Apple Highlights Services in 2020 as App Store Sets Single-Day Spending Record on New Year's Day - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Highlights Services in 2020 as App Store Sets Single-Day Spending Record on New Year's Day

Apple has today announced that New Year's Day saw a new single-day spending record of over $540 million on the App Store, as the company celebrated a number of highlights from its various services in 2020.

apple services 2020 hero

Recapping 2020, Apple announced that the year's most downloaded apps were Zoom and Disney+, and games on the ‌App Store‌ "became more popular than ever." Apple revealed that developers around the world have now earned more than $200 billion since the ‌App Store‌ was launched in 2008 from digital goods and services. Apple added that ‌App Store‌ customers spent $1.8 billion on digital goods and services over the week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, driven largely by games.

2020 was also a "record year" for Apple Music. More than 90 percent of iOS 14 listeners have used new features such as "Listen Now" and "Autoplay," and engagement with ‌Apple Music‌'s real-time lyrics feature doubled last year.

Apple claims that the Apple TV app is now available on over one billion screens in over 100 countries and regions, aided by launches on launched on select LG, Sony, and VIZIO smart TVs, as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

Apple teased its lineup for Apple TV+ in 2021, with second seasons of "Dickinson," "Servant," "For All Mankind," "The Morning Show," and "See," as well as brand new originals such as "Losing Alice," "Palmer," and "Cherry."

Other highlights include the fact that Apple Books saw "remarkable" growth of new customers in 2020 and now draws over 90 million active users every month. Apple Pay is now accepted by more than 90 percent of stores in the U.S., 85 percent of stores in the UK, and 99 percent of stores in Australia. The company also celebrated the success of the launch of Apple Fitness+ and featured the importance of delivering "curated world-class journalism" via Apple News.

Popular Stories

iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue

Apple Adds Personalized Recommendations and New Marketing Tools to the App Store

Monday June 15, 2026 5:18 am PDT by
Apple last week announced a series of new App Store features, including personalized app recommendations and expanded tools for developers to market their apps. The most visible change for users is Personalized Collections, a new discovery feature that surfaces app and game recommendations tailored to individual interests and behavior. Alongside each recommendation, new "App Notes" explain...
iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue

Apple 'Records Every Tap' in App Store to Filter New Personalized Recommendations Feature

Wednesday June 17, 2026 6:27 am PDT by
Last week, Apple introduced a new discovery feature for the App Store called Personalized Collections, or app recommendations based on individual interests and behavior. Apple pitched the announcement as another way for developers to have their app discovered, but there has already been some pushback from a privacy perspective. App Store user analytics collected by Apple (Image: Mysk) The new ...
iOS App Store Icons

Apple Announces Major App Store Changes on iOS in Brazil

Thursday June 18, 2026 8:50 am PDT by
Apple today announced that developers in Brazil will be allowed to distribute iPhone apps through alternative app marketplaces on iOS, and accept payments through third-party platforms. In other words, developers in Brazil will be able to circumvent the App Store and Apple's in-app purchase system, but there are still fees. Alternative app marketplaces will have to be authorized by Apple and ...

Top Rated Comments

InGen Avatar
72 months ago





Really not a fan of this big-tech corporate art style whatever it's called. It's prominence in all advertising now and the characters exaggerated/disproportionate features is really off-putting.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RebeccaL Avatar
72 months ago
Awesome. Poor Epic that cannot benefit from
The AppStore. They sacrificed themselves for small businesses 😂
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
72 months ago

Amazing considering i cant find many decent apps outside the core of say 12.
So much rubbish.
I have a bit more than 12 in my "core" bundle, but largely, I agree. Outside of a few I use daily and plus some more I have to download for work utilities, I simply don't understand how much downloading goes on for this number to be reached, especially non-free apps.

Over the past many years, most of the apps I do want to try, I end up deleting afterwards.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
72 months ago

Awesome. Poor Epic that cannot benefit from
The AppStore. They sacrificed themselves for small businesses 😂
Heartfelt thoughts and prayers. :)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
72 months ago
Whoa! In a word, astonishing. More than a half billion dollars in one day!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)