App Store
By MacRumors Staff on October 22, 2026
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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.
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 Tim Hardwick
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 Tim Hardwick
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 Tim Hardwick
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 Tim Hardwick
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
Apple Pulls Keynote, Pages and Numbers From App Store [Update: Back]
Thursday October 22, 2026 11:01 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple has temporarily removed Keynote, Pages, and Numbers from the App Store, just after releasing an update that added iPhone Duo support and a new Intelligent Assistant.
It is not clear if the apps were removed intentionally, or if it is a bug. Apple has not said when the apps will be reinstated, but if it was in error, they should return soon.
Update: The Mac versions are back without...
Apple Will Label Apps 'Made for iPhone Duo' in App Store
Thursday October 22, 2026 7:40 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
In its press release highlighting apps that have been optimized for the iPhone Duo, Apple said the App Store will label apps that are "Made for iPhone Duo."
In order for an app to be optimized for the iPhone Duo, the developer needs to build it with the iOS 27.1 SDK or later. Apps optimized for the iPhone Duo fill the entire inner display, and the app's toolbar appears vertically below the...
Apple Reveals More Than 50 Apps That Will Be Updated for iPhone Duo
Thursday October 22, 2026 6:04 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple today highlighted more than 50 third-party App Store apps that are or will soon be fully optimized for the iPhone Duo and its various layouts and poses.
You can hold the iPhone Duo and set it down in a number of ways, such as partially folded like a book, placed down on a surface, or standing on its edges:
With the Netflix app, for example, Apple said iPhone Duo users can scroll...
Fortnite Returning to Australian App Store After Court Ruling
Wednesday October 21, 2026 10:55 pm PDT by Hartley Charlton
Fortnite will return to Australia's App Store today, Epic Games told Reuters, after a federal court ordered Apple to allow eligible Epic apps back onto the store.
Australia was the only country excluded when Fortnite returned to the App Store worldwide in May. Epic held off while seeking further court orders addressing Apple's payment terms. The requirement to process Epic's compliant...
Apple's App Store Chief Explains Its Push for Premium Games
Tuesday October 20, 2026 8:58 pm PDT by Hartley Charlton
More premium games are launching on the App Store this year than last, Apple's App Store Worldwide head Carson Oliver told Polygon, including more franchises coming from PC and consoles.
Oliver said:
We've seen incredible growth of games coming to the App Store, in general, with more premium games releasing on the App Store this year than last. While many of those are indies, we're also ...
New App Store Rules Target AI Deepfakes and Nudify Apps
Friday October 16, 2026 3:21 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today expanded its App Store moderation rules to cover AI-generated nonconsensual intimate imagery. Sexually explicit content was already banned, but now Apple says app developers must proactively prevent and remove AI-generated deepfakes from their platforms. Apple warns that apps with offending content could be removed from the App Store if developers fail to act.
The updated 1.2...
Apple Announces 'Indie Games Week' on App Store
Monday October 12, 2026 7:48 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced it is Indie Games Week on the App Store, in celebration of the "incredible catalog of imaginative games made by independent teams with big dreams."
Apple said seven acclaimed indie games are debuting on the App Store. No Man's Sky will be making its mobile debut on iPhone and iPad on October 28, and the six other games are Sifu, Vampire Crawlers, Little Kitty, Big City, 9 ...
Apple Announces iPhone Duo Apps Can Now Be Submitted to App Store
Monday October 5, 2026 7:15 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced that apps optimized for the iPhone Duo can now be submitted for App Store approval, ahead of the foldable device launching on Friday, October 23.
While existing App Store apps will automatically run on the iPhone Duo, only apps built with the iOS 27.1 SDK or later can dynamically resize to fill the entire space of the inner display, whereas unoptimized apps will have...
Apple Asks Supreme Court to Throw Out App Store Contempt Ruling
Monday September 14, 2026 4:28 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today filed its opening merits brief with the Supreme Court as it prepares to fight the contempt ruling that forced it to change its App Store rules. Apple is asking the Supreme Court to reverse or vacate the contempt order, which would return the App Store to its pre–2025 rules.
The Supreme Court filing is part of Apple's ongoing legal battle with Epic Games, which has gotten more...
X's Standalone Messaging App XChat Disappears From App Store
Monday September 14, 2026 3:25 pm PDT by Juli Clover
X's XChat app is no longer available from the App Store. The app does not come up when searching for it in the App Store, and clicking a link to it on the web returns an unavailable error.
XChat allows X users to communicate with one another using end-to-end encryption and disappearing messages. The app's description says it is a "private, focused space built for conversation." XChat launch...
Phil Schiller Reportedly Wants 'No Part Of' Apple's Plans for App Store
Tuesday September 8, 2026 7:52 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's former marketing chief Phil Schiller reportedly wants "no part of" the company's plans to "squeeze additional recurring revenue" from the App Store.
In his Power On newsletter last weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple's new CEO John Ternus and services chief Eddy Cue want to "figure out ways to raise margins and squeeze additional recurring revenue" from the App Store, but...
Apple Plans to Squeeze More Revenue From the App Store, Report Says
Monday September 7, 2026 3:19 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is looking at further ways to monetize the App Store and increase the company's recurring revenue from the platform, according to a new report.
Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that newly appointed Apple CEO John Ternus and services chief Eddy Cue are behind the effort to raise margins from the App Store, which already generates Apple an estimated ...
Mac App Store Apps Can Now Drop Support for Intel Macs
Tuesday September 1, 2026 4:50 pm PDT by Juli Clover
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
Monday August 31, 2026 7:49 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
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'
Wednesday August 19, 2026 5:16 pm PDT by Juli Clover
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
Tuesday August 18, 2026 9:29 am PDT by Juli Clover
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
Tuesday August 18, 2026 4:41 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
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
Thursday August 13, 2026 3:11 pm PDT by Juli Clover
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
Wednesday August 12, 2026 4:21 pm PDT by Juli Clover
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
Tuesday August 11, 2026 12:14 pm PDT by Juli Clover
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...
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