Black, white or grey App Store screenshots
No strong colour: black, white or grey.
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
46% 1067 of 2295
Screenshots that do it
27% 3426 of 12745
The top tens
116 of 230 against 951 of the other 2065
3426 of the 12745 screenshots read (27%) do this, across 1067 of the 2295 top apps in 23 App Store categories (46%). 116 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (50%), against 951 of the other 2065 (46%): the top ten do it about as often as the rest. It is most common in Developer Tools (68% of apps) and least common in Games (15%).
By category, most to least.
The share of each category’s top apps with black, white or grey App Store screenshots. Each category opens its own page, with every example and headline.
| Category | Apps that do it | Screenshots | Top ten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developer Tools | 68% 68 of 100 | 54% 275 of 507 | 9 of 10 |
| News | 60% 59 of 98 | 41% 212 of 517 | 7 of 10 |
| Productivity | 60% 59 of 99 | 41% 225 of 551 | 9 of 10 |
| Photo & Video | 59% 59 of 100 | 27% 152 of 566 | 8 of 10 |
| Graphics & Design | 56% 55 of 99 | 23% 131 of 564 | 7 of 10 |
| Health & Fitness | 53% 53 of 100 | 31% 179 of 574 | 5 of 10 |
| Lifestyle | 52% 52 of 100 | 30% 166 of 556 | 6 of 10 |
| Shopping | 50% 50 of 100 | 27% 152 of 562 | 4 of 10 |
| Navigation | 47% 47 of 99 | 25% 141 of 566 | 5 of 10 |
| Entertainment | 46% 46 of 100 | 22% 118 of 544 | 5 of 10 |
| Medical | 46% 46 of 100 | 27% 146 of 548 | 3 of 10 |
| Music | 46% 46 of 100 | 27% 146 of 550 | 3 of 10 |
| Travel | 46% 46 of 100 | 29% 164 of 561 | 7 of 10 |
| Weather | 46% 46 of 100 | 23% 128 of 555 | 5 of 10 |
| Finance | 45% 45 of 100 | 25% 146 of 581 | 4 of 10 |
| Utilities | 45% 45 of 100 | 28% 152 of 549 | 5 of 10 |
| Business | 44% 44 of 100 | 27% 151 of 554 | 1 of 10 |
| Social Networking | 44% 44 of 100 | 29% 158 of 554 | 5 of 10 |
| Reference | 41% 41 of 100 | 21% 121 of 566 | 5 of 10 |
| Sports | 40% 40 of 100 | 25% 138 of 558 | 3 of 10 |
| Food & Drink | 31% 31 of 100 | 17% 90 of 540 | 4 of 10 |
| Education | 30% 30 of 100 | 16% 87 of 555 | 4 of 10 |
| Games | 15% 15 of 100 | 8% 48 of 567 | 2 of 10 |
Examples from each category.
Up to 6 from each category, from the apps highest on its chart.
Developer Tools 275 examples · 68% of apps
“Access your beta apps and view updates”
“All you need. One app.”
“Build from anywhere”
News 212 examples · 60% of apps
“Be the first to know.”
“Stay Aware with Timely Alerts”
“All your subscriptions”
“Join over 100 million neighbors”
“Know what's really happening”
“Breaking news and live reporting.”
Productivity 225 examples · 60% of apps
“Your personal agent that takes things off your plate”
“Create new worlds”
“Generate and edit videos with Gemini Omni”
“Build your own app solutions”
“Get the best of Gmail on iPhone”
“Finished files, not just suggestions”
Photo & Video 152 examples · 59% of apps
“Discover entertaining videos with Reels”
“Create”
“Photoshoot”
“Instantly generate a first draft”
“Customize your captions”
“Get up to 15 GB of storage* 3x more than many other cloud storage services”
Graphics & Design 131 examples · 56% of apps
“CREATE ACTION VIDEOS INSTANTLY”
“KlingAI 3.0”
“Start new projects and view your existing ones”
“Dynamic Props”
“Rich & Useful Features Beyond Your Imagination”
Health & Fitness 179 examples · 53% of apps
“Workout Routines and Videos ...”
“Make calorie tracking easy with AI”
“Get in Tune with Your Body”
“Make Every Meal Count.”
“Discover trails that inspire you”
“A PLAN FOR EVERY WORKOUT”
Lifestyle 166 examples · 52% of apps
“Inspire your style”
“Peace of mind while you are away.”
“Explore Curated Events Near You”
“Meet someone that also wants to get off dating apps”
“First dates hit different with friends”
“Control your devices”
Shopping 152 examples · 50% of apps
“Keep more of your cash with no selling fees”
“Discover your next favorite brand”
“Shop everything you love.”
“#1 Verified Savings App”
“SHIP YOUR PULLS HOME”
“HOME & LIVING”
Navigation 141 examples · 47% of apps
“Save places and share lists with friends”
“Get the parking app trusted by millions of drivers”
“Explore Your City with Retro Map Themes”
“RESCUE COVERAGE”
“Remarkable parking”
Entertainment 118 examples · 46% of apps
“Download to watch on the go”
“TikTok Pro - Events”
“Your Next Obsession”
“Follow your favourite teams.”
“My Ex-Wife Called Me Worthless Then the Mafia Donna Made Me Her Husband”
“Immerse HD Streaming”
Medical 146 examples · 46% of apps
“Refill and manage prescriptions for yourself and others”
“Manage Your Personal Health Records & Easily Communicate With Your Doctor’s Office”
“SimplePractice Client Portal”
“Quest made easy”
“Save up to 80% at over 70,000+ pharmacies nationwide”
“Watch Your Baby’s Sleep Improve, Week by Week”
Music 146 examples · 46% of apps
“YOUR SCENE, AND EVERY SCENE, LIVES HERE.”
“Stream and Download great new music.”
“An experience personalized to your vibe”
“JBL Headphones”
Travel 164 examples · 46% of apps
“One app. All the rides.”
“Plan one-of-a-kind trips all in one app”
“Defo Translator”
“Find the perfect place to stay”
“Boarding pass just a tap away”
Weather 128 examples · 46% of apps
“Keep Dry”
“Everything you need to track a storm, all in one place”
“Experience Daily Video Forecasts & Weather Related Content”
“Rain & Snow”
“14-day hourly forecast”
Finance 146 examples · 45% of apps
“Welcome to Trump Accounts.”
“FOOTBALL IS BACK.”
“New: Earn 3.5% interest on savings”
“LIVETRADE SPORTS”
“Choose flexible payments”
Utilities 152 examples · 45% of apps
“Find more of what you love with Discover”
“实时预览”
“Ask ✦ Gemini while you browse”
“Stronger security with Google Authenticator”
“What starts here, gets done here”
“The easiest way to manage”
Business 151 examples · 44% of apps
“Seamless authentication and device security”
“It's easy to get started in the app”
“Track where and when your package is coming”
“Get insights across documents.”
“Start your morning with a preview of your day's USPS mail & packages”
Social Networking 158 examples · 44% of apps
“Join the conversation”
“Message privately with end-to-end encryption”
“Ask the real questions, get the real answers.”
“Voice and Video Calls”
“Easily join and create meetings and calls”
Reference 121 examples · 41% of apps
“No Ads or Purchases”
“A Daily Verse On Your Screen”
“Daily devotions”
“Scan and Search quickly”
“Read the bible with guidance”
Sports 138 examples · 40% of apps
“America’s Sports Prediction Market”
“ALL YOUR FOOTBALL PICKS”
“LEVEL UP WITH FANATICS ONE”
“FOOTBALL IS BACK. MAKE YOUR PICKS”
“NFL BETTING ALL SEASON LONG”
Food & Drink 90 examples · 31% of apps
“ORDER AHEAD”
“Earn points with qualifying purchases”
“Place an order on the go and it’ll be ready when you are”
“FIND LOCATIONS”
“Customize meal plans to suit you”
“PICKUP”
Education 87 examples · 30% of apps
“Smart Problem Solver”
“Access all of your favorited courses and groups!”
“We9re every teacher9s sidekick.”
“Choose Your Own Personalized Scenario 🤯”
“Create characters”
Games 48 examples · 15% of apps
“Explore millions of experiences”
“SPIN FOR YOUR SQUAD”
“$15M+”
“ONE SHOT. ONE KILL”
Related tactics.
Often on the same screenshot
- Solid background42% of these screenshots, against 32% of every screenshot read
- No words at all17% of these screenshots, against 11% of every screenshot read
- Dark34% of these screenshots, against 28% of every screenshot read
- High contrast words28% of these screenshots, against 23% of every screenshot read
- Light54% of these screenshots, against 49% of every screenshot read
- Screen fills the picture82% of these screenshots, against 79% of every screenshot read
More in look
- Light66%
- Gradient background62%
- Background is the icon’s colour59%
- Solid background48%
- Blue47%
- A word in a different colour46%
- High contrast words45%
- Dark44%
- Low contrast words34%
- Orange31%
- Photo background25%
- 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 black, white or grey App Store screenshots?
1067 of the 2295 top apps read across 23 App Store categories (46%) have at least one, and 3426 of their 12745 screenshots (27%) 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 black, white or grey App Store screenshots?
Most common in Developer Tools (68 of 100 apps, 68%), News (59 of 98 apps, 60%) and Productivity (59 of 99 apps, 60%). Least common in Games (15 of 100 apps, 15%).
Should my app have black, white or grey App Store screenshots?
The charts show who does it, not whether it would work for your app. Across the categories read, 116 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (50%), against 951 of the other 2065 (46%), 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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