Despite facing numerous antitrust lawsuits and tighter regulations, Apple today reported new figures indicating record App Store growth in 2021. In a press release, the company said it has paid out more than $260 billion to app developers since the App Store first launched in 2008, up from the $200 billion Apple reported at the end of 2020.
The payouts reported in previous years were larger.
Apple paid developers a total of $155 billion by the end of the year. It had said that year that the figure was around $120 billion. The payouts to developers went up by $35 million from the beginning of the year to the end of it.
The payouts number Apple shared is no longer helpful in providing clarity into the state of the App Store's economy as the percentages paid by individual apps will vary.
In the past few years, Apple has adjusted its commission structure to reduce its own cut of developer revenue, as it has faced increased regulatory scrutiny of its App Store business practices, antitrust complaints and lawsuits.
The company reduced its commission from 30% to 15% when it launched the Small Business Program. If news publishers chose to participate in the Apple News partner program, Apple dropped its commission on select news publishers' apps. Apple has not said how many developers and publishers have actually taken advantage of these opportunities, only that a majority of apps would qualify for the small business discount.
In announcing another App Store record, Apple seems to be trying to balance its usual self-promotion with calling too much attention to its outsized gains. Between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, the company noted double-digit growth in App Store customers.
Apple didn't offer any hard numbers to document this milestone as it had last year, when it had noted consumers spent $1.8 billion on digital goods and services during the week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve 2020.
The App Store has had a transitional year.
The company has seen more developer pushback over App Store scam, which became a topic for a Congressional hearing, as well as the ongoing difficulties with the App Review process. Apple was ordered to make changes to the App Store that would have allowed links to third-party payment options, but was granted a last-minute reprieve from the court order while the case is appealed. Regulators in Japan and South Korea pushed Apple to allow external websites in the App Store, and other measures to curb its commission, which was one of the reasons why Apple loosened its grip over the App Store.
In addition to its App Store figures, Apple also offered updates on its other services businesses, including Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News+, Apple Podcasts, Apple Books, Apple Pay and Wallet, Apple Maps and iCloud+.
Apple Music now has 90 million songs, Apple TV has won 190 industry awards, Apple Fitness+ has grown to include nearly 2,000 sessions of workout content, and Apple News remains the No. 1 news app everywhere it is.
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