keep more of your cash with no selling fees”
“Sparky has dinner covered”
“FALL SUPER SALE”
“Buy it. Sell it. Love it.”
Travel 138 examples · 39% of apps
“One app. All the rides.”
“Connect anytime, anywhere”
“Book a flight to your next destination.”
“The world’s first fully autonomous ride-hailing service”
“Find all the travel info you need at a glance.”
Lifestyle 92 examples · 36% of apps
“Embrace spooky season”
“One app. All the things.”
“Explore Curated Events Near You”
“Designed to be deleted”
“It starts with a swipe™”
“Plan your next move”
Food & Drink 81 examples · 33% of apps
“ORDER AHEAD”
“Order and enjoy Rewards in the app”
“MORE OF WHAT YOU LOVE”
“SAVING THE PLANET MADE tasty”
“2200+ retailer brands”
“GET MORE WITH THE 7-ELEVEN APP”
Sports 92 examples · 33% of apps
“Your Teams. Your Fights. One Home.”
“NOW AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE”
“PLAY $5 GET $150”
“COLLECTIBLES & MEMORABILIA”
“BET $20 GET $350”
Entertainment 76 examples · 31% of apps
“Your Next Favorite Show”
“New Episodes Every Day”
“My Ex-Wife Called Me Worthless Then the Mafia Donna Made Me Her Husband”
“NetShort”
“STREAM THE LATEST BOX OFFICE HITS”
“Made for you”
Games 67 examples · 31% of apps
“EARN REWARDS!”
“SMASH!”
“MULTIPLE WAYS TO PLAY”
“Merge”
“ONE SHOT MAX DAMAGE”
Navigation 74 examples · 30% of apps
“Get the parking app trusted by millions of drivers”
“Use It on Your CarPlay While Driving”
“KNOW WHEN TO HUNT”
“Routes Built for Your Truck”
“Charge Any Electric Vehicle”
“Join the #1 App for Truck Drivers”
Graphics & Design 61 examples · 28% of apps
“AI BIRTHDAY PHOTO SHOOT”
“Customize Lock & Home Screen”
“AI DANCE VIDEOS”
“Turn Photos Into Cinematic✨ Videos”
Reference 60 examples · 27% of apps
“Translate Anything”
“Short Videos. Eternal Truths”
“Connect with God”
“Explore the Night Sky with AR”
“Bible Study Made Simple”
“Scan Coins See Price”
Music 47 examples · 26% of apps
“MUSIC YOU CAN'T FIND ELSEWHERE”
“SIRIUSXM ON CARPLAY”
“LEARN THE LINEUP”
“The world's #1 tuner app”
“Robyn K.”
Photo & Video 59 examples · 26% of apps
“Try Viral Dances”
“Stand out with your collages”
“Generate cinematic stories in minutes.”
“The pro-quality photo app for everyone.”
“Rediscover your best moments”
“Photo Retouch”
Productivity 46 examples · 20% of apps
“Get useful answers wherever you are”
“Greater security across your accounts”
“Everyday email and calendar”
“Signs in to your tools”
“Make your words shine”
“Take and make the call”
Social Networking 48 examples · 19% of apps
“Let's get real.”
“group chats for people who touch grass”
“The phone service that won’t leave you hanging. No fixed contracts. No bills. Ever.”
“See who's looking Right Now”
“Securely find, add, and chat,”
Health & Fitness 43 examples · 18% of apps
“PROGRESS STARTS HERE”
“The #1 Food & Nutrition Tracking App”
“Science- backed nutrition tracker.”
“Tap “GO” to start the home program your provider created for you.”
"I finally feel motivated to be consistent in my journey."
“The #1 App for Sleep & Meditation”
Business 33 examples · 17% of apps
“Meeting with Soccer club”
“DELIVER WITH DOORDASH”
“GROW WITH AMAZON”
“Get started quickly.”
“Earn money, help others & start shopping”
“Store not ready? Sell anyway”
Education 27 examples · 15% of apps
“Play”
“Fantastic! Langlearn Is The First App That Actually Lets Me Speak”
“Ace your permit and driving test on the first try”
“Visualize upcoming activities, manage your time, and stay on top of coursework”
“We guide you. You teach.”
“Draw like you always wanted to”
News 45 examples · 14% of apps
“Audio journalism and podcasts.”
“Walkie Talkie”
“Monitor Wildfires, Prescribed Burns, and Flooding”
“50 MILLION+ FREE PODCASTS”
“Discover Top Stories and In-Depth Coverage”
Finance 32 examples · 14% of apps
“FOOTBALL IS BACK.”
“View all your accounts”
“Send money securely.”
“An easy way to explore, pay and save”
“Cash and credit powered by your potential™”
“Help your money go further”
Utilities 25 examples · 13% of apps
“实时预览”
“Stay focus with Chat”
“Video on your car display”
“Print from and scan to Brother printers easily from your mobile device.”
“Build Your Car Dashboard”
Medical 17 examples · 11% of apps
“Find a healthcare provider that fits your needs”
“Track your sleep therapy with your Resmed AirSense™ or AirCurve™ machine”
“Now, you can see your insurance & investments here - in one app.”
“Get rewarded for getting the things you love”
“Your Journey, Your Way.”
Developer Tools 14 examples · 6% of apps
“Build apps, agents, and anything”
“安全管理远程文件”
“Digital Neon Night Clock”
“Use hardware keyboards. Customize Ctrl, Alt, Caps, Shift.”
Related tactics.
Often on the same screenshot
- A photograph91% of these screenshots, against 48% of every screenshot read
- A person in the picture38% of these screenshots, against 26% of every screenshot read
- Orange24% of these screenshots, against 13% of every screenshot read
- A hand holds the phone17% of these screenshots, against 6% of every screenshot read
- Dark39% of these screenshots, against 28% of every screenshot read
- High contrast words33% of these screenshots, against 23% of every screenshot read
More in look
- Light66%
- Gradient background62%
- Background is the icon’s colour59%
- Solid background48%
- Blue47%
- Black, white or grey46%
- A word in a different colour46%
- High contrast words45%
- Dark44%
- Low contrast words34%
- Orange31%
- Rounded headline type20%
- Teal18%
- Red16%
- Green16%
- Pattern or texture15%
- The app itself is the background11%
- Purple9%
- Serif headline9%
- Pink8%
- Condensed or display type6%
- Yellow6%
Questions, answered from the chart.
How common are App Store screenshots with a photo background?
573 of the 2295 top apps read across 23 App Store categories (25%) have at least one, and 1435 of their 12745 screenshots (11%) do it. Counted from the US App Store’s top free charts, last read on October 9, 2026.
Which App Store categories have the most App Store screenshots with a photo background?
Most common in Weather (46 of 100 apps, 46%), Shopping (40 of 100 apps, 40%) and Travel (39 of 100 apps, 39%). Least common in Developer Tools (6 of 100 apps, 6%).
Should my app have App Store screenshots with a photo background?
The charts show who does it, not whether it would work for your app. Across the categories read, 59 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (26%), against 514 of the other 2065 (25%), so the top ten do it about as often as the rest. The numbers differ by category, so look at your own.
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