App Store (Apple)

For the macOS version of the App Store, see Mac App Store.

App Store
Developer(s)Apple
Initial releaseJuly 10, 2008; 16 years ago (July 10, 2008)
Operating systemiOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and VisionOS
TypeDigital distribution and software update
Websiteappstore.com Edit this on Wikidata

The App Store is an app marketplace developed and maintained by Apple, for mobile apps on its iOS 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. As of 2021, the store features more than 1.8 million apps.

While Apple touts the role of the App Store in creating new jobs in the "app economy"[1] and claims to have paid over $155 billion to developers,[2] 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.[3] In October 2021, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) 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.[4]

  1. ^ "iOS app economy creates 300,000 new US jobs as developers adapt during pandemic". Apple Newsroom. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  2. ^ Leswing, Kif (January 8, 2020). "Apple's App Store had gross sales around $50 billion last year, but growth is slowing". CNBC. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  3. ^ "Tinder and Fortnite criticize Apple for its 'App Store monopoly'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  4. ^ "Dutch Regulator Finds Apple App Store Payment System Anti-Competitive – October 8, 2021". Daily News Brief. October 8, 2021. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2021.