Since Apple launched the App Store in 2008, the tech giant has paid out an astonishing $320 billion to developers.
The data was revealed on Tuesday in Apple’s annual analysis of how the company’s various services performed over the past year.
Of course, that cash comes from customers, but Apple manages the overall service and gives a cut of sales to developers who sell their work in the digital store.
The colossal figure means that in 2022 alone, the company paid an equally eye-catching $60 billion to developers, the same amount as a year earlier.
Apple occasionally changes the way it shares revenue with app developers, which continues to be a controversial matter. At the current time, it takes either 30% or 15% of every sale — including in-app purchases such as subscriptions — with the commission amount dependent on various factors. The figures reveal that Apple, too, is making a colossal amount of money off of the App Store.
Senior Apple executive Eddy Cue said in Apple’s annual report that the App Store is currently receiving around 650 million visitors across 175 regions each week. Cue added: “Reflecting how apps have provided users ongoing services for everything from productivity to entertainment to social connection and beyond, subscriptions on the App Store drive a significant portion of more than 900 million paid subscriptions across Apple services.”
Despite the big numbers, last year was another difficult one for Apple as it continued to grapple with various high-profile challenges aimed at curbing its clout in the sector. The European Union has the App Store in its sights, and the U.S. Department of Justice may take action, while Epic Games is continuing with a case over App Store payouts. New Twitter owner Elon Musk also expressed unhappiness recently with the way the tech giant handles its App Store business, one of several complaints that led to a personal meeting with Apple chief Tim Cook in November.
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