App Store (Apple)
The App Store is an app marketplace developed and maintained by Apple, for mobile apps and desktop apps on its iOS, macOS and iPadOS operating systems. The store allows users to browse and download approved apps developed within Apple's iOS SDK. Apps can be downloaded on the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, and some can be transferred to the Apple Watch smartwatch or 4th-generation or newer Apple TVs as extensions of iPhone apps.
The App Store opened on July 10, 2008, with an initial 500 applications available. The number of apps peaked at around 2.2 million in 2017, but declined slightly over the next few years as Apple began a process to remove old or 32-bit apps., the store features more than 1.9 million apps.
While Apple touts the role of the App Store in creating new jobs in the "app economy" and as of 2023 claims to have paid over $320 billion to developers, the App Store has also attracted criticism from developers and government regulators that it operates a monopoly and that Apple's 30% cut of revenues from the store is excessive. In October 2021, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets concluded that in-app commissions from Apple's App Store are anti-competitive and would demand that Apple change its in-app payment system policies.
History
While originally developing iPhone prior to its unveiling in 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs did not intend to let third-party developers build native apps for iOS, instead directing them to make web applications for the Safari web browser. However, backlash from developers prompted the company to reconsider, with Jobs announcing in October 2007 that Apple would have a software development kit available for developers by February 2008. The SDK was released on March 6, 2008. Before the official availability of the App Store, users could install third party apps only after a jailbreak of the device. Tutorials explained how to easily perform the jailbreak, and this made it possible for developers to distribute both free apps, ringtones and games but also the first paid applications for iPhone, like the Navizon app, to let users get their real time location even without a proper GPS module, which became available as a paid app on iPhone in September 2007, almost one year before the official launch of the iPhone App Store.The iPhone App Store opened on July 10, 2008.On July 11, the iPhone 3G was released and came pre-loaded with support for App Store.
. The app allows users to pretend to drink a beer with their iPhones. In the current landscape, most people would never pay attention to an app like that, but the novelty of the app store and apps in general made the app a huge success with the creators reporting that they made $10,000 to $20,000 a day.
Initially, apps could be free or paid, but then in 2009, Apple added the ability to add in-app purchases which quickly became the dominant way to monetize apps, especially games.
After the success of Apple's App Store and the launch of similar services by its competitors, the term "app store" has been adopted to refer to any similar service for mobile devices. However, Apple applied for a U.S. trademark on the term "App Store" in 2008, which was tentatively approved in early 2011. In June 2011, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton, who was presiding over Apple's case against Amazon, said she would "probably" deny Apple's motion to stop Amazon from using the "App Store" name. In July, Apple was denied preliminary injunction against Amazon's Appstore by a federal judge.
The term app has become a popular buzzword; in January 2011, app was awarded the honor of being 2010's "Word of the Year" by the American Dialect Society. "App" has been used as shorthand for "application" since at least the late 1970s, and in product names since at least 2006, for example, then-named Google Apps.
Apple announced Mac App Store, a similar app distribution platform for its macOS personal computer operating system, in October 2010, with the official launch taking place in January 2011 with the release of its 10.6.6 "Snow Leopard" update.
In February 2013, Apple informed developers that they could begin using appstore.com for links to their apps. In June at its developer conference, Apple announced an upcoming "Kids" section in App Store, a new section featuring apps categorized by age range, and the section was launched alongside the release of iOS 7 in September 2013.
In 2016, multiple media outlets reported that apps had decreased significantly in popularity. Recode wrote that "The app boom is over", an editorial in TechCrunch stated that "The air of hopelessness that surrounds the mobile app ecosystem is obvious and demoralizing", and The Verge wrote that "the original App Store model of selling apps for a buck or two looks antiquated". Issues included consumer "boredom", a lack of app discoverability, and, as stated by a report from 2014, a lack of new app downloads among smartphone users.
In October 2016, in an effort to improve app discoverability, Apple rolled out the ability for developers to purchase advertising spots in App Store to users in the United States. The ads, shown at the top of the search results, are based strictly on relevant keywords, and are not used to create profiles on users. Apple expanded search ads to the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand in April 2017, along with more configurable advertising settings for developers. Search ads were expanded to Canada, Mexico and Switzerland in October 2017. In December 2017, Apple revamped its search ads program to offer two distinctive versions; "Search Ads Basic" is a pay-per-install program aimed at smaller developers, in which they only pay when users actually install their app. Search Ads Basic also features an easier setup process and a restricted monthly budget. "Search Ads Advanced" is a new name given to the older method, in which developers have to pay whenever users tap on their apps in search results, along with unlimited monthly budgets..
In January 2017, reports surfaced that documentation for a new beta for the then-upcoming release of iOS 10.3 detailed that Apple would let developers respond to customer reviews in the App Store, marking a significant change from the previous limitation, which prevented developers from communicating with users. The functionality was officially enabled on March 27, 2017 when iOS 10.3 was released to users.
Apple also offered an iTunes Affiliate Program, which lets people refer others to apps and other iTunes content, along with in-app purchases, for a percentage of sales. The commission rate for in-app purchases was reduced from 7% to 2.5% in May 2017 and discontinued completely in 2018.
In September 2017, App Store received a major design overhaul with the release of iOS 11. The new design features a greater focus on editorial content and daily highlights, and introduces a "cleaner and more consistent and colorful look," similar to several of Apple's built-in iOS apps.
Prior to September 2017, Apple offered a way for users to manage their iOS app purchases through the iTunes computer software. In September, version 12.7 of iTunes was released, removing the App Store section in the process. However, the following month, iTunes 12.6.3 was also released, retaining the App Store, with 9to5Mac noting that the secondary release was positioned by Apple as "necessary for some businesses performing internal app deployments".
In December 2017, Apple announced that developers could offer applications for pre-order, letting them make apps visible in the store between 2–90 days ahead of release.
On January 4, 2018, Apple announced that the App Store had a record-breaking holiday season according to a new press release. During the week starting on Christmas Eve, a record number of customers made App Store purchases, spending more than $890 million in that seven-day period. On New Year's Day 2018 alone, customers made $300 million in purchases.
In September 2019, Apple launched Apple Arcade, a subscription service for video games within the App Store.
In March 2020, Apple made "Sign in with Apple" mandatory for any apps that use third party logins. As part of the new App Store guidelines, the deadline for developers to implement the feature was April 30.
In 2019 and 2020, Apple was frequently criticized by other companies such as Spotify, Airbnb and Hey and regulators for potentially running the App Store as a monopoly and overcharging developers, and was the target of lawsuits and investigations in the EU and United States. A conflict between Epic Games, the creator of the Fortnite game, and Apple, led to the lawsuit Epic Games v. Apple. In December 2020, Apple announced that they would introduce a "Small Business Program" which lowers Apple's revenue cut for app developers making less than USD 1 million per year from 30% to 15%. Additionally, governments such as in China, India and Russia have increasingly required Apple to remove specific apps, with the threatened removal of some apps often becoming part of geopolitical feuds.
In January 2022, Apple added support for unlisted apps to the App Store. These apps can only be downloaded via direct links, and do not appear as search results.
Later in December 2022, a report by Bloomberg noted that the company had begun making preparations for opening up sideloading and alternative app stores on iOS, as compliance with the EU's Digital Markets Act that had passed in September of that year. The same report also noted Apple planned to open up the NFC and camera systems on iOS, and the Find My network to AirTag competitors like Tile.
Following a European Commission antitrust investigation, on January 25, 2024, Apple allowed game streaming apps and services, such as Xbox Cloud Streaming and GeForce Now, on the App Store. Apple also allowed iPhone users in the European Union to use third-party app stores and browser engines.
In the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit, a 2021 court ruling forced Apple to allow developers to include external payment links in apps, which Apple initially complied with by adding a 27% commission and restrictive warnings. In April 2025, the court ruled Apple violated the injunction, ordering the removal of all commissions and restrictions on external payment links. Apple appealed the decision but complied by May 2025, allowing apps like Fortnite to return with unrestricted payment options. The appeal remains ongoing as of August 2025.