App Store and Google Play categories: the full list
Every App Store genre with the number of iPhone and iPad apps in each, every Google Play app and game category, and what these labels can and cannot tell an IT admin.
App Store categories list, with app counts
Each iPhone and iPad app is listed under one primary App Store genre. These are the 26 genres and how many apps in our mobile app database carry each one.
iPhone and iPad apps by App Store genre
Apps in our database, 1,874,397 in total, sorted from largest to smallest genre.
Games and Education together make up about one in five apps. Social Networking, the genre people expect to be huge, holds only about 2 percent, partly because big social apps such as Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok are filed under Photo & Video or Entertainment.
How Apple's categories work on iPhone and iPad
The genre is chosen by the developer when the app is submitted. A few rules shape what you see in the store and in Screen Time.
Primary and secondary
An app gets one primary and one optional secondary category. The primary decides where it appears when people browse the store.
Games subcategories
Games can pick up to two subcategories, such as Action, Adventure, Board, Card, Family, Puzzle, Racing, Role Playing, Simulation, Sports or Strategy.
Kids category
A separate Kids category with age bands of 5 and under, 6 to 8, and 9 to 11. Apps in it also keep a normal genre such as Education or Games.
Stickers
Sticker packs for Messages can use the Stickers category. Standalone sticker packs do not show up when people browse categories, only in search.
Screen Time link
Apps filed under Entertainment or Games show up in the matching Screen Time category. The social media grouping depends on what the app can do, not on its genre.
Mac only categories
The Mac App Store also has a Safari Extensions category for content blockers, password managers and similar browser add-ons.
Google Play store categories list
Google Play has two separate lists: one for apps and one for games. Developers pick one category from the right list, and can add tags for more detail.
App categories 32
- Art & Design
- Auto & Vehicles
- Beauty
- Books & Reference
- Business
- Comics
- Communication
- Dating
- Education
- Entertainment
- Events
- Finance
- Food & Drink
- Health & Fitness
- House & Home
- Libraries & Demo
- Lifestyle
- Maps & Navigation
- Medical
- Music & Audio
- News & Magazines
- Parenting
- Personalization
- Photography
- Productivity
- Shopping
- Social
- Sports
- Tools
- Travel & Local
- Video Players & Editors
- Weather
Google Play games categories 17
- Action
- Adventure
- Arcade
- Board
- Card
- Casino
- Casual
- Educational
- Music
- Puzzle
- Racing
- Role Playing
- Simulation
- Sports
- Strategy
- Trivia
- Word
Store genres vs blocklist categories
A store genre answers "where should this app be shelved?". A blocklist category answers "what does this app let a student or employee do?". Those are different questions, and the gap is where blocks fail.
| App | App Store genre | Our blocklist categories |
|---|---|---|
| Prodigy Math Game | Education | Education/ReferenceGaming |
| Toca Boca World | Education | Education/ReferenceGaming |
| Coin Master | Games | GamingGambling |
| Kalshi | Finance | Gambling |
| Character.AI | Entertainment | AI / LLM ToolsArts & EntertainmentWeb-based Applications |
| Replika | Health & Fitness | AI / LLM ToolsHealth & MedicineSocial Networking |
| Turbo VPN | Productivity | VPN / Proxy / Anonymizers |
| Tinder | Lifestyle | Dating |
| Snapchat | Photo & Video | Social Networking |
| News | Forums / Message BoardsNews/MediaSocial Networking |
A game-like learning app
Math games and play worlds for young children are filed under Education. Blocking the Games genre leaves them open; allowing Education lets real games in too.
Chat inside a game
Big multiplayer games have chat, friends lists and voice. The genre says Games, but the risk a school worries about is contact with strangers. See blocking games on school devices.
Gambling without a gambling genre
There is no gambling genre in the App Store. Sportsbooks sit in Sports, prediction markets in Finance and casino games in Games. Our gambling apps list pulls them together.
AI apps everywhere
AI chat apps choose Productivity, Entertainment, Education or Health & Fitness. No single genre covers them, which is why the AI apps list is built on what each app does.
Mapping table: App Store genre to blocklist categories
Every app in our database carries one or more of 58 blocklist categories, ranked by how much of the app they describe. This table shows which categories apps in each genre most often receive, and what to watch for.
| App Store genre | Blocklist categories you will see most | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Games | GamingGamblingEducation/Reference | Social casino and real-money games, chat features |
| Education | Education/ReferenceGamingAI / LLM Tools | Learning games, AI homework solvers |
| Business | BusinessJob Search/CareersWeb-based Applications | Business editions of chat apps |
| Utilities | Computers & TechnologyVPN / Proxy / AnonymizersRemote Access Tools | VPN apps, browsers, photo vaults |
| Lifestyle | Home & GardenShoppingDating | The biggest dating apps are filed here |
| Health & Fitness | Health & MedicineSports & RecreationFood & Drink | AI companion apps |
| Food & Drink | Food & DrinkRestaurants & DiningAlcohol | Alcohol shops and delivery |
| Productivity | Web-based ApplicationsAI / LLM ToolsVPN / Proxy / Anonymizers | The main AI assistants and many VPN apps |
| Finance | Financial ServicesOnline BankingCryptocurrency | Prediction markets, crypto trading |
| Shopping | ShoppingMarketplaces / Classifieds / Auctions | Ultra-cheap marketplaces |
| Entertainment | Arts & EntertainmentStreaming MediaGaming | Short video, AI characters, console apps |
| Travel | TravelAutomotive & Transportation | Few surprises |
| Sports | Sports & RecreationGamblingStreaming Media | Sportsbooks and fantasy apps |
| Social Networking | Social NetworkingDatingEmail and Messaging | Dating and meet-new-people apps, chat apps |
| Medical | Health & Medicine | Few surprises |
| Photo & Video | Arts & EntertainmentStreaming MediaSocial NetworkingAI / LLM Tools | Big social apps, AI image and video makers |
| Music | Arts & EntertainmentStreaming MediaPodcasts | Music streaming |
| Reference | Education/ReferenceReligion & Spirituality | Few surprises |
| Navigation | Automotive & TransportationTravel | Location sharing |
| News | News/MediaSocial NetworkingForums / Message Boards | Large social platforms filed as News |
| Book | Arts & EntertainmentEducation/ReferenceStreaming Media | Story apps with mature content |
| Graphics & Design | Arts & EntertainmentAI / LLM Tools | AI image generators |
| Weather | ScienceNews/Media | Few surprises |
| Developer Tools | Developer Tools / Code HostingComputers & Technology | Network and terminal tools |
| Stickers | Arts & Entertainment | Few surprises |
| Magazines & Newspapers | News/Media | Few surprises |
Want to see this for one app? The app category lookup shows the genre and our categories side by side.
Google Play categories where blocked apps tend to sit
Android has the same problem as iOS: the store category is the developer's shelf choice. These are the Play categories worth a closer look when you review an Android fleet.
| Google Play category | Blocklist categories that often apply | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Casino (games) | GamblingGaming | Social casino games teach slot and poker mechanics even without real money. |
| Dating | Dating | The clearest match, but many meet-new-people apps choose Social instead. |
| Social | Social NetworkingDating | Feeds, friend finders and anonymous question apps share this shelf. |
| Communication | Email and MessagingSocial Networking | Chat and calling apps, including ones that allow contact with strangers. |
| Tools | VPN / Proxy / AnonymizersRemote Access ToolsComputers & Technology | A catch-all shelf where many VPN and remote control apps live next to harmless utilities. |
| Video Players & Editors | Streaming MediaArts & Entertainment | Streaming and video download apps hide among plain editors. |
| Educational (games) | Education/ReferenceGaming | Learning games: often fine, but still games when you need focus time. |
| Finance | Financial ServicesCryptocurrencyGambling | Crypto trading and prediction apps sit beside banking apps. |
The Android side of any app, with its package name, is one search away in the package name lookup.
How to use store genres sensibly
Store genres are not useless. They are just the wrong tool for blocking. Give each signal the job it is good at.
Genre: a review hint
Use the genre to sort a long inventory report and spot odd apps, such as a Utilities app nobody asked for on a student iPad.
Age rating: a ceiling
An age rating limit in your MDM keeps 17+ apps away from young students. It says nothing about VPN, AI or chat apps rated 4+.
Category list: the block
Block by what apps do, such as AI / LLM Tools or VPN / Proxy / Anonymizers, then allow single exceptions by bundle ID or package name.
The 58 blocklist categories
The same 58 categories we use for 120 million websites, applied to apps. Dark chips are the ones most schools block on student devices; businesses often add Shopping, Marketplaces and Gaming on work phones.
- Adult
- Advertising/Marketing
- AI / LLM Tools
- Alcohol
- Arts & Entertainment
- Automotive & Transportation
- Blogs/Personal Sites
- Business
- CDN / Hosting / Infrastructure
- Cloud Storage / File Hosting
- Community Sites
- Computers & Technology
- Cryptocurrency
- Dating
- Developer Tools / Code Hosting
- Education/Reference
- Email and Messaging
- File Sharing/P2P
- Financial Services
- Food & Drink
- Forums / Message Boards
- Freeware/Software
- Gambling
- Gaming
- Government & Legal
- Hate/Discrimination
- Health & Medicine
- Home & Garden
- Illegal Drugs
- Job Search/Careers
- Lingerie/Swimsuits/Intimate Apparel
- Malware / Phishing / Suspicious
- Marketplaces / Classifieds / Auctions
- Military
- News/Media
- Online Banking
- Parked / For-Sale Domains
- Pets & Animals
- Podcasts
- Political
- Real Estate
- Religion & Spirituality
- Remote Access Tools
- Restaurants & Dining
- Science
- Search Engines & Platforms
- Shopping
- Social Networking
- Sports & Recreation
- Streaming Media
- Tobacco
- Travel
- URL Shorteners
- Violence
- VPN / Proxy / Anonymizers
- Weapons
- Web-based Applications
- Webinars/E-learning
Categories of mobile apps by how they are built
Some people asking for "categories of mobile apps" mean the technical kind. The three basic types matter for admins too, because each is managed differently.
Native apps
Built for one platform and installed from the App Store or Google Play. Each has a bundle ID or package name, so MDM can block or allow it.
Web apps
Run in the browser with no install. Some can be added to the Home Screen. Control them with web filtering, not app blocklists.
Hybrid apps
Web technology inside an installed app shell. To the device they are normal apps, with a normal bundle ID or package name.
Other places you will see app categories
"Categories" shows up in a few more places on managed devices. None of them can be used as a block rule on its own.
iOS App Library categories
- The App Library sorts apps into groups automatically, based largely on their store category.
- Suggestions and Recently Added sit at the top.
- Groups cannot be renamed, created or rearranged by the user.
Adding your own categories on iPhone
- Drag one app onto another on the Home Screen to make a folder, then name it.
- On supervised devices, admins can push a Home Screen layout with folders.
- Folders are cosmetic: a hidden app stays reachable unless it is blocked. See school iPad restrictions.
App categories in the Company Portal
- Intune admins can create app categories and assign them to apps.
- Users filter the Company Portal by these labels.
- They organize what you offer; blocking is set elsewhere. See blocking apps with Intune.
Top charts by category
- Both stores show top charts that can be narrowed by category.
- Charts show what is popular this week, not what is safe.
- Unfamiliar apps from the charts are worth a quick check in the bundle ID lookup.
App category questions
How many App Store categories are there?
iPhone and iPad apps carry one of 26 App Store genres, from Games and Education to Stickers and Magazines and Newspapers. Games have their own subcategories, and the Kids category sits on top of the normal genres.
What are the biggest App Store categories?
In our database of 1.87 million iPhone and iPad apps, the largest genres are Games with 202,831 apps, Education with 193,232, Business with 171,098, Utilities with 170,170 and Lifestyle with 153,816.
What are the Google Play categories?
Google Play uses 32 app categories, such as Communication, Dating, Education, Social and Tools, plus 17 game categories, such as Action, Casino, Educational and Puzzle.
How do Google Play categories differ from App Store categories?
Google Play splits apps and games into two lists, 32 app categories and 17 game categories, while the App Store has 26 genres with games as one genre plus subcategories. Both are chosen by the developer, and neither tells you whether an app has chat, gambling or a VPN.
Can I block apps by App Store category in my MDM?
Apple's restrictions let you block apps by bundle ID and limit apps by age rating, but there is no switch to block a store genre. A genre would also be too coarse: VPN apps, AI chat apps and dating apps are spread over many genres.
What are the three basic categories of mobile apps?
By how they are built, mobile apps are usually grouped as native apps, web apps and hybrid apps. Store categories and blocklist categories group apps by what they do instead.
How do I categorize apps on my iPhone?
On the Home Screen you can drag one app onto another to make a folder and name it. The App Library groups apps automatically and cannot be renamed or rearranged. On supervised devices, admins can push a Home Screen layout with folders.
What are app categories in the Company Portal?
In Microsoft Intune, admins can create app categories and assign them to apps so users can filter the Company Portal. They are labels for browsing, not blocking rules.
Block by what apps do, not where they are shelved
Category blocklists built on our 58 categories, for iOS, iPadOS and Android, updated monthly. Building a product? License the full database with genres, categories and IDs.
Apple, App Store, iPhone, iPad, Mac and Safari are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Play is a trademark of Google LLC. Microsoft Intune is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Prodigy, Toca Boca World, Coin Master, Kalshi, Character.AI, Replika, Turbo VPN, Tinder, Snapchat and Reddit are trademarks of their respective owners. Names are used only to identify the products discussed. AppBlockList is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by these companies.