Reference App Store screenshot ideas
Explore the examples below or browse the reference screenshot gallery.
First screenshot examples
Four ways to introduce an app, with design choices you can apply to your own screenshots.
The daily verse card gives the morning-routine headline a specific piece of content to act on.
Try this: For a habit-based app, show what a single visit contains and when it fits into the user's day.
The phone is held against a night sky, placing the stargazing tool in its intended setting.
Try this: Show an outdoor tool in the environment where people will use it to make the context clear.
The game logos surround the device, giving examples of the card collections named in the headline.
Try this: Show recognisable categories when compatibility or collection coverage is a key part of your offer.
Screenshot layouts
Based on 40 selected apps from the iOS Reference charts. These figures describe design patterns, not conversion results.
The first screenshot
The first screenshot introduces the set. These are the layouts used on screenshot one in the sampled reference apps:
Set structure
How full sets are organized:
| Feature per slide | 75% |
| Mixed structure | 15% |
| Benefit story | 10% |
Headline formulas
Share of analyzed headlines using each headline formula:
| Benefit statement | 32% |
| Imperative | 31% |
| Feature name | 24% |
| Question | 5% |
| Social proof | 4% |
| Stat claim | 3% |
| Other | 2% |
Benefit statement headlines from real sets
- “Made by Christians for Christians”
- “The Audio Bible You Personalize”
- “Guided Devotional Every Day”
- “Fall Asleep to Scripture”
Imperative headlines from real sets
- “Press Play on Scripture”
- “Translate with Camera”
- “Scan and Search quickly”
- “Be a part of a Community”
Feature name headlines from real sets
- “Bible Verse Widgets for Home Screen”
- “Bible Verse Widgets for Lock Screen”
- “Bible in a Year Plans”
- “Listen with CarPlay”
Question headlines from real sets
- “WHAT IS THAT BRIGHT DOT IN THE SKY?”
- “HOW TO FIND JUPITER OR SATURN?”
- “WHEN TO SEE THE ISS?”
- “WHAT IS A PLANET PARADE?”
Social proof headlines from real sets
- ““I struggle with reading… Dwell helps.””
- “The #1 Prayer App IN THE WORLD”
- “No.1 Coin ID App”
- “100,000+ 5-Star Blessings”
Device, background, and text balance
Device presentation
| Framed device | 62% |
| Frameless device | 15% |
| No device | 11% |
| Clipped device | 7% |
| Angled device | 5% |
Background types
| Gradient | 36% |
| Flat color | 35% |
| Scene or photo | 19% |
| Pattern | 9% |
| Blurred UI | 1% |
Text to UI ratio
| UI dominant | 49% |
| Balanced | 41% |
| Text dominant | 9% |
Palettes from the sample
Dominant colors recorded in selected reference sets:
Typography
Typography observed in the sampled reference sets:
- warm serif display headlines (mixed roman and italic), cream-white text over moody photography and soft gradients, literary book-cover aesthetic
- elegant serif headlines with italic emphasis words on a warm cream background, red editorial accent squiggles, sentence case
- bold rounded sans-serif headlines, two short lines, white text over saturated gradient backgrounds that shift hue per feature
- elegant serif display headlines in deep forest green over a soft cream gradient, warm sans-serif subheads, watercolor illustration accents
- bold rounded sans headlines with a serif for testimonial quotes, white on purple gradient, sentence case
- bold heavy sans-serif, all-caps, white on a deep-space purple gradient, punchy question headlines
Keep exploring
- Reference screenshot examples: the full sets behind these numbers.
- All categories: compare reference with the other categories.
- Screenshot sizes: the dimensions your set needs to ship.
Create your reference screenshot set
Use these examples to plan your set. Screenies adds layouts and headlines to your raw app screenshots, ready for you to edit and export.
Create reference screenshots