App Store screenshots with no app screen
A photo, a logo or a slogan: the app’s screen does not appear. These sell an idea, a promise or a brand before showing any interface. Apple’s App Review Guideline 2.3.3 says screenshots should show the app in use, and not only title art, a login page or a splash screen.
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
18% 416 of 2295
Screenshots that do it
4% 487 of 12745
The top tens
43 of 230 against 373 of the other 2065
487 of the 12745 screenshots read (4%) do this, across 416 of the 2295 top apps in 23 App Store categories (18%). 43 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (19%), against 373 of the other 2065 (18%): the top ten do it about as often as the rest. It is most common in Education (29% of apps) and least common in Weather (4%).
By category, most to least.
The share of each category’s top apps with App Store screenshots with no app screen. Each category opens its own page, with every example and headline.
| Category | Apps that do it | Screenshots | Top ten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education | 29% 29 of 100 | 7% 37 of 555 | 1 of 10 |
| Finance | 27% 27 of 100 | 6% 33 of 581 | 3 of 10 |
| Sports | 26% 26 of 100 | 5% 27 of 558 | 7 of 10 |
| Food & Drink | 25% 25 of 100 | 5% 29 of 540 | 5 of 10 |
| Productivity | 23% 23 of 99 | 5% 26 of 551 | 1 of 10 |
| Lifestyle | 23% 23 of 100 | 5% 27 of 556 | 4 of 10 |
| Shopping | 23% 23 of 100 | 5% 28 of 562 | 3 of 10 |
| Health & Fitness | 21% 21 of 100 | 4% 23 of 574 | 4 of 10 |
| Medical | 21% 21 of 100 | 5% 25 of 548 | 1 of 10 |
| Reference | 21% 21 of 100 | 4% 25 of 566 | 2 of 10 |
| Utilities | 21% 21 of 100 | 4% 24 of 549 | 2 of 10 |
| Games | 20% 20 of 100 | 4% 22 of 567 | 2 of 10 |
| Graphics & Design | 19% 19 of 99 | 4% 24 of 564 | 1 of 10 |
| Business | 18% 18 of 100 | 4% 23 of 554 | 1 of 10 |
| Music | 16% 16 of 100 | 3% 18 of 550 | 1 of 10 |
| Social Networking | 16% 16 of 100 | 3% 17 of 554 | 0 of 10 |
| Travel | 15% 15 of 100 | 3% 18 of 561 | 2 of 10 |
| Navigation | 12% 12 of 99 | 2% 13 of 566 | 0 of 10 |
| Entertainment | 11% 11 of 100 | 3% 15 of 544 | 2 of 10 |
| Photo & Video | 10% 10 of 100 | 2% 12 of 566 | 0 of 10 |
| News | 8% 8 of 98 | 2% 9 of 517 | 0 of 10 |
| Developer Tools | 7% 7 of 100 | 1% 7 of 507 | 0 of 10 |
| Weather | 4% 4 of 100 | 1% 5 of 555 | 1 of 10 |
Examples from each category.
Up to 6 from each category, from the apps highest on its chart.
Education 37 examples · 29% of apps
“Speak English like a native”
“TikTok for smart people”
“Play”
“Speak English Confidently with AI Tutors”
“Speak English with absolute confidence.”
“Perfect for beginners”
Finance 33 examples · 27% of apps
“Instantly lock your card”
“Spend your balance instantly with the Venmo Debit Card”
“Banking that builds your credit”
“LIVETRADE SPORTS”
“Unlock your membership”
“Why do 15.8M members love SoFi?”
Sports 27 examples · 26% of apps
“CASINO GAMES AT HOME”
“Trusted by Millions”
“Your Teams. Your Fights. One Home.”
“GET $250”
“INJURY PROTECTION”
“UNDERDOG RIPS”
Food & Drink 29 examples · 25% of apps
“A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR EVERYTHING YOU NEED”
“Order your faves and start earning points for free food”
“Earn rewards with your App-etite”
“Save favorites for easy reordering”
“EARN FREE DOMINO'S EVERY 2 ORDERS.”
“2200+ retailer brands”
Productivity 26 examples · 23% of apps
“Talk it through with voice mode”
“Designed to simplify your life”
“Collaborate and share securely”
“Add accounts in seconds”
“Create podcast-style overviews with your AI research assistant 🤖”
“YOUR AI ASSISTANT”
Lifestyle 27 examples · 23% of apps
“One app. All the things.”
“Peace of mind while you are away.”
“Designed to be deleted”
“It starts with a swipe™”
“Enhance your driving experience”
“Rocking Life With You”
Shopping 28 examples · 23% of apps
“Sell with no fees”
“Apply codes at retailer’s checkout. Zero privacy risk.”
“#1 Deal Finding App”
“SHIP YOUR PULLS HOME”
“70% OFF”
“Buy it. Sell it. Love it.”
Health & Fitness 23 examples · 21% of apps
“POWER UP WITH PERKS”
“WALK TO EARN”
“SUPPORT A 100%”
“Discover 500,000+ trails”
“One app for fitness, beauty and wellness”
“Become a morning person”
Medical 25 examples · 21% of apps
“Communicate with your care team and more, anywhere, antime.”
“Give patients the convenient experience they demand”
“Fast, easy savings at your local pharmacy”
“The care you need, covered by most major insurers”
“Learn About Development”
“An Official AI Partner of:”
Reference 25 examples · 21% of apps
“Translate Anything”
“Travel Without Language Barrier”
“Connect with God”
“Who's singing?”
“Bible study made simple”
“Pokemon & TCG”
Utilities 24 examples · 21% of apps
“Clean Up”
“Universal Remote For All TV Brands”
“Authenticator App”
“Private, Optional AI”
“The app has been renewed!”
“The Privacy Browser”
Games 22 examples · 20% of apps
“BLOCK OUT!”
“Endless ways to be together”
“KEY to SUCCESS”
“BREAK THE RULES WITH OVERRIDES”
“WORD TILES”
“Ana Walsh Help! Big date, no outfit! Harlee Angelino Please, something stunning for the ball! Mai Valentine ASAP! Party look needed!”
Graphics & Design 24 examples · 19% of apps
“Drawing Lessons”
“Stylish Widgets For You”
“Pencil sketch any picture”
“think it. make it. cricut19”
“500+ cute lessons together”
“Lexy PDF Viewer”
Business 23 examples · 18% of apps
“zoom Workplace”
“DELIVER SMILES”
“Slack is where work happens”
“Track Packages 850+ Carriers”
“Get hired with the #1 rated job search app.*”
“One app for everyone”
Music 18 examples · 16% of apps
“Name any song in seconds”
“JBL Headphones”
“OPENRUN PRO 2”
“The world's #1 tuner app”
“ENHANCE YOUR LISTENING EXPERIENCE.”
Social Networking 17 examples · 16% of apps
“Secure-by-design to keep conversations safe”
“The phone service that won’t leave you hanging. No fixed contracts. No bills. Ever.”
“JOIN WIZZ”
“MONOPOLY GO! CHAT”
“get curious about their lives”
“Find your people”
Travel 18 examples · 15% of apps
“Be there soon. Really soon.”
“Connect anytime, anywhere”
“Explore millions of host-free stays”
“It drives. You ride.”
Navigation 13 examples · 12% of apps
“Access your Techron Advantage Card and more”
“Routes Built for Your Truck”
“Join the #1 App for Truck Drivers”
“WE RESPECT YOUR PRIVACY”
“Fuel Your Journey, Go the ExtraMile™”
“Adventure Confidently”
Entertainment 15 examples · 11% of apps
“DO WHAT YOU LOVE”
“Sharing Moments Together”
“Choose how to get paid.”
“Watch Bite-Sized Dramas”
“TELEMUNDO Y MUCHO MÁS”
“No Waiting Just Watch”
Photo & Video 12 examples · 10% of apps
“AI Video GENERATOR #1”
“Stand out with your collages”
“Fade-free images on premium paper for the very best prints”
“Photo Gifts & Prints”
“Hairstyles by Face Shape”
News 9 examples · 8% of apps
“Find calm in the chaos”
“Explore Your Favorite Topics”
“Context changes everything.”
“The world's leading global business publication”
“Stories Told By Your Favorite Stars”
“2000+ MOVIES”
Developer Tools 7 examples · 7% of apps
“From Idea to App”
“Termiux”
“Access Supabase from anywhere.”
“Bluetooth Connect”
“USE EVERY CORNER OF YOUR DEVICE”
“Loved By Many”
Weather 5 examples · 4% of apps
“Most Trusted Weather App with Proven Superior Accuracy™”
“Moon Calendar”
“Their rain gauges agree.”
“Customize your look.”
Related tactics.
Often on the same screenshot
- Headline readable at thumbnail size51% of these screenshots, against 31% of every screenshot read
- A hand holds the phone24% of these screenshots, against 6% of every screenshot read
- Illustration or mascot51% of these screenshots, against 36% of every screenshot read
- A person in the picture41% of these screenshots, against 26% of every screenshot read
- Uses a number22% of these screenshots, against 8% of every screenshot read
- Words aligned left28% of these screenshots, against 14% 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%
- A hand holds the phone24%
- Two or more screens23%
- Zoomed detail of the UI22%
- Phone cut off at the head18%
- 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 no app screen?
416 of the 2295 top apps read across 23 App Store categories (18%) have at least one, and 487 of their 12745 screenshots (4%) 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 no app screen?
Most common in Education (29 of 100 apps, 29%), Finance (27 of 100 apps, 27%) and Sports (26 of 100 apps, 26%). Least common in Weather (4 of 100 apps, 4%).
Should my app have App Store screenshots with no app screen?
The charts show who does it, not whether it would work for your app. Across the categories read, 43 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (19%), against 373 of the other 2065 (18%), 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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