App Store

By MacRumors Staff
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The App Store is Apple's digital software distribution platform for iOS devices. First introduced in 2008, the App Store allows software developers to distribute content that has been created specifically for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. Apps are also available on the Apple Watch through the iOS App Store.

There are well over a million apps in the App Store, and customers have downloaded more than 100 billion apps since the App Store debuted. App Store apps are available with three pricing options: free (and usually supported by ads), free with in-app purchases, or a set cost starting at $0.99 in the US.

In 2010, Apple introduced the Mac App Store for distributing content on Macs, and in 2015, Apple introduced the tvOS App Store, an app store for to the fourth-generation Apple TV.

App Store How Tos

How to Download Large Apps Over Cellular on iPhone and iPad

Monday February 3, 2020 11:56 am PST by
Apple used to limit the size of App Store downloads over cellular to 150MBs to prevent iPhone users from accidentally downloading a large app over 3G or 4G networks and using up all their data allowance or running up data charges. In May 2019, Apple upped the limit of over-the-air downloads to 200MB, but offered no way to opt out of the limit at the time, leaving users with unlimited data...

How to Add Funds to Your Apple ID on iPhone and iPad

Monday November 11, 2019 9:38 am PST by
It used to be the case that adding funds to your Apple ID required redeeming an iTunes Gift Card bought from a store, but Apple now lets you use a debit or credit card right on your iPhone or iPad to do the same thing. Adding funds to your Apple ID allows you to make purchases from the iTunes Store, iBooks Store, and App Store on any of your Apple devices. It's easy to add funds to your...

How to Update Apps in iOS 13

Monday September 16, 2019 5:13 pm PDT by
If you recently updated your iPhone to iOS 13 or your iPad to iPadOS 13 and you can't work out how to manually update your installed apps, then you've come to the right place. Apple has changed the way you update apps in iOS. In earlier versions of its mobile operating system, app updates lived in their own tab in the App Store app, but that has since had to make way for a new Apple Arcade...

How to Cancel App Store Subscriptions

Wednesday April 4, 2018 1:50 am PDT by
Several TV and music services and other apps offer free trials through the App Store that automatically renew to become paid subscriptions after the trial period ends. If you want to prevent an App Store subscription from running beyond the trial period or cancel a subscription you're currently paying for, then read on. This article explains how to cancel any App Store subscription on iOS,...

App Store Articles

App Store vs EU Feature 2

Apple Working on Solution for EU Core Technology Fee Possibly Bankrupting Apps That Go Unexpectedly Viral

Monday March 18, 2024 2:07 pm PDT by
Since Apple announced plans for the 0.50 euro Core Technology Fee that apps distributed using the new EU App Store business terms must pay, there have been ongoing concerns about what that fee might mean for a developer that suddenly has a free app go viral. Apple's VP of regulatory law Kyle Andeers today met with developers during a workshop on Apple's Digital Markets Act compliance. iOS...
iOS App Store General Feature Black

Apple Reportedly Testing AI-Powered Ad Technology

Tuesday March 12, 2024 6:58 am PDT by
Apple has begun testing a new AI-powered tool with a small group of advertisers that automatically decides where to place ads on the App Store, Business Insider reports. Citing two individuals familiar with the matter, Business Insider claims that the AI-powered tool mirrors the functionalities of Google's Performance Max and Meta's Advantage+, which allow advertisers to specify their...
transfer to android

Apple to Let EU iPhone Users Delete Safari and More Easily Transition to Android

Thursday March 7, 2024 10:42 am PST by
In addition to adding support for alternative app marketplaces and alternative payment methods in the European Union, Apple is making several other changes to comply with the terms of the Digital Markets Act. Apple today outlined some of its upcoming plans in a DMA Compliance Report [PDF]. Apple is going to make it easier for iPhone users to switch over to another operating system in the...
App Store vs EU Feature 2

iOS Apps From Alternative Marketplaces Can Be Updated for 30 Days Outside of EU

Thursday March 7, 2024 8:46 am PST by
Apple today clarified that iPhone users in the European Union can continue to update and use apps from alternative app marketplaces for a 30-day period when leaving the EU. With the release of iOS 17.4, Apple published a number of support documents, and one of the pages outlined what happens when an ‌iPhone‌ user with apps installed through an alternative app marketplace leaves the EU. At...
App Store vs EU Feature 2

Apple Tweaks New EU App Store Business Terms After Developer Feedback

Tuesday March 5, 2024 9:41 am PST by
With the launch of iOS 17.4, Apple's app ecosystem changes in the European Union have gone into effect. Apple today said that it made some last minute updates to its terms of service after receiving feedback from developers. To distribute apps through an app marketplace, with a reduced fee to Apple, or with an alternative payment option, developers have to opt in to new business terms that...
App Store Unfair Feature 2

Spotify, Epic Games, and Others Argue Apple's App Store Changes Do Not Comply With DMA

Friday March 1, 2024 10:15 am PST by
Spotify, Epic Games, Deezer, Paddle, and several other developers and EU associations today sent a joint letter to the European Commission to complain about Apple's "proposed scheme for compliance" with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The 34 companies and associations do not believe Apple's plans "meet the law's requirements." Apple's changes "disregard both the spirit and letter of the law"...
App Store vs EU Feature 2

Apple Does Deep Dive Into Security Protections and Risks With Alternative App Marketplaces

Friday March 1, 2024 9:04 am PST by
Apple today published a whitepaper [PDF] detailing the privacy and security protections that it is implementing in the European Union to keep users as safe as possible while also complying with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act. As a recap, with the upcoming iOS 17.4 update, iPhone users in the European Union will be able to install apps through alternative app marketplaces rather...
iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue

Apple Met With DOJ Antitrust Chief in Bid to Head Off Antitrust Lawsuit

Wednesday February 28, 2024 2:07 am PST by
Apple representatives met with the U.S. Justice Department last week in a last ditch effort to persuade the agency not to file an antitrust suit against the company, according to Bloomberg. Citing people familiar with the matter, the report states that Apple and its lawyers met with Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter, who will have the final say on whether to file a suit. Since...
Shazam Authentication App Store Feature 1

iOS 17.4 Beta Adds New App Verification Screen to App Store in EU [Updated]

Friday February 23, 2024 5:15 am PST by
Update — 10:09 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple says the App Store showing an app verification screen in the EU is a bug and will be fixed before iOS 17.4 is released to all users. Original story follows. Starting with the latest iOS 17.4 beta, Apple asks iPhone users in the EU to verify an app's information before installing it from the App Store. The prompt was spotted by Dimitris Sartzetakis of...
iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue

Insight Timer CEO Upset With Apple's Abrupt Enforcement of App Store Rules [Updated]

Wednesday February 21, 2024 12:36 pm PST by
Apple has frustrated another app developer with arbitrary enforcement of its App Store rules, with Insight Timer CEO Christopher Plowman this week taking to LinkedIn and speaking with TechCrunch to complain about a frustrating experience with the ‌App Store‌ review team. Insight Timer is a meditation app that is subscription based. Customers pay $60 per year to access guided meditations,...
App Store vs EU Feature 2

Here Are All the iPhone Changes Coming to EU Users by March 6

Monday February 19, 2024 4:30 am PST by
Apple on in January seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 software updates to developers, and the betas revealed a panoply of changes that will impact users in the European Union in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Apple implemented several major changes to the way the App Store and apps operate in the EU in order to comply with the DMA. These changes ...
Facebook Feature

Apple Responds to Meta's Plan to Charge 30% Fee on Boosted Posts Purchased Through App Store

Thursday February 15, 2024 9:39 am PST by
In October 2022, Apple updated its App Store Review Guidelines to clarify that sales of "boosted" posts in social media apps must use the App Store's in-app purchase system. Apple thereby receives up to a 30% cut of these sales. As a result of that clarification, Meta today announced that it will soon charge advertisers a 30% fee when they purchase boosted posts through the Facebook and...
kimi app

Pirated Movie App Disguised as Vision Test Snuck Onto App Store

Tuesday February 13, 2024 3:14 pm PST by
A vision testing app named "Kimi" with a not-so-hidden pirated movie feature recently made its way past Apple's review team, ultimately reaching number eight on the list of top free entertainment apps. As reported by The Verge, Kimi's App Store listing claimed that it was an app that "tests your eyesight," but when downloaded and installed, it opened right up to a clear TV show and movie...
App Store vs EU Feature 2

Apple Starts Letting Developers Add Alternative App Marketplaces to App Store Connect

Thursday February 8, 2024 1:17 pm PST by
EU developers can now add alternative app marketplaces to App Store Connect, Apple said today. Apple is also accepting submissions for the Notarization process, which is required for all apps that will be distributed through alternative marketplaces. Apple is making these changes to ‌App Store‌ Connect ahead of the launch of iOS 17.4, an update that overhauls the app ecosystem in the...
lasspass fake password manager app

Fake LastPass App Sneaks Past Apple's Review Team

Thursday February 8, 2024 8:57 am PST by
Popular password management app LastPass is warning customers about a fraudulent app that uses a similar name and icon to attempt to trick LastPass customers into using the fake app instead of the real app (via Bleeping Computer). The "LassPass Password Manager" app was somehow approved by Apple's App Store review team, even though it appears to clearly mimic the LastPass app. It doesn't use ...
iOS 17 Adoption Feature

iOS 17 Adoption is Slower Than iOS 16 Adoption

Monday February 5, 2024 9:48 am PST by
iOS 17 is installed on 76 percent of iPhones released in the last four years, according to newly released iOS 17 adoption statistics provided today by Apple. This is the first time that Apple has given us ‌iOS 17‌ installation numbers since the operating system was released last September. 20 percent of iPhones released in the last four years are still running iOS 16, while four percent run...
app store awards 2022

Apple's Phil Schiller Discusses Risks of Alternative App Stores on iPhone

Saturday February 3, 2024 6:09 am PST by
Starting with iOS 17.4, currently in beta, Apple is allowing alternative app marketplaces on the iPhone in the EU. Apple made this change to comply with new regulations under the EU's Digital Markets Act, which takes full effect next month. In an interview with Fast Company's Michael Grothaus published today, Apple's former marketing chief and current App Store head Phil Schiller said there...
apple ios app store safari changes

App Developers Can Now Sign Up for Consultations on Complicated EU App Ecosystem Changes

Friday February 2, 2024 3:22 pm PST by
Apple this week announced that developers can sign up to meet with an Apple team member to discuss the changes being made to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the European Union. Developers can request a 30-minute online consultation to ask questions and provide feedback about Apple's changes. Topics of discussion include alternative distribution on iOS, alternative payments in the ‌App Store‌...
App Store vs EU Feature 2

Zuckerberg Calls Apple's DMA Compliance Changes 'Onerous' and 'Difficult to Seriously Entertain'

Friday February 2, 2024 2:02 am PST by
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has criticized Apple's compliance with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulation, which forces Apple to let third-party developers create alternative App Stores and use their own payment systems, amongst other things. Speaking to investors on Thursday during Meta's Q4 earnings call, Zuckerberg called Apple's new rules "so onerous" that he would not be surprised ...
app store awards 2022

Some iPhone Users Unable to View Latest App Store Reviews [Fixed]

Monday January 29, 2024 7:12 am PST by
For the past few weeks, some iPhone users have been unable to view the latest app reviews left by customers in the App Store. Specifically, affected users are only able to read reviews submitted up until January 16 this year. It's unclear how widespread this issue is, but it seems to be very inconsistent, with recent reviews showing for some users and not for others depending on the app. We...