Developers have made $550 billion on Apple’s App Store since 2008

Apple services had a “record-breaking year,” according to a blog post by elder vice president Eddy Cue.

In 2025, Apple had 850 cardinal mean play App Store users (up from 813 cardinal successful 2024), implicit $100 cardinal successful Apple Pay merchant sales, and a 36% summation successful monthly Apple TV engagement.

Apple Music besides had its champion twelvemonth ever for listenership and caller subscriber growth, which is awesome amid Spotify’s longstanding dominance of the market.

Apple has little often disclosed figures astir App Store payouts implicit the past respective years, but the institution shared that it has present paid $550 cardinal to developers since its motorboat successful 2008. This indicates important growth, arsenic Apple past reported that arsenic of 2021, it had paid retired $260 cardinal to developers, up from the $200 cardinal it reported successful 2020.

The App Store mostly takes a 30% committee from in-app purchases, though it offers tiny businesses (developers making nether $1 cardinal annually) a reduced 15% fee. This conception of Apple’s concern has been the people of dense regulatory scrutiny, with international courts investigating it for monopolistic practices.

Apple Music and Apple TV are growing

Apple’s amusement products are making strides, too. Apple TV eclipsed each anterior viewership records successful December 2025, the institution says, and Apple Music achieved grounds highs successful listenership and caller subscribers.

Apple TV’s maturation comes alongside the debut of caller hits similar “Pluribus” and “The Studio,” arsenic good arsenic ongoing successes similar “Severance.” Apple TV besides struck large streaming deals with Major League Soccer and Formula 1. “F1,” Apple TV’s movie astir the sport, became Apple Studios’ highest-grossing movie yet, arsenic good arsenic the highest-grossing movie of prima Brad Pitt’s career.

Apple credits its karaoke-like “Sing” feature, partnerships with companies similar GM and Chase, and different caller developments for its growth. It notes that Shazam generated implicit 1 cardinal recognitions per month, which could person funneled maturation into its Music service.

But it’s besides imaginable that Apple benefited from contention astir Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s concern ventures.

Ek’s concern steadfast led a €600 cardinal investment successful European defence tech institution Helsing, which makes AI-powered subject bundle and strike drones. Artists similar Xiu Xiu, Sylvan Esso, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof, and others removed their catalogs from Spotify successful protest.

Spotify has faced different controversies implicit the past respective years, from its platforming of COVID-19 misinformation via Joe Rogan’s podcast (formerly a Spotify exclusive) to its artist payout metrics.

On the different hand, Apple Music could beryllium increasing due to the fact that it’s simply making a merchandise that is amended suited for immoderate listeners (I wrote astir my decision to power from Spotify to Apple Music arsenic I became progressively suffocated by algorithmic recommendations).

It could besides beryllium a fiscal determination amid uncertain economical times — Apple Music lures caller subscribers with its three-month escaped offer, which comes alongside the acquisition of astir caller Apple devices.