Just a few days ago we learned that the Supreme Court of the United States had accepted a lawsuit against Apple and the App Store for monopoly reasons. The iOS app store is the only method accepted by Apple to install software on their devices, and several users joined the lawsuit stating that it was a monopoly.
Apple defended itself at the time and will do it again, ensuring that the App Store is your store and that they are responsible for everything to work in the right way. Now the company has updated its website with a new section in which they explain how the App Store works and why it is necessary to do so.
- “The best experience for everyone”
- “We created the App Store with two objectives in mind: that it be a safe and reliable place for customers to discover and download applications, and a great business opportunity for all developers .” Thus begins Apple’s allegation on its website with the that the company begins to explain the importance of having everything controlled to have a secure platform for both users and developers.
IT IS OUR STORE. AND WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT.
Apple goes on to explain some of the reasons why this control benefits users and allows to make a living from thousands of developers.
“_We believe that what is in our store says a lot about who we are. We strongly support all points of view represented in the App Store. But we also take steps to make sure that apps are respectful to users with different opinions and we reject apps for any content or behavior that we believe is on the other side of the line, especially when it puts children at risk. For example, we strictly prohibit any application that contains pornographic material, discriminatory references, torture, and abuse: ”
We created the “App Store Review Guidelines” to provide clear guidance to developers on how to create the best applications for our customers. The five pillars of these guidelines (Security, Performance, Business, Design, and Legality) require that the applications offered in the App Store be secure, provide good user experience, adhere to our user privacy rules, keep the devices safe against malware and threats and use approved business models. ”
No doubt Apple’s position has been clear after these words, but the company has not wanted to stay there and has shared some very interesting data about the App Store and the work behind it.
- 100,000 applications are reviewed every week.
- Most are reviewed within 24 hours after being sent by the developers.
- 60% of all approved and are available immediately.
- Of the 40% that are not approved, most are for small bugs or privacy issues.
- The team makes about 1,000 calls a week to developers to help approve applications.
- There are 20 million developers in the Apple Developer Program.
- The developers have won more than 120,000 million dollars worldwide thanks to the App Store.
- 84% OF THE APPLICATIONS ARE FREE, AND THE DEVELOPERS PAY NOTHING TO APPLE.
In addition to this, Apple has shared the 8 different categories in which the apps are classified. In four of them, Apple does not get any kind of economic benefit.
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Applications with which Apple does not receive any commission for support, hosting or distribution:
- Free. These are applications that users do not pay to download or use. The developer chooses that they are free or have some other business model that is not generated from the income of the application.
- Free with ads. The developer generates revenue from ads in the applications.
- Free with physical goods and services. Applications such as Amazon or Uber, earn money from the sale of physical goods and services, such as the purchase of clothing, food delivery or the order of a transportation service.
- Reader. Applications where users buy or subscribe to content outside the application, but enjoy access to that content within the application on their Apple devices, such as Netflix or Spotify.
Applications for which Apple receives a commission:
- Free with purchases in the application. Free apps where you can download extra content through a payment within the app. The developer takes 70% and Apple 30% of that transaction.
- Apps payment. Applications that cost money, again the developer takes 70% and Apple 30% of that payment.
- Free with a subscription . Applications with a weekly, monthly or annual subscription, Apple keeps 30% during the first year, from the second the distribution is 85% for the developer and 15% for Apple.
- Cross-platform. Apps that offer digital goods and services for sale within an application and also allow users to make those purchases on other platforms. Apple only receives 30% of these services are contracted from the app. Apps like Dropbox or Microsoft Word fall into this category.
To conclude, Apple wanted to highlight the large investments made in terms of tools, compilers, and SDKs that are available for smooth developers can create all these applications. Undoubtedly all these data also serve as a defense to the accusations of Spotify that accused Apple of “stealing” 30% of their profits.
