App Store

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 (such as signing in with a Google account). 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.

In November 2025, Apple launched a web interface at apps.apple.com, allowing users to browse and search for apps written for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watch, Apple TV in a web browser, in addition to the existing native apps on those devices.

Apps must be approved by Apple before becoming available on the store. Disallowed types of apps revealed by Apple include apps that:

change the native user interface elements or behaviors of macOS.

do not comply with Apple Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines.

are similar in look or function to current Apple products (e.g. the Mac App Store itself, Finder, iTunes, and iChat).

are similar to other apps that are already present in the Mac App Store (e.g. Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom and Apple Aperture, Cinema 4D and Autodesk 3D Max).

contain or display pornographic material.

are or install shared components (kernel extensions, browser plugins, QuickTime components, etc.).

provide contents or services that expire.

do not run on the currently shipping version of macOS.

are beta, demo, trial, or test versions of software.

reference trademarks for which the developer does not have explicit use permission.

are free software licensed only under GPL (because the App Store Terms of Service imposes additional restrictions incompatible with the GPL).

use software libraries that are either optionally installed or deemed deprecated by Apple for macOS users. Examples given:

Apple's implementation of Java SE 6 (although the OpenJDK implementation of Java SE 7 is permitted if bundled into the app).

PowerPC code requiring Rosetta.

are not sandboxed (as of June 1, 2012). At WWDC 2013, Apple announced that this rule no longer applied, and that so-called "temporary exceptions" may be used when the app has a reason not to be sandboxed.

are not 64-bit apps (as of January 1, 2018)

contain malicious code.

As with the iOS and iPadOS App Store, Apple rates applications worldwide based on their content, and determines the age group for which each is appropriate. macOS will allow blocking of objectionable apps in System Settings.

Usage by Apple

Since the opening of the Mac App Store, Apple has increasingly used it as the primary means of distribution of its own in-house software products at the expense of boxed versions being sold at its retail stores. This position was increased with the July 2011 release of OS X Lion, which was the first release of OS X not sold in the form of DVD boxes. This method limited the reach of distribution of the operating system to those who currently use Mac OS X 10.6.6+, although other means offered by Apple after the release included a USB flash drive containing the operating system and a digital in-store download of the operating system through Apple Store locations. Starting from OS X Mountain Lion, Apple's operating systems can only be downloaded from the Mac App Store.

This has also affected Apple's prior means of distribution through its own website, with the Downloads gallery being removed in July 2011 and replaced with links to the Mac App Store information page. However, it has not affected the Dashboard widget gallery, nor has it affected the Safari Extensions gallery, both of which remain online and web-based (however, in Safari 12, the old type of extensions were deprecated and replaced by a newer type, available exclusively on the Mac App Store). Apple Support Download section also remains online, as it provides mostly security updates for current and older software applications and operating systems, many dating back to before 1998.

Counterfeit apps

Not long after independent game developer Wolfire Games placed its game, Lugaru, on the Mac App Store, as Lugaru HD for $9.99, the developer noticed a counterfeit copy of their game also being sold on the App Store for US$0.99. The developer contacted Apple on January 31, 2011, and on February 10, 2011, the counterfeit copy of the game was removed from the App Store.

A number of news sites have remarked that for all the scrutiny Apple places on apps listed in their store, a counterfeit copy of an existing app should not have made it through the process, and the days it had been since the developer had alerted Apple to the counterfeit software is disconcerting to developers.

History

The Mac App Store launched with over 1,000 apps on January 6, 2011, including Apple's own iWork '09, iLife '11, Aperture, and third-party applications ported from iOS, such as Angry Birds, Flight Control, Things and Twitter for Mac. Most of the apps belonged to the Games category, which had nearly three times as many apps in the next largest category, Utilities. The most common price point was $20–50. Angry Birds, a popular video game on iOS App Store, was the number one paid app on the Mac App Store on the first day.

An update to the Mac App Store for OS X Mountain Lion introduced an Easter egg in which, if one downloads an app from the Mac App Store and goes to one's app folder before the app has finished downloading, one will see the app's timestamp as "January 24, 1984, at 2:00 AM," the date the original Macintosh went on sale. This is the first time an Easter egg has appeared in a piece of Apple software since Steve Jobs had declared a ban on Easter eggs when he returned to Apple in 1997.

On November 11, 2015, a number of apps purchased through the Mac App Store began to fail at launch. Users worldwide got error messages and were forced to delete and re-download affected apps. It was discovered the next day by Tapbots developer Paul Haddad that the issue had to do with an expired security certificate. On November 17, Apple sent an email with explanations to developers. The company stated that most of the issues were resolved and that troubleshooting information was provided to the AppleCare support team.

On December 17, 2015, responsibility for overseeing App Store was given to Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. Previously App Store was led by Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.

On January 1, 2018, Apple announced it was no longer accepting 32-bit apps on the Mac App Store, while existing 32-bit apps on the App Store must be updated to fit the 64-bit architecture by June 1, 2018.

On June 4, 2018, Apple announced that a new version of the App Store would be included in macOS Mojave based on the redesigned App Store introduced in iOS 11. This included new Create, Work, Play and Develop categories for apps, and a Discover tab curated by Apple's editors.

The Mac App Store began distributing universal apps that run on both Intel x86-64 processors and Apple silicon ARM64 systems-on-a-chip in 2020, following the release of macOS Big Sur. After the release of macOS Monterey in 2021, Apple allowed new apps to be compiled only for Apple silicon Macs, but required existing universal apps to maintain Intel support. On September 1, 2026, Apple allowed developers of universal apps to drop support for Intel Macs.

In addition, Apple has removed software licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) from App Store, due to text in Apple's Terms of Service agreement imposing digital rights management and proprietary legal terms incompatible with the terms of the GPL.

As of December 2025, the App Store hosts Absher (application), a stalkerware app by the Saudi government.

Large-scale app removals

On September 1, 2016, Apple announced that starting September 7, it would be removing old apps that do not function as intended or that do not follow current review guidelines. Developers will be warned and given 30 days to update their apps, but apps that crash on startup will be removed immediately. Additionally, the app names registered by developers cannot exceed 50 characters, in an attempt to stop developers from inserting long descriptions or irrelevant terms in app names to improve the app's ranking in App Store search results. App intelligence firm Sensor Tower revealed in November 2016 that Apple, as promised from its September announcement of removing old apps, had removed 47,300 apps from App Store in October 2016, a 238 percent increase of its prior number of average monthly app removals.

In June 2017, TechCrunch reported that Apple had turned its app removal focus on apps copying functionality from other, popular apps. An example cited included "if a popular game like Flappy Bird or Red Ball hits the charts, there will be hundreds or thousands of clones within weeks that attempt to capitalize on the initial wave of popularity". The report also noted removals of music apps serving pirated tracks. The publication wrote that, since the initial September app removals began, Apple had removed "multiple hundreds of thousands" of apps.

In December 2017, a new report from TechCrunch stated that Apple had begun enforcing new restrictions on the use of "commercialized template or app generation services". Originally introduced as part of Apple's 2017 developer conference, new App Store guidelines allow the company to ban apps making use of templates or commercial app services. This affected many small businesses, with TechCrunch's report citing that "local retailers, restaurants, small fitness studios, nonprofits, churches and other organizations" benefit from using templates or app services due to minimal costs. Developers had received notice from Apple with a January 1, 2018 deadline to change their respective apps. The news caught the attention of Congress, with Congressman Ted Lieu writing a letter to Apple at the beginning of December, asking it to reconsider, writing that "It is my understanding that many small businesses, research organizations, and religious institutions rely on template apps when they do not possess the resources to develop apps in-house", and that the new rules cast "too wide a net", specifically "invalidating apps from longstanding and legitimate developers who pose no threat to the App Store's integrity". Additionally, the news of stricter enforcement caused significant criticism from app development firms; one company told TechCrunch that it chose to close down its business following the news, saying that "The 4.2.6 [rule enforcement] was just a final drop that made us move on a bit faster with that decision [to close]", and another company told the publication that "There was no way in June [when the guidelines changed] that we would have said, 'that's going to target our apps'... Apple had told us you aren't being targeted by this from a quality standpoint. So being hit now under the umbrella of spam is shocking to every quality developer out there and all the good actors". Furthermore, the latter company stated that "there's only so much you can do with apps that perform the same utility – ordering food". A third company said that "Rule 4.2.6 is a concrete illustration of the danger of Apple's dominant position", and a fourth said that "They've wiped out pretty much an entire industry. Not just DIY tools like AppMakr, but also development suites like Titanium". Towards the end of the year, Apple updated the guideline to clarify that companies and organizations are allowed to use template apps, but only as long as they directly publish their app on their own; it remained a violation of the rule for commercial app services to publish apps for the respective clients.

Apple prevented over $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions on its App Store in 2025 and rejected over 2 million app submissions for violating App Store review guidelines.

China

In January 2017, Apple complied with a request from the Chinese government to remove the Chinese version of The New York Times' app. This followed the government's efforts in 2012 to block the Times' website after stories of hidden wealth among family members of then-leader of China, Wen Jiabao, were published. In a statement, an Apple spokesperson told the media that "we have been informed that the app is in violation of local regulations", though would not specify which regulations, and added that "As a result the app must be taken down off the China app store. When this situation changes the app store will once again offer the New York Times app for download in China". The following July, it was reported that Apple had begun to remove listings in China for apps that circumvent government Internet censorship policies and new laws restricting virtual private network (VPN) services. Apple issued a statement, explaining that the app removals were a result of developers not complying with new laws in China requiring a government license for businesses offering VPNs, and that "These apps remain available in all other markets where they do business". In an earnings call the following month, Cook elaborated on the recent news, explainining that "We would obviously rather not remove the apps, but like we do in other countries, we follow the law wherever we do business". Besides VPN services, a number of Internet calling apps, including Microsoft's Skype, were also removed from the Chinese App Store in 2017, with Apple telling The New York Times that, similar to the VPN apps, these new apps also violated local law. Microsoft explained to BBC News that its Skype app had been "temporarily removed" and that it was "working to reinstate the app as soon as possible", though many news outlets reported on the Chinese government's increased efforts and pressure to crack down on Internet freedom.

Following Apple CEO Tim Cook's appearance at China's World Internet Conference in December 2017, free speech and human rights activists criticized Cook and the company. Maya Wang at Human Rights Watch told The Washington Post that "Cook's appearance lends credibility to a state that aggressively censors the internet, throws people in jail for being critical about social ills, and is building artificial intelligence systems that monitors everyone and targets dissent.... The version of cyberspace the Chinese government is building is a decidedly dystopian one, and I don't think anyone would want to share in this 'common future.' Apple should have spoken out against it, not endorsed it." U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy told CNBC that "American tech companies have become leading champions of free expression. But that commitment should not end at our borders.... Global leaders in innovation, like Apple, have both an opportunity and a moral obligation to promote free expression and other basic human rights in countries that routinely deny these rights."

Cook told Reuters that "My hope over time is that some of the things, the couple of things that's been pulled, come back. I have great hope on that and great optimism on that". However, TechCrunch's Jon Russell criticized this line of thinking, writing that "Firstly, Apple didn't just remove a 'couple of things' from the reach of China-based users", but rather "a couple of hundred" apps, acknowledging that "even that is under counting". Furthermore, Russell listed censorship efforts by the Chinese government, including VPN bans and restrictions on live video and messaging apps, and wrote that "Apple had little choice but to follow Beijing's line in order to continue to do business in the lucrative Chinese market, but statements like Cook's today are dangerous because they massively underplay the severity of the situation". Florida Senator Marco Rubio also criticized Cook's appearance at the World Internet Conference, describing the situation as "here's an example of a company, in my view, so desperate to have access to the Chinese market place that they are willing to follow the laws of that country even if those laws run counter to what those companies' own standards are supposed to be". In August 2018, as a result of Chinese regulations, 25,000 illegal apps were pulled down by Apple from the App Store in China.

In October 2019, Apple rejected, approved, and finally removed an app used by participants in the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests.

Apple began removing thousands of video game apps from their platform in China during December 2020 in accordance to regulations regarding licensing enacted by the country's Cyberspace Administration, in many cases without explicitly stating the offences grounding their removal. Apple released a memo that month telling developers of premium games and apps with in-app purchases had until December 31 to submit proof of a government license. Research from the Campaign for Accountability notes there are more than 3,000 apps not appearing in China which are available in other countries, a third of which the advocacy group claims to have been removed due to advocating for various human rights issues, including LGBTQ+ rights and the Hong Kong protests. A director of the aforementioned campaign, Katie Paul, criticised Apple's removals stating "if it's going to bend to political pressure, the company should explain why and what they would lose if they didn't do that." CEO Tim Cook has previously defended such company actions, stating in a memo to employees in 2019 that "national and international debates will outlive us all, and while important, they do not govern the facts."

In August 2023, at the request of the Chinese government, Apple took down more than 100 AI-related apps similar to ChatGPT in the Chinese app store.

According to the regulations of Chinese government, new apps on the China app store from September 2023 must be licensed by the Chinese government. Older apps must obtain a license before March 2024.

In April 2026, Apple took down BitChat at the request of the Chinese government.

Russia

Apple removed the Smart Voting app from the App Store before the 2021 Russian legislative election. The application, which had been created by associates of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, offered voting advice for all voting districts in Russia. It was removed after a meeting with Russian Federation Council officials on September 16, 2021. Apple also reportedly disabled its iCloud Private Relay privacy feature which masks users' browsing activity. Russian opposition figures condemned these moves as political censorship.

In 2024, Russian regulator Roskomnadzor asked Apple to take down 25 VPN apps from the Russian App Store, but Apple quietly took down more.

United States

In October 2025, following a request by the Trump administration, Apple removed ICE tracking apps, which could notify users about the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their area.

Removal of vaping apps

In November 2019, Apple removed all applications related to vaping from the App Store, citing warning from health experts. Apple made this decision to reduce the promotion of e-cigarette use.

Antitrust allegations

Apple has faced criticism, lawsuits and government investigations alleging that its control over the distribution of iOS and iPadOS apps through the App Store constituted monopolistic practices.

Epic Games

Since as early as 2017, Tim Sweeney had questioned the need for digital storefronts like Valve's Steam, Apple's iOS App Store, and Google Play, to take a 30% revenue sharing cut, and argued that when accounting for current rates of content distribution and other factors needed, a revenue cut of 8% should be sufficient to run any digital storefront profitably.

On August 13, 2020, Epic Games updated Fortnite across all platforms, including the iOS version, to reduce the price of "V-Bucks" (the in-game currency) by 20% if they purchased directly from Epic. For iOS users, if they purchased through the Apple storefront, they were not given this discount, as Epic said they could not extend the discount due to the 30% revenue cut taken by Apple. Within hours, Apple had removed Fortnite from their storefronts, stating the means of bypassing their payment systems violated the terms of service. Epic immediately filed separate lawsuits against Apple and Google for antitrust and anticompetitive behavior in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Epic did not seek monetary damages in either case but instead was "seeking injunctive relief to allow fair competition in these two key markets that directly affect hundreds of millions of consumers and tens of thousands, if not more, of third-party app developers." In comments on social media the next day, Sweeney said that they undertook the actions as "we're fighting for the freedom of people who bought smartphones to install apps from sources of their choosing, the freedom for creators of apps to distribute them as they choose, and the freedom of both groups to do business directly. The primary opposing argument is: 'Smartphone makers can do whatever they want.' This as an awful notion. We all have rights, and we need to fight to defend our rights against whoever would deny them."

Apple responded to the lawsuit that it would terminate Epic's developer accounts by August 28, 2020, leading Epic to file a motion for a preliminary injunction to force Apple to return Fortnite to the App Store and prevent them from terminating Epic's developer accounts, as the latter action would leave Epic unable to update the Unreal Engine for any changes to iOS or macOS and leave developers that relied on Unreal at risk. The court granted the preliminary injunction against Apple from terminating the developer accounts as Epic had shown "potential significant damage to both the Unreal Engine platform itself, and to the gaming industry generally", but refused to grant the injunction related to Fortnite as "The current predicament appears of [Epic's] own making."

In a September 2021 ruling in the first part of the case, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decided in favor of Apple on nine of ten counts, but found against Apple on its anti-steering policies under the California Unfair Competition Law. Rogers prohibited Apple from stopping developers from informing users of other payment systems within apps. While Apple implemented App Store policies to allow developers to link to alternative payment options, the policies still required the developer to provide a 27% revenue share back to Apple, and heavily restricted how they could be shown in apps. Epic filed complaints that these changes violated the ruling, and in April 2025 Rogers found for Epic that Apple had willfully violated her injunction, placing further restrictions on Apple including banning them from collecting revenue shares from non-Apple payment methods or imposing any restrictions on links to such alternative payment options.