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
By MacRumors Staff
App Store How Tos
How to Download Large Apps Over Cellular on iPhone and iPad
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...
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How to Add Funds to Your Apple ID on iPhone and iPad
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
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
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
Mac App Store Apps Can Now Drop Support for Intel Macs
Apple today informed developers that universal Mac App Store apps that require macOS 13 or later can remove support for Intel-based Mac computers.
We're reaching out to let you know that universal macOS apps on the Mac App Store that require macOS 13 or later can now remove support for Intel-based Mac computers.
By removing support for Intel-based Mac computers, you can simplify your...
MapQuest Tops App Store Charts After Refusing 'Lake America' Change
MapQuest is in the spotlight this week after refusing to change "Lake Ontario" to "Lake America" on its map following an executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump last week. As of Monday morning, the MapQuest app is the top free iPhone app on Apple's App Store charts in Canada and fourth on the equivalent U.S. chart.
For our younger readers, MapQuest was once a popular service...
EU Welcomes Apple's App Store Changes, Epic Slams 'Junk Fees'
Apple yesterday updated its App Store fees in the EU to comply with the Digital Markets Act and to put an end to its ongoing conflict with the European Commission. Apple cut the Core Technology Fee and simplified its pricing structure, so apps distributed through alternative marketplaces or through the web will pay less than before.
When announcing the changes, Apple said it worked in "close ...
Apple Overhauls EU App Store Fees to Settle Digital Markets Act Dispute
Apple today announced changes to its App Store policies and fees in the European Union to comply with the Digital Markets Act. Apple says the changes were made after "close collaboration" with the European Commission, and the updates simplify the fee structure and "resolve Apple's disagreements with the Commission over business terms and alternative distribution."
The initial acquisition fee ...
Apple's US App Store Commission Revenue Down 18% This Year
The commission Apple earns from the App Store is shrinking in markets where it has been forced to relax its grip on in-app purchases, based on new analytics data.
According to Appfigures, cited by the Financial Times ($), Apple's U.S. commission revenue has fallen 18 percent since the start of 2026. It also found App Store revenue declining in Brazil and Japan since both countries...
Apple Wants to Charge Developers Up to 15 Percent for Linking Outside the App Store
Apple today submitted a court-ordered proposal outlining the commission it believes is reasonable to collect from U.S. apps that link to purchase options outside of the App Store.
Apple is asking for half of its commission on standard apps, so apps that would pay 30 percent for an in-app purchase would pay 15 percent when linking to a web purchase option. Small Business Program participants...
Supreme Court Lets Apple Delay App Store Fee Fight for 24 Hours
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan today granted Apple a one-day stay in its legal fight with Epic Games, giving Apple more time to outline the fees it wants to charge developers for linking out to purchase options on the web.
Just yesterday, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California denied Apple's request for a stay in the proceedings, giving Apple 24 hours to...
Apple Can't Delay App Store Fee Fight While Waiting on Supreme Court
Apple has again failed to earn a stay for fee calculations in its ongoing legal fight with Epic Games. Apple's case will be heard by the Supreme Court in the term that begins in October, and Apple asked the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to pause proceedings until then, but the court said no [PDF].
Apple now has 24 hours to give the court an outline of the fees...
Telegram CEO Says Extortionist Manipulated Apple Into App Store Removal
Telegram was subject to a "takedown extortionist" who planted AI-modified child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to get Apple to remove the app from the App Store, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said today. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store for about 40 minutes on Monday night after discovering CSAM, but reinstated the app after Telegram removed the content.
The attacker was a takedown...
Telegram Briefly Removed From App Store
Apple briefly removed Telegram from the App Store on Monday night after a review found content that violated its guidelines against child sexual abuse material (CSAM), but restored the app a short while later, according to Reuters.
Reports of the removal began circulating around 9:30 p.m. ET on Monday, with searches for Telegram on the App Store returning nothing and the app's direct...
Apple Says App Store Changes and Mobile Gaming Softness Affected Services Revenue
Softness in mobile gaming and Apple's changes to the App Store business model in some countries impacted the performance of the App Store, Apple CFO Kevan Parekh said during today's earnings call.
Apple's services revenue was $30.7 billion, a 12% increase over the $27.4 billion it earned in the year-ago quarter. Though the category saw growth, revenue came in under expectations, prompting...
Apple Says UK App Store Steering Rules Would Be 'Highly Intrusive'
Apple said new UK App Store rules would give regulators a "highly intrusive" role dictating how it runs its business, reports Reuters. Apple submitted feedback to the UK's Competition and Markets Authority as it considers forcing Apple to change its App Store rules around steering.
The CMA wants Apple to let developers link to payment options outside of the App Store, which the CMA says...
Apple Responds to Lawsuit Over Fake Bitcoin Wallet Scam in App Store
Apple is facing a new lawsuit from three customers who allegedly lost a combined $1.8 million after falling victim to a fake Bitcoin wallet app in the App Store, according to a complaint filed in California federal court on Friday.
The complaint alleges that Apple violated California's Consumers Legal Remedies Act and other laws by failing to adequately review and monitor apps distributed...
Google Fined $1 Billion by EU for Search Bias and App Store Restrictions
Google was today fined €890 million ($1 billion) by the European Union for breaching antitrust rules with regard to its search and Google Play store services.
The European Commission found that Google had broken the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by using its dominant position in the search market to favour its own services, like shopping and hotel deals, over those of rivals.
The Commission ...
Apple Loses EU Fight Over App Store Gatekeeper Label
Apple's challenge against the EU's designation of its App Stores and iOS platform as "gatekeepers" was dismissed by Europe's top court on Wednesday, reports Reuters.
"The General Court dismisses Apple's actions regarding its designation as a gatekeeper in relation to the App Store and iOS," the Luxembourg-based tribunal said.Apple took its case to Luxembourg's General Court in 2024 after the...
Supreme Court Will Hear Apple's Appeal in Epic Games App Store Fight
The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear Apple's appeal against the contempt ruling that forced it to change its App Store linking rules, reports Reuters.
In a statement to MacRumors, Apple said the court's decision was welcome news.
This is an important question of law and we are pleased the Supreme Court will hear our case.
Apple asked the Supreme Court to review the decision...
UK Pushes Apple to Loosen App Store Payment and NFC Rules
The U.K.'s competition regulator has proposed letting app developers direct users to payment options outside Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, in a move aimed at increasing competition and reducing the fees charged by the two companies.
As reported by Reuters, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the proposals would remove restrictions that currently prevent U.K....
Apple Acquires Award-Winning App 'Play'
In February, Apple notified the European Commission that it would be acquiring certain assets from and have the right to hire certain employees from Rabbit 3 Times, the company behind the award-winning app design tool Play. The notification was published on the European Commission's website this week, following a four-month waiting period.
Play was a Mac and iPhone app that allowed designers ...
Apple Faces New App Store Complaint From Chinese Developers
A group of 48 China-based iOS developers have filed an antitrust complaint against Apple with the country's market regulator over the App Store's commission rates, the South China Morning Post reports.
The developers sent an open letter to China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), alleging that Apple failed to deliver on a promise to offer the lowest commission rate to the...
Apple Dropping AirPort Utility From the App Store With iOS 27
Apple is planning to remove the AirPort Utility app from the App Store in the near future, according to the release notes for iOS 27 beta 2. The app is no longer fully supported in iOS 27, and Apple warns that it is not guaranteed to work.
AirPort Utility will no longer be available for new downloads from the App Store. If you previously downloaded the app, you can still re-download it....
