App Store screenshots with arrows or callouts
Arrows, circles or notes drawn to point at something. A callout points the eye at the one control or number the headline is about.
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
42% 968 of 2295
Screenshots that do it
15% 1918 of 12745
The top tens
92 of 230 against 876 of the other 2065
1918 of the 12745 screenshots read (15%) do this, across 968 of the 2295 top apps in 23 App Store categories (42%). 92 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (40%), against 876 of the other 2065 (42%): the top ten do it about as often as the rest. It is most common in Graphics & Design (70% of apps) and least common in Developer Tools (21%).
By category, most to least.
The share of each category’s top apps with App Store screenshots with arrows or callouts. Each category opens its own page, with every example and headline.
| Category | Apps that do it | Screenshots | Top ten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics & Design | 70% 69 of 99 | 33% 186 of 564 | 5 of 10 |
| Photo & Video | 58% 58 of 100 | 25% 140 of 566 | 6 of 10 |
| Reference | 53% 53 of 100 | 22% 122 of 566 | 7 of 10 |
| Health & Fitness | 52% 52 of 100 | 19% 108 of 574 | 8 of 10 |
| Education | 50% 50 of 100 | 18% 98 of 555 | 5 of 10 |
| Social Networking | 49% 49 of 100 | 17% 96 of 554 | 5 of 10 |
| Utilities | 48% 48 of 100 | 18% 100 of 549 | 3 of 10 |
| Finance | 47% 47 of 100 | 14% 80 of 581 | 7 of 10 |
| Lifestyle | 46% 46 of 100 | 15% 86 of 556 | 5 of 10 |
| Navigation | 45% 45 of 99 | 17% 96 of 566 | 4 of 10 |
| Productivity | 45% 45 of 99 | 15% 82 of 551 | 2 of 10 |
| Entertainment | 39% 39 of 100 | 11% 61 of 544 | 4 of 10 |
| Travel | 39% 39 of 100 | 12% 69 of 561 | 2 of 10 |
| Music | 38% 38 of 100 | 14% 75 of 550 | 2 of 10 |
| Shopping | 38% 38 of 100 | 15% 85 of 562 | 6 of 10 |
| Food & Drink | 37% 37 of 100 | 12% 67 of 540 | 5 of 10 |
| Sports | 36% 36 of 100 | 11% 63 of 558 | 3 of 10 |
| Business | 35% 35 of 100 | 12% 69 of 554 | 2 of 10 |
| Games | 35% 35 of 100 | 8% 48 of 567 | 2 of 10 |
| Weather | 35% 35 of 100 | 12% 67 of 555 | 3 of 10 |
| Medical | 30% 30 of 100 | 9% 47 of 548 | 2 of 10 |
| News | 23% 23 of 98 | 7% 38 of 517 | 2 of 10 |
| Developer Tools | 21% 21 of 100 | 7% 35 of 507 | 2 of 10 |
Examples from each category.
Up to 6 from each category, from the apps highest on its chart.
Graphics & Design 186 examples · 70% of apps
“AI BIRTHDAY PHOTO SHOOT”
“Cinema-Grade Native 4K”
“Generate Sketches”
“Over 28,000 Rich Materials”
“Customize Live Wallpaper”
“AI Video Generator”
Photo & Video 140 examples · 58% of apps
“Discover entertaining videos with Reels”
“AI Video”
“Snap”
“Design anything”
“Go viral everywhere”
“Various dance styles”
Reference 122 examples · 53% of apps
“Download your favorite Bible version”
“Photo Translator”
“Talk Freely with Voice Translate”
“DOWNLOAD”
“Grow closer to God throughout the day”
Health & Fitness 108 examples · 52% of apps
“Hit the trails with hiking tools”
“Pick the best workout time with the CROWD METER”
“Get answers”
“CASH WITHDRAWALS AVAILABLE”
“ANALYZE products in a single scan”
“Walk against your friends”
Education 98 examples · 50% of apps
“solve chess puzzles”
“All-In-One Study Buddy”
“Speak English like a native”
“Bite-Sized Lessons That Come to Life”
“Learn anything with Flashcards”
“Get smarter daily, the easy way”
Social Networking 96 examples · 49% of apps
“Join the conversation”
“See everyone's driving stats”
“GROUP CHAT THAT'S FUN”
“Sync your posts from other platforms and start earning.”
“invite your community”
“100M+ Users”
Utilities 100 examples · 48% of apps
“Convert Live Photos to Stills”
“Discover More Smart Home Possibilities with Govee Users”
“Keyboard For Search”
“Authenticator App”
“Privacy. mind.”
“Avoid”
Finance 80 examples · 47% of apps
“Built for long- term investing.”
“FOOTBALL IS BACK.”
“The easiest decision ever”
“Spend your balance instantly with the Venmo Debit Card”
“Millions of people already do.”
“Banking that skips the monthly fees”
Lifestyle 86 examples · 46% of apps
“Assist blind and low vision people with everyday tasks”
“Embrace spooky season”
“Try the T-Mobile Network for free.”
“Create Events in Seconds”
“Attract people who actually get you”
“TRUSTED BY 50 million CLIENTS”
Navigation 96 examples · 45% of apps
“Real Places Live See Them Now”
“Get the parking app trusted by millions of drivers”
“Explore Your City with Retro Map Themes”
“KNOW WHEN TO HUNT”
“Earn points and save up to 50¢/gal off at participating Chevron stations”
“Book ahead or pay once when you get there”
Productivity 82 examples · 45% of apps
“Dive deep into any topic”
“Get the best of Gmail on iPhone”
“Generate a new draft quickly”
“Create anywhere, anytime, even offline”
“Write with confidence”
“Do more with Excel on iPhone”
Entertainment 61 examples · 39% of apps
“Unforgettable love”
“Your Unlimited Short-Drama Hub”
“Events Picked For You, Wherever You Are”
“Play games on TV, with your phone as the controller.”
“Explore Exclusive Onginals”
“RATE YOUR FAVORITES TO SHAPE WHAT YOU SEE NEXT”
Travel 69 examples · 39% of apps
“Confirm your pickup spot”
“Upgrade with Priority Boarding.*”
“Bundle & Save on flights and hotels*”
“Turn your phone into your key”
“Become a host and start your car sharing business”
“Global Live Views”
Music 75 examples · 38% of apps
“MUSIC YOU CAN'T FIND ELSEWHERE”
“Sing along to synced lyrics”
“JBL Headphones”
“LISTEN”
“Powerful Music Manager”
Shopping 85 examples · 38% of apps
“List with ease”
“Save all your faves for later”
“First free delivery in as fast as 1 hour”
“Join our 10 million users, saving over $2 billion!”
“#1 Verified Savings App”
“Trusted by 2M+ Deal Hunters”
Food & Drink 67 examples · 37% of apps
“Join Taco Bell Rewards and get a free item*”
“ORDER AHEAD”
“Browse”
“Redeem available rewards”
“Start earning free drinks with Starbucks Rewards”
“2200+ retailer brands”
Sports 63 examples · 36% of apps
“SPEND $5 GET $150”
“MAKE TEAM AND PLAYER PICKS”
“FREE SHIPPING + RETURNS”
“THE ONLY SPORTSBOOK TO REWARD EVERY BET”
“SCOUTING & RECRUITING”
“OVER 10,000 BOOSTS EVERY MONTH”
Business 69 examples · 35% of apps
“Apply in seconds with a tailored resume”
“See your hard work pay off”
“It's easy to get started in the app”
“Easily organize and find conversations using labels”
“All that paper? Gone.”
“Live Delivery Route Tracker”
Games 48 examples · 35% of apps
“New Logic Puzzle”
“Remove Arrows!”
“HARVEST!”
“Helo Them”
“EXPLORE NEW LEVELS!”
“Rebuild Upon the Frost”
Weather 67 examples · 35% of apps
“Stay Ready”
“Most Trusted Weather App with Proven Superior Accuracy™”
“Rain & Snow”
“LIVE RAIN MAP RADAR & FORECAST”
“NOAA weather radar live”
Medical 47 examples · 30% of apps
“Send rewards to your account with just a tap”
“Communicate with your care team and more, anywhere, antime.”
“Simplify your appointments”
“Prescriptions and online care from licensed healthcare providers”
“Digital ID Card”
“Tap into the power of your plasma donation!”
News 38 examples · 23% of apps
“Explore & create communities”
“See what people near you have to say”
“Your News, Your Language”
“explore live audio chat rooms”
Developer Tools 35 examples · 21% of apps
“#1 Interactive Creation Platform”
“Point and draw”
“A real terminal, in your pocket.”
“Easy access to your files”
“No sign-up. No SIM. No account.”
“Buddy”
Related tactics.
Often on the same screenshot
- Zoomed detail of the UI20% of these screenshots, against 6% of every screenshot read
- A word in a different colour37% of these screenshots, against 23% of every screenshot read
- Badge21% of these screenshots, against 9% of every screenshot read
- Words at the top90% of these screenshots, against 80% of every screenshot read
- Headline under five words60% of these screenshots, against 50% of every screenshot read
- Gradient background55% of these screenshots, against 45% of every screenshot read
More in layout
- Screen fills the picture99%
- Phone drawn94%
- Whole phone shown88%
- Words at the top88%
- A photograph80%
- Illustration or mascot69%
- Headline readable at thumbnail size68%
- A person in the picture57%
- Phone cut off at the foot45%
- Headline too small to read44%
- App icon shown42%
- No phone, bare screen34%
- Words aligned left30%
- A hand holds the phone24%
- Two or more screens23%
- Zoomed detail of the UI22%
- Phone cut off at the head18%
- No app screen at all18%
- Words at the bottom17%
- Phone at an angle17%
- Screen is small15%
- Watch, iPad or Mac beside it11%
- Words over the screen9%
- Continues into the next screenshotunder 1%
Questions, answered from the chart.
How common are App Store screenshots with arrows or callouts?
968 of the 2295 top apps read across 23 App Store categories (42%) have at least one, and 1918 of their 12745 screenshots (15%) 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 arrows or callouts?
Most common in Graphics & Design (69 of 99 apps, 70%), Photo & Video (58 of 100 apps, 58%) and Reference (53 of 100 apps, 53%). Least common in Developer Tools (21 of 100 apps, 21%).
Should my app have App Store screenshots with arrows or callouts?
The charts show who does it, not whether it would work for your app. Across the categories read, 92 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (40%), against 876 of the other 2065 (42%), so the top ten do it about as often as the rest. The numbers differ by category, so look at your own.
See your own app against this.
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