Apple gave $320 bn to developers on App Store since 2008

2022 was a groundbreaking year for entertainment. At some point over the past year, you probably discovered a new app, a new song, a new TV show or movie, or game. An experience that made you laugh, taught you something new, or helped you see the world in a new way — and moved you to share it with others.

It’s remarkable how much great content is at our fingertips; that’s a testament to the extraordinary work of creators worldwide. Never before have we enjoyed instant access to more cinematic original series, more engaging films, more global music, more creative apps, more essential journalism, and more immersive games and sports — no matter where you are, across all your favorite devices.

At Apple, we have the privilege of partnering with creators of all kinds, while building products and services that enable even more creativity. Our mission has always been to enrich people’s lives and to leave the world better than we found it, and we know that takes more than technical skill. It requires leading with our values in everything we do. We believe that our products and services should be made for everyone. We believe that privacy is a fundamental human right, and that our highest obligation to our customers is security. We believe that a culture where everybody belongs can drive innovation, and that we must stand up for the change we want to see in the world.

When we started Apple TV+ a few years ago, we did so to tell stories that reflect our broader humanity. And whether it was CODA winning the Oscar for Best Picture or Ted Lasso winning back-to-back Emmys for Best Comedy, we have seen, in so many ways, the validation of this kind of storytelling and the strong desire for more of it.

And believe me: There’s much more to come. Moments to anticipate, enjoy, and reflect upon. Moments that will have us jumping up with excitement or at the edge of our seats, or that make us want to get up and dance. Moments that can create lasting memories and bring us closer to one another.

This year, more people than ever visited the App Store to discover and download the world’s most creative and cutting-edge apps and games in a safe and trusted environment. Powering a robust global economy, the App Store connects developers of all sizes, from emerging solo creators to large international teams, with more than 650 million visitors across 175 regions each week. Developers selling digital goods and services on the App Store have earned more than $320 billion since the platform’s 2008 launch, marking another year of record earnings. And this considerable number represents just a fraction of the overall commerce the app ecosystem facilitates. Throughout the year, new apps and games delivered fresh ways to connect. Innovative social app BeReal, which garnered global popularity for deepening authentic connections among family and friends, burst onto the scene, while Apex Legends brought its fast-paced hit battle royale game to iPhone, and Dot’s Home, which spotlights systemic injustices through thoughtful interaction, used the power of code to impact culture — earning their developers 2022 App Store Awards. 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. Charts of the year’s most downloaded apps and games are available on the App Store.

Apple Arcade continues to be a standout game subscription service featuring award-winning and highly rated titles, from new releases to beloved favourites from the App Store. Subscribers have unlimited access to an evolving collection of over 200 games, with fun new content added weekly. The service also offers unique benefits players love — including no ads or in-app purchases — and support for Apple’s high privacy standards. In 2022, the Apple Arcade catalog expanded with more than 50 exciting new titles, including Warped Kart Racers, Jetpack Joyride 2, Gibbon: Beyond the Trees, Wylde Flowers, and Cooking Mama: Cuisine! The service also released over 300 updates and expansions for many existing hits, including Sneaky Sasquatch, The Oregon Trail, Mini Motorways, LEGO Brawls, and Angry Birds Reloaded.

2022 was a big year for Apple Music, which now features over 100 million songs, representing nearly the entire history of recorded music. That’s 100,000 times “1,000 songs in your pocket.” And with Spatial Audio, Apple Music set a new quality bar for music streaming, giving fans a deeper and more immersive experience than ever before. Since launch, the number of monthly Spatial Audio listeners has more than tripled, with more than 80 percent of worldwide subscribers enjoying the experience, while monthly plays in Spatial Audio have grown by over 1,000 percent. Additionally, this year Apple Music partnered with Mercedes-Benz to bring Spatial Audio to drivers worldwide for the first time. Apple Music Live gives fans access to exclusive live performances by some of the biggest global stars in music, including Harry Styles, Lil Durk, Mary J. Blige, Billie Eilish, Luke Combs, Wizkid, and Alicia Keys. Following each broadcast, listeners can enjoy each show anytime on demand in immersive Spatial Audio. And just last month, Apple introduced Apple Music Sing, giving subscribers the ability to sing along to their favourite songs. With adjustable vocals and Apple Music’s unparalleled real-time lyrics experience, users can easily perform duets, sing backup, or take the lead using an ever-expanding catalog of the world’s most singable songs.

2022 was also a milestone year for Shazam, marking the service’s 20th anniversary with 70 billion all-time Shazams. Last year, Shazam launched 17 new national charts and 58 new city charts, expanding coverage of the world’s most discovered music to more parts of the world, as users discovered over 40 million different songs and more than 1 million artists received their very first Shazam. Last year, the songs on Shazam’s Global Top 200 were more diverse than ever before, illustrating that a new generation of fans increasingly connected with older songs, with “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush (1985) being the oldest song to reach No. 1. Shazam also introduced a suite of new features, including a brand-new library sync using iCloud, enhanced Siri integration, and the ability to find concert details, making it easy for users to explore upcoming live shows while increasing exposure for artists. Last week, Shazam released its 2023 Predictions, a 50-song playlist featuring artists who are poised to have a breakthrough year. Shazam’s predictions have uncovered talent from every corner of the globe earlier than any other service, with artists like Ayra Starr, who was one of Shazam’s five featured predictions in 2022, making Shazam’s Global Top 10 last fall.

Throughout 2022, Apple TV+ premiered some of the most celebrated series of the year, including The Afterparty, Bad Sisters, Black Bird, Echo 3, For All Mankind, Loot, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, Pachinko, Slow Horses, Trying, and the 14-time Emmy Award-nominated Severance. Global phenomenon Ted Lasso continued its streak as the most Emmy Award-winning comedy for the second year in a row, with its second season landing the award for Outstanding Comedy Series, while Pachinko and Severance landed prestigious AFI Program of the Year honours.

Apple TV+ made history as the first streaming service honoured with the Academy Award for Best Picture with CODA, and debuted broadly acclaimed films including Cha Cha Real Smooth, Luck, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, and Spirited, which has become the biggest film ever on the service. Causeway, Emancipation, and Sidney were recognised with African-American Film Critics Association honours, and the acclaimed documentary Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues landed the IDA Documentary Award for Best Music Documentary.

This year, Apple TV+ is set to premiere highly anticipated original series and films from the world’s biggest storytellers, including new Apple Originals Dear Edward, Hello Tomorrow!, The Reluctant Traveler, and Shrinking; new seasons of award-winning and widely celebrated series such as The Afterparty, Schmigadoon!, Servant, Swagger, and Truth Be Told; and new films Argylle, Killers of the Flower Moon, Sharper, and more.

In 2022, Apple made significant moves into live sports, first with the debut of “Friday Night Baseball” on Apple TV+, which exclusively showed two marquee Major League Baseball games every Friday night during the regular season. Apple also announced an unprecedented 10-year partnership with Major League Soccer. In a historic first for sports, fans around the world can stream every single MLS match through the MLS Season Pass service on the Apple TV app, without any local blackouts, starting February 1, 2023. MLS Season Pass will bring MLS to its biggest worldwide audience ever, as all matches will be available on billions of devices through the Apple TV app and on the web.

With iOS 16, Apple News introduced My Sports, allowing sports fans to easily find news and in-depth coverage of their favourite leagues, teams, and players, and watch highlights right in the News app. Fans can also sync their favourite teams across Apple News and the Apple TV app to follow updates, get tune-in reminders, and more. And with iOS 16.2, Live Activities for the Apple TV app lets users follow their favourite sports teams from select leagues with live scores right on their Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.1

In 2022, Apple Fitness+ became available to iPhone users to subscribe to and enjoy in 21 countries, even if they don’t have an Apple Watch, and grew the library to 3,500 workouts and meditations. Fitness+ also introduced Time to Run; Collections; an Artist Spotlight series with workouts featuring music by Taylor Swift; the workout program Yoga for Every Runner, featuring and designed with ultramarathoner Scott Jurek; and much more. To kick off 2023, Fitness+ announced new ways for users to improve their fitness and overall well-being, including Kickboxing, a new total-body cardio workout type; a new Artist Spotlight series with workouts featuring music by Beyoncé; a brand-new meditation theme, Sleep, along with a new program to help users get started, Introduction to Meditations for Sleep; the fifth season of Time to Walk, beginning with Jamie Lee Curtis; two new Collections; and three new Fitness+ trainers.

From breaking news updates on the most important stories of the day to fascinating in-depth feature reporting and beautifully narrated audio stories, Apple News continued to deliver quality news to millions of people, and remains the top news app in the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada. In November, Apple News introduced After the Whistle, a limited-series podcast hosted by Ted Lasso’s Brendan Hunt and NBC Sports’ Rebecca Lowe that offered listeners entertaining and informative takes throughout the World Cup tournament.

CT Bureau