App Store screenshots with a hand-held phone
A hand or fingers in the picture. A hand gives the device a sense of scale and shows the app in use.
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
24% 559 of 2295
Screenshots that do it
6% 828 of 12745
The top tens
64 of 230 against 495 of the other 2065
828 of the 12745 screenshots read (6%) do this, across 559 of the 2295 top apps in 23 App Store categories (24%). 64 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (28%), against 495 of the other 2065 (24%): the top ten do it about as often as the rest. It is most common in Photo & Video (39% of apps) and least common in Developer Tools (3%).
By category, most to least.
The share of each category’s top apps with App Store screenshots with a hand-held phone. Each category opens its own page, with every example and headline.
| Category | Apps that do it | Screenshots | Top ten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo & Video | 39% 39 of 100 | 10% 58 of 566 | 2 of 10 |
| Shopping | 38% 38 of 100 | 8% 47 of 562 | 6 of 10 |
| Education | 36% 36 of 100 | 11% 59 of 555 | 1 of 10 |
| Lifestyle | 35% 35 of 100 | 10% 54 of 556 | 6 of 10 |
| Utilities | 35% 35 of 100 | 9% 49 of 549 | 1 of 10 |
| Social Networking | 33% 33 of 100 | 8% 42 of 554 | 3 of 10 |
| Games | 31% 31 of 100 | 10% 56 of 567 | 3 of 10 |
| Health & Fitness | 31% 31 of 100 | 8% 45 of 574 | 4 of 10 |
| Finance | 30% 30 of 100 | 7% 41 of 581 | 3 of 10 |
| Medical | 30% 30 of 100 | 7% 37 of 548 | 4 of 10 |
| Graphics & Design | 29% 29 of 99 | 10% 54 of 564 | 3 of 10 |
| Reference | 28% 28 of 100 | 8% 44 of 566 | 4 of 10 |
| Business | 27% 27 of 100 | 6% 36 of 554 | 2 of 10 |
| Food & Drink | 26% 26 of 100 | 8% 42 of 540 | 6 of 10 |
| Music | 23% 23 of 100 | 7% 38 of 550 | 1 of 10 |
| Navigation | 15% 15 of 99 | 4% 20 of 566 | 3 of 10 |
| Travel | 15% 15 of 100 | 5% 27 of 561 | 3 of 10 |
| Entertainment | 14% 14 of 100 | 4% 21 of 544 | 2 of 10 |
| Sports | 14% 14 of 100 | 4% 21 of 558 | 2 of 10 |
| Productivity | 12% 12 of 99 | 3% 16 of 551 | 2 of 10 |
| News | 8% 8 of 98 | 2% 9 of 517 | 1 of 10 |
| Weather | 7% 7 of 100 | 2% 9 of 555 | 1 of 10 |
| Developer Tools | 3% 3 of 100 | 1% 3 of 507 | 1 of 10 |
Examples from each category.
Up to 6 from each category, from the apps highest on its chart.
Photo & Video 58 examples · 39% of apps
“Discover Shorts”
“Design anything”
“Upload and share anywhere on your terms”
“Turn Your Photos To AI Video”
“Stand out with your collages”
“Creative Companion for Any Occasion”
Shopping 47 examples · 38% of apps
“Sell with no fees”
“Keep more of your cash with no selling fees”
“HOME & KITCHEN”
“Shop over half a billion items in the app”
“Have fun and find your community.”
“#1 Deal Finding App”
Education 59 examples · 36% of apps
“Speak English like a native”
“Award winning microlearning app”
“Plant Auto- Diagnosis”
“Open”
“Host impactful meetings and presentations”
“Speak English Confidently with AI Tutors”
Lifestyle 54 examples · 35% of apps
“Assist blind and low vision people with everyday tasks”
“Embrace spooky season”
“One app. All the things.”
“See & speak to visitors with Video Doorbells and Security Cameras.”
“It starts with a swipe™”
“Plan your next move”
Utilities 49 examples · 35% of apps
“Comfortable Touchpad”
“Just Blink and Youre Home”
“Simple operation and easy customization.”
“...even on videos!”
“Go big on your online protection”
Social Networking 42 examples · 33% of apps
“Fuel your interests with reels and longer videos”
“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.”
“Livestream with One Click”
“Your own REAL PHONE NUMBER”
Games 56 examples · 31% of apps
“Find the Cats”
“TWIST ALIGN UNLOCK”
“Remove Arrows!”
“New Life”
“Rebuild Upon the Frost”
“Launch”
Health & Fitness 45 examples · 31% of apps
“PROGRESS STARTS HERE”
“Log and track symptoms”
“SUPPORT A 100%”
“Know What You're Eating”
“Snap a photo, log your food.”
“Measure Heart Rate”
Finance 41 examples · 30% of apps
“FOOTBALL IS BACK.”
“The easiest decision ever”
“Send money securely.”
“LIVETRADE SPORTS”
“Your everyday money app”
“Wire transfers”
Medical 37 examples · 30% of apps
“Connect with your care team”
“Data Tracking and Recording”
“Set up with ease”
“Communicate with your care team and more, anywhere, antime.”
“Give patients the convenient experience they demand”
Graphics & Design 54 examples · 29% of apps
“AI BIRTHDAY PHOTO SHOOT”
“Cast Your AI Self”
“Use a camera”
“Birthday Effect”
“Turn Photos Into Cinematic✨ Videos”
“Create videos that actually perform”
Reference 44 examples · 28% of apps
“Translate Anything”
“Talk Freely with Voice Translate”
“Trusted Choice”
“Short Videos. Deep Truths.”
“Stargazing made easy”
“Seek Biblical Wisdom in Verses”
Business 36 examples · 27% of apps
“The network that works for you”
“DELIVER WITH DOORDASH”
“Upload your documents”
“Showcase hundreds of products and services in a catalog”
“Start your morning with a preview of your day's USPS mail & packages”
“Remove background noise for better clarity”
Food & Drink 42 examples · 26% of apps
“Order your faves and start earning points for free food”
“ORDER AHEAD”
“Order and enjoy Rewards in the app”
“TRACK IT LIVE.”
“SAVING THE PLANET MADE tasty”
“ORDER HOT CHICKEN FOR PICKUP”
Music 38 examples · 23% of apps
“MUSIC YOU CAN'T FIND ELSEWHERE”
“SIRIUSXM ON CARPLAY”
“EXPLORE YOUR FAVORITE FESTIVALS”
“The world's #1 tuner app”
“Robyn K.”
“Piano made simple”
Navigation 20 examples · 15% of apps
“Get the parking app trusted by millions of drivers”
“TURN YOUR MAPS INTO A GAME”
“Connect with friends by Code”
“Autocharge+ Charging Starts On Plug In”
“Say Bonjour to the city”
Travel 27 examples · 15% of apps
“Be there soon. Really soon.”
“Text and voice translation at your fingertips”
“Get going, on your terms”
“Choose your perfect room”
“I've earned over $1,500 to date! I use Upside every time I fuel up and often when I go out for lunch.”
Entertainment 21 examples · 14% of apps
“TikTok Pro - Events”
“DO WHAT YOU LOVE”
“Immerse HD Streaming”
“Just answer directly”
“YOU'VE BEEN REPLACED, FIRST LOVE”
“Hit Drama & Addictive”
Sports 21 examples · 14% of apps
“Deposit $10 Get $50”
“PLAY $5 GET $150”
“GET $100”
“LIVE THE GAME LIKE NEVER BEFORE”
“Exclusive Welcome Offers For New Players”
“STAKE PRO GAMERS WIN CASH”
Productivity 16 examples · 12% of apps
“Translate the world around you”
“Talk it through with voice mode”
“Digitize documents”
“GET REAL-TIME RECOMMENDATIONS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS”
“A simpler way to stay secure”
“We protect what matters most, your privacy and safety.”
News 9 examples · 8% of apps
“Share with fans everywhere, not only friends”
“Integrated Map”
“Follow the Biggest Investors and CEOs”
“talk or just listen in”
“Read award winning global journalism”
“Replace doom scrolling with meaningful reading.”
Weather 9 examples · 7% of apps
“Plan Accurately”
“Be Disaster Ready”
“DEERCAST MAPS”
“Smile every time you check the weather!”
“Tracking”
Developer Tools 3 examples · 3% of apps
“Collaborate in real time.”
“Access Supabase from anywhere.”
“Bluetooth Connect”
Related tactics.
Often on the same screenshot
- A person in the picture59% of these screenshots, against 26% of every screenshot read
- A photograph76% of these screenshots, against 48% of every screenshot read
- Photo background30% of these screenshots, against 11% of every screenshot read
- Orange28% of these screenshots, against 13% of every screenshot read
- Arrows or callouts28% of these screenshots, against 15% of every screenshot read
- Headline readable at thumbnail size43% of these screenshots, against 31% 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%
- Arrows or callouts42%
- No phone, bare screen34%
- Words aligned left30%
- 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 a hand-held phone?
559 of the 2295 top apps read across 23 App Store categories (24%) have at least one, and 828 of their 12745 screenshots (6%) 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 hand-held phone?
Most common in Photo & Video (39 of 100 apps, 39%), Shopping (38 of 100 apps, 38%) and Education (36 of 100 apps, 36%). Least common in Developer Tools (3 of 100 apps, 3%).
Should my app have App Store screenshots with a hand-held phone?
The charts show who does it, not whether it would work for your app. Across the categories read, 64 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (28%), against 495 of the other 2065 (24%), 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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