How Top Apps Showcase AI Features on the App Store in 2025

AI is everywhere — but how do apps actually present it on the App Store? There are already winning patterns — and pitfalls — to learn from.

Using App Radar, we’ve analyzed 500 of the top-ranking apps in the US across five AI-heavy categories — Productivity, Education, Utilities, Lifestyle, and Photo & Video — to see how they highlight AI across five key store touchpoints: icon, title, screenshots, video preview, and app description (rankings captured in (August 2025). 

This research uncovers the strategies top apps use to make AI visible (or keep it invisible), the messaging patterns that stand out, and what app marketers can learn to build stronger, trust-driven positioning in 2025.

How Productivity Apps Showcase AI Features on the App Store

This category includes major AI-native brands like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, which shape emerging standards in how AI is communicated to users.

Key Findings

Strategic Insights

• AI messaging in Productivity apps is more widespread than in any other category analyzed — especially in titles (25%) and descriptions (38%). This reflects both strong user interest and high competition.
• 19% of apps incorporate AI in the icon, often with symbolic design (geometric shapes, sparkles, assistant cues) rather than text. Many of them resort to using green, white, and black colors. 
• Despite their potential for clear demonstrations, video previews are still underused — only 2 apps highlight AI here.
• Only 1 app uses all 5 touchpoints (icon, title, screenshots, video, description) to communicate AI — indicating that even leading brands are selective, not maximalist, in their messaging.
• Top AI apps unify design and copy: screenshots match brand tone, icons are minimalist, and descriptions focus on what AI helps you do, not how it works.
• Non-AI-first apps (e.g. Google Docs, Excel) may include AI features but rarely surface them explicitly — for many productivity brands, AI is a feature, not the product.

Brand-Led AI Positioning

Many of the apps referencing AI in this category do so indirectly via a brand identity, not by describing AI technologies or models explicitly:

The strongest AI-first brands in Productivity don’t lead with buzzwords — they lead with value. AI is the engine, but user impact is the message.

Takeaway

In the Productivity category, AI is more visible and widespread than in any other segment — yet the most successful apps don’t just say “AI.” They show what it does.

How Education Apps Showcase AI Features on the App Store

In a space where clarity and learning outcomes matter, education apps are beginning to experiment with AI — but how transparently do they communicate it to users? From homework helpers to language tutors, we looked at how the top 100 apps in the Education category incorporate AI into their store presence, and where that messaging is most visible — or surprisingly absent.

Key Findings

Strategic Insights

• Descriptions are the most common touchpoint for AI messaging (19%), but even that only represents less than one in five apps.
  Only 8% of apps include AI in the title, and 13% in screenshots, showing that visual or branding emphasis on AI is still limited.
• Video previews and icons are almost never used to promote AI (1% each), despite offering high-value real estate for differentiation.
• Just one app uses a relatively strong messaging strategy (icon + title + screenshot + description), and only one other spans four core elements (title, screenshot, video, description).
• No app in the Education category uses all five touchpoints to showcase AI — a missed opportunity in a space where trust and clarity are essential for students and educators alike.
• Surprise, surprise, but, despite the AI focus of the company, Duolingo doesn’t mention AI in their App Store listing.
• AI is often positioned as a study companion or a coach you can feel confident with while learning. Another popular value proposition is to show that the results you get with an app are accurate. 

Takeaway

Education apps are cautiously adopting AI messaging, often sticking to conservative placements like descriptions. While this may reflect a preference for credibility over hype, there’s ample room for standout positioning through more visible, consistent AI storytelling — especially in a field where AI tools like tutoring, summarization, and feedback can directly impact learning outcomes.

How Utilities Apps Showcase AI Features on the App Store

In the Utilities category, functionality often comes first — but with AI powering everything from phone cleaners to VPNs, how are these tools signaling their smart capabilities to users? We reviewed 100 top utilities apps to see how (or if) they surface AI in their store listings — and found that many keep it quiet, even when it’s working behind the scenes.

Key Findings

Only 2% of apps (2 out of 100) promote AI consistently across all four elements — title, screenshots, video, and description.

Strategic Insights

• Only one app (1%) used all five touchpoints — icon, title, screenshots, video, and description — to communicate its AI capabilities.
• Screenshots and descriptions are the most common ways apps highlight AI, each used by 16% of listings. This shows a preference for visual and textual explanations over top-line or branding integration.
• Only 8% of apps mention AI in the title, suggesting that AI is rarely central to the product identity in Utilities.
• Video previews are vastly underused, with just 3% leveraging them to showcase AI. This represents a major missed opportunity to demonstrate AI in action.
• Despite growing AI integration, most utilities apps don’t showcase AI at all, and very few adopt a cohesive messaging strategy.
• In this category, AI mentions are simple and straightforward. 

Takeaway

In the Utilities category, AI is often embedded but rarely marketed boldly. 

How Photo & Video Apps Showcase AI Features on the App Store

From AI photo enhancers to auto-captioning tools, the Photo & Video category is full of apps powered by artificial intelligence. But how clearly is that reflected in how these apps market themselves? We looked at 100 of the top apps to see how AI shows up in their titles, visuals, and messaging — and where there’s still room to sharpen the story.

Key Findings

Strategic Insights

• Screenshots and descriptions dominate: Over half of apps (51% and 49%, respectively) use these visual and textual areas to present AI, making them the primary storytelling tools.
• One in four apps (25%) mentions AI in the title, showing stronger AI branding than in categories like Utilities or Productivity.
  Only 15% use video previews to highlight AI, which — while higher than in other categories — is still a massive underutilization of a demo format.
• Just 3% of apps incorporate AI into the icon, which could be a subtle but impactful differentiator in crowded search results.
• Only 1% of apps use all 5 touchpoints (icon, title, screenshot, video, description). This trend indicates that holistic AI messaging is extremely rare.
• Virality plays a big role for the category. Apps show how to recreate popular trends with their AI features.
• When it comes to video previews and screenshots, AI features are often shown in subtle ways — sometimes as a single button, icon, or hint of functionality embedded within the app interface.

Takeaway

The Photo & Video category is more AI-forward than others, but most apps still treat AI as an enhancement — not a core narrative. Brands that consistently highlight AI across all assets (and follow social media trends!) can carve out a distinctive and modern positioning, especially as consumer curiosity around AI-generated content grows.

How Lifestyle Apps Showcase AI Features on the App Store

In the Lifestyle category — home to everything from horoscopes to habit trackers — AI is starting to play a bigger role behind the scenes. But is it being marketed that way? We analyzed 100 of the top Lifestyle apps to see how clearly (or quietly) AI shows up in their store listings — and found a cautious approach that prioritizes lifestyle appeal over technical claims.

Key Findings

Strategic Insights

• AI is almost invisible in Lifestyle apps — 0% use the icon or video preview to showcase AI, and only a handful include it in titles (4%) or screenshots (5%).
• The description is the most common place to mention AI (11%), suggesting that most AI communication is buried rather than front-facing.
  No app uses a full-funnel messaging approach (all 5 touchpoints), and even combinations of 3 or 4 elements are rare.
• Only 4 apps (4%) show AI across title, screenshot, and description, indicating an extremely limited effort toward multi-touchpoint messaging.
• While major dating apps aim to explore AI, you won’t see mentions of artificial intelligence in their app descriptions. The companies tend to be careful and avoid the term altogether to maintain a focus on emotional connection, privacy, and human-centric experiences.
• Core value propositions revolve around being helpful.

Takeaway

Lifestyle apps are lagging behind other categories in showcasing AI. Despite growing user interest in personalization, wellness tech, and smart features, most apps do not surface AI capabilities — potentially missing out on a major trust and differentiation opportunity.

Cross-Category Comparison: AI Visibility on the App Store

Across all five categories analyzed — Productivity, Education, Utilities, Photo & Video, and Lifestyle — Productivity apps lead the way in showcasing AI, with 25% mentioning it in titles and 38% in descriptions. 

Photo & Video apps are the most visually AI-forward, with 51% featuring AI in screenshots, while Education and Utilities show more cautious adoption, often limiting AI messaging to descriptions or not surfacing it at all. 

Lifestyle apps are the most conservative, with AI barely present across any touchpoint. Icons and video previews are consistently underused across categories, with only 1% or fewer apps leveraging all five touchpoints to tell a complete AI story.