App Store screenshots with low-contrast text
The headline sits close to its background in brightness. Words close to their background in brightness are harder to read, most of all at small sizes.
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
34% 772 of 2295
Screenshots that do it
15% 1865 of 12745
The top tens
83 of 230 against 689 of the other 2065
1865 of the 12745 screenshots read (15%) do this, across 772 of the 2295 top apps in 23 App Store categories (34%). 83 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (36%), against 689 of the other 2065 (33%): the top ten do it about as often as the rest. It is most common in Education (45% of apps) and least common in Games (16%).
By category, most to least.
The share of each category’s top apps with App Store screenshots with low-contrast text. Each category opens its own page, with every example and headline.
| Category | Apps that do it | Screenshots | Top ten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education | 45% 45 of 100 | 18% 102 of 555 | 6 of 10 |
| Social Networking | 45% 45 of 100 | 21% 117 of 554 | 7 of 10 |
| Health & Fitness | 44% 44 of 100 | 18% 102 of 574 | 2 of 10 |
| Utilities | 42% 42 of 100 | 17% 92 of 549 | 3 of 10 |
| Medical | 41% 41 of 100 | 24% 129 of 548 | 5 of 10 |
| Travel | 41% 41 of 100 | 17% 93 of 561 | 3 of 10 |
| Productivity | 40% 40 of 99 | 19% 106 of 551 | 4 of 10 |
| Photo & Video | 38% 38 of 100 | 18% 101 of 566 | 3 of 10 |
| Business | 37% 37 of 100 | 21% 114 of 554 | 6 of 10 |
| Lifestyle | 37% 37 of 100 | 18% 102 of 556 | 3 of 10 |
| Music | 36% 36 of 100 | 12% 67 of 550 | 5 of 10 |
| Shopping | 36% 36 of 100 | 15% 86 of 562 | 3 of 10 |
| Food & Drink | 33% 33 of 100 | 13% 71 of 540 | 5 of 10 |
| Entertainment | 32% 32 of 100 | 12% 65 of 544 | 2 of 10 |
| Finance | 31% 31 of 100 | 12% 67 of 581 | 4 of 10 |
| Reference | 30% 30 of 100 | 13% 71 of 566 | 3 of 10 |
| Developer Tools | 29% 29 of 100 | 13% 64 of 507 | 3 of 10 |
| Graphics & Design | 27% 27 of 99 | 11% 64 of 564 | 1 of 10 |
| Navigation | 27% 27 of 99 | 13% 74 of 566 | 3 of 10 |
| News | 26% 25 of 98 | 11% 57 of 517 | 3 of 10 |
| Sports | 20% 20 of 100 | 8% 47 of 558 | 3 of 10 |
| Weather | 20% 20 of 100 | 7% 41 of 555 | 3 of 10 |
| Games | 16% 16 of 100 | 6% 33 of 567 | 3 of 10 |
Examples from each category.
Up to 6 from each category, from the apps highest on its chart.
Education 102 examples · 45% of apps
“fun, bite-sized lessons”
“Find Your Path”
“Stay connected with teachers”
“Access all of your favorited courses and groups!”
“In-Depth Courses”
“Learn anything with Flashcards”
Social Networking 117 examples · 45% of apps
“Connect over chat”
“Make calls across the world”
“Powerful”
“Explore what youre into”
“Let's get real.”
“Get instant answers with your AI assistant”
Health & Fitness 102 examples · 44% of apps
“ANALYZE products in a single scan”
“Accurate Sleep Monitoring”
“Track yours. Own yours.”
“The app that converts your steps into rewards”
“Build healthy habits,”
“Rest well”
Utilities 92 examples · 42% of apps
“A unique code used to sign in”
“Optimize Storage”
“Govee”
“Troubleshooting & Speed Tests”
“Unlimited Online Protection”
“Set up and monitor Starlink”
Medical 129 examples · 41% of apps
“All your health info in one place”
“Access to your lab results anytime”
“See your daily score”
“Access test results as soon as they’re ready.”
“Compare and browse”
“See your patients wherever they are”
Travel 93 examples · 41% of apps
“Connect anytime, anywhere”
“Enjoy the new and improved Frontier experience.”
“Hail the future”
“Get real-time updates on your boarding group and progress.”
“Search and book your stay”
“Book the perfect car near you”
Productivity 106 examples · 40% of apps
“Sort your mail”
“Use Authenticator to sign in”
“Create anywhere, anytime - even offline”
“Store and access your content from anywhere”
“Everyday email and calendar”
“Work with many at once”
Photo & Video 101 examples · 38% of apps
“Snap”
“Get creative with video effects”
“Easily share with your friends”
“Get chatting”
“Watch videos from award winning creators”
“AI Templates For Every Style”
Business 114 examples · 37% of apps
“Meet, chat, collaborate, all in one app”
“Discover jobs that work for you”
“CHOOSE WHERE YOU EARN”
“See your hard work pay off”
“Quickly check in & out”
“Earn for every delivery and keep all your tips”
Lifestyle 102 examples · 37% of apps
“Get pictures described by Be My AI with a single tap”
“Skip the store. Shop the app.”
“Set your favorites”
“Discover the best businesses in beauty, wellness, and fitness.”
“Lock, unlock, monitor, open + close...”
“Add Pages”
Music 67 examples · 36% of apps
“Make any song you can imagine”
“Stay current with new releases”
“Name any song in seconds”
“Listen Offline”
“Where your ideas become music”
“Find any song, artist, or playlist instantly”
Shopping 86 examples · 36% of apps
“WOMEN'S FASHION”
“Get notifications for drool-worthy deals”
“Claim offers on 1,000s of items”
“GET FIRST DIBS ON NEW ARRIVALS”
“A smarter way to pay”
“Get something for anyone and any occasion.”
Food & Drink 71 examples · 33% of apps
“Earn points for Free McDonald's”
“UNLOCK EXCLUSIVE MERCH”
“GET (ALMOST) ANYTHING”
“Earn rewards with your App-etite”
“ORDER HOT CHICKEN FOR PICKUP”
“World's most popular”
Entertainment 65 examples · 32% of apps
“Full-Screen”
“Shop By Seat, Select Your Favorite”
“The official Roku remote, always in your hand”
“Movies”
“The streaming home of your favorite stories”
“Enjoy 300+ live TV channels with WatchFree+”
Finance 67 examples · 31% of apps
“Keep an eye on your credit with a flick of your thumb.”
“The app for every money move”
“Send and receive money easily”
“Invest with as little as $1”
“Connect with a dedicated advisor”
“Just ask Fargo®”
Reference 71 examples · 30% of apps
“Hello! how are you?”
“Best Bible app I've ever used.” “I love this app but more importantly, I need this app.” “Because of this Bible App, I've replaced most of the apps on my phone with spending time in His Word!”
“AI Dictionary”
“Photo Translator”
“Get notified of ISS sightings”
“The #1 Prayer App”
Developer Tools 64 examples · 29% of apps
“Build in voice ▂▂▂▂▂ mode.”
“Talk to Cursor”
“Learn”
“Connect”
“Light and Dark”
“Phone numbers from around the world”
Graphics & Design 64 examples · 27% of apps
“Use a camera”
“OS27 Extra Large Widgets”
“AI VIRAL VIDEOS”
“Import photo”
“Various Theme Collections”
“Collage Maker”
Navigation 74 examples · 27% of apps
“Never miss a turn”
“Save more with in-app offers”
“Reserve your parking ahead of time”
“Now supporting 78 global languages”
“Just drive in and park”
“Find the nearest station”
News 57 examples · 26% of apps
“Watch live”
“Read, watch, chat”
“Listen to live police & fire radio”
“Watch Live”
“THE WHITE HOUSE”
“Stay safe with advice from identified sources.”
Sports 47 examples · 20% of apps
“IN-APP PLAYER STATS”
“GET UP TO $1,000 IN BONUS FUNDS”
“LEVEL UP WITH FANATICS ONE”
“there FOR EVERY MOMENT”
“Access the MyPLAYER Builder”
“POSTS”
Weather 41 examples · 20% of apps
“See it clearly with radar built for fast decisions”
“Fast and Accurate High Definition Radar”
“Most Trusted Weather App with Proven Superior Accuracy™”
“Enjoy the sun safely.”
“Today's Weather Conditions”
“Make the most of this nice weather that I generated for you. Or else.”
Games 33 examples · 16% of apps
“Find the Cats”
“EARN REWARDS!”
“Remove Arrows!”
“Grow crops”
“Unstoppable Mind”
“FAST & SECURE WITHDRAWALS”
Related tactics.
Often on the same screenshot
- Plain tone83% of these screenshots, against 71% of every screenshot read
- Words at the top92% of these screenshots, against 80% of every screenshot read
- Light61% of these screenshots, against 49% of every screenshot read
- Headline too small to read25% of these screenshots, against 13% of every screenshot read
- Background is the icon’s colour52% of these screenshots, against 41% of every screenshot read
- Has a headline100% of these screenshots, against 89% 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%
- 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 App Store screenshots with low-contrast text?
772 of the 2295 top apps read across 23 App Store categories (34%) have at least one, and 1865 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 low-contrast text?
Most common in Education (45 of 100 apps, 45%), Social Networking (45 of 100 apps, 45%) and Health & Fitness (44 of 100 apps, 44%). Least common in Games (16 of 100 apps, 16%).
Should my app have App Store screenshots with low-contrast text?
The charts show who does it, not whether it would work for your app. Across the categories read, 83 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (36%), against 689 of the other 2065 (33%), 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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