Splash screen

The first screen an app shows while it starts up, usually with a logo and some branding.

Also called: splash, splash screen, launch screen, loading screen, startup screen, start screen, logo on launch, app launch screen, intro screen, logo screen

What it is for

It covers the app’s loading time and gives instant feedback that the app has launched. It also works as branding. It should stay on screen only briefly, or give way to a smooth transition into a skeleton screen.

Where you see it

  • Native mobile apps — a branded loading screen
  • Mobile banking — the screen before the sign-in prompt: PIN or biometrics
  • Games — the studio’s logo before the menu

What it is called in code

  • splash screen
  • launch screen

See also

  • Loading indicators — Anything that shows the site is busy: a progress bar, a spinning icon, or gray placeholders where content will appear.
  • Bottom navigation — A navigation bar fixed to the bottom of a phone screen, with 3–5 icons for the main sections.
  • Pull to refresh — A gesture: drag a list down when it’s already scrolled to the very top. A loading icon appears and the content refreshes.