The breakdown includes $131 billion in digital goods and services, over $1 trillion in physical goods and services, and $150 billion from in-app advertising. Apple says more than 90 percent of these transactions didn’t involve any commission paid to the company, which it claims underscores the App Store’s value to developers.
The report arrives just days before Apple is expected to outline its artificial intelligence strategy at WWDC. That timing may not be accidental. A recent report suggests that Apple plans to rely more heavily on its developer community to create new AI-driven apps and services, especially as it works to catch up with tech rivals like Google and Microsoft.
Infographic of the current state of the Apple App Store ecosystem. | Image credit — Apple
Highlighting the scale of the App Store now helps reinforce that message. If Apple is going to lean on developers to deliver the next wave of AI tools, then a strong and profitable ecosystem is a key selling point.
Since 2019, overall spending across the App Store has more than doubled. Physical goods and services have grown the most, with a 2.6x increase fueled by rising demand for food delivery, pickup, and grocery apps. Digital categories like games and photo or video editing apps also continued to grow steadily. Meanwhile, in-app advertising remains an important source of income for developers and helps many apps remain free or low-cost for users.This new report is the latest in a string of App Store-focused updates from Apple. Last week, the company said it had blocked over $2 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2024. It also revealed that the U.S. App Store alone facilitated $406 billion in sales. A separate transparency report detailed App Store traffic, fraud prevention efforts, and other platform metrics.
All of this comes as Apple continues to face pressure from regulators over how it runs the App Store. By releasing multiple reports in a short span, Apple seems to be drawing attention to the platform’s economic contributions, just as it gears up to shift its public focus to AI.
WWDC25 kicks off next week, and with AI expected to be a major theme, Apple is making it clear that it sees developers and the App Store as central to what comes next.
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