Apple Highlights App Store's Role in Discovery, Privacy, and Safety: 'More Than Just a Storefront' - GeekWebGuides
Skip to Content

Apple Highlights App Store's Role in Discovery, Privacy, and Safety: 'More Than Just a Storefront'

Apple has overhauled its About the App Store and Developing for the App Store web pages to focus on several key areas, including discovery, privacy and security, trust and safety, hardware and software, and downloading with confidence.

apple app store page

The new pages highlight a range of relevant statistics and emphasize the importance of trust and security on the App Store.

For over a decade, the App Store has proved to be a safe and trusted place to discover and download apps. But the App Store is more than just a storefront — it's an innovative destination focused on bringing you amazing experiences. And a big part of those experiences is ensuring that the apps we offer are held to the highest standards for privacy, security, and content. Because we offer nearly two million apps — and we want you to feel good about using every single one of them.

Apple boasts that every week over 100,000 apps or updates are submitted and reviewed by an App Review team, which now consists of over 500 experts from around the world. 10,000 accepted apps use Apple's HealthKit, CareKit, and ResearchKit health technologies.

Interestingly, Apple also states that in 2019, the App Review team rejected over 150,000 apps for violating the company's privacy guidelines. This year, the company has removed over 60 million user reviews believed to be spam. Apple says that it has rejected over one million app submissions over an unspecified time period for illegal, unsafe, harmful, or objectionable content. Over two million apps have been removed because they were devoid of needed updates.

Apple is committed to helping developers turn their brightest ideas into apps that change the world. That’s why the App Store helps you from start to finish — to build, test, market, and distribute your products and grow your business. Our marketplace is secure, trusted, and accessible — connecting you to over 1.5 billion devices in 175 regions. The App Store and you. Together every step of the way.

The new developers' page says that 92 percent of iPhones issued in the last four years run iOS 13 and almost 90 percent of apps are reviewed within 24 hours. The page also declares that Apple has paid out over $155 billion to developers since 2008, and over 500 million people visit the ‌App Store‌ each week. 85 percent of apps are reportedly free, and these developers pay nothing to Apple. Over 50% of app downloads come from outside the developer's home country.

Apple notes that a 2019 study found the ‌App Store‌ facilitated over $519 billion in commerce globally, and it supports over 2.1 million U.S. jobs across all 50 states, making it one of the fastest-growing sectors of the U.S. economy.

Popular Stories

iPhone Duo Slack

Apple Announces iPhone Duo Apps Can Now Be Submitted to App Store

Monday October 5, 2026 7:15 pm PDT by
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...
Liquid Glass App Store Feature

New App Store Rules Target AI Deepfakes and Nudify Apps

Friday October 16, 2026 3:21 pm PDT by
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...
iOS App Store General Feature Clorange

Apple's App Store Chief Explains Its Push for Premium Games

Tuesday October 20, 2026 8:58 pm PDT by
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...

Top Rated Comments

GeoStructural Avatar
79 months ago
More than just a storefront: Also a Monopoly.

- We are the only authorized vendor.

- We will take 30 % of your sales.

- You own the device but I still have the power to dictate what you install on it.

- Privacy is a human right, except in China and any other place where we would do anything to not upset the local government and hurt our business.

- We have redefined the words “courage” and “Pro”. Isn’t that fascinating?

- We will negotiate preferential rates with some companies, like Amazon, regardless of the fact that you paid the same developer fee and signed the same agreement.

- We have the power to remove your hard work app from or store without consulting you... and only until a few weeks ago there wasn’t even a formal appeal process.

I do NOT intend to install software outside of the Apple Store, but I do consider their policies and the fact that they are the only channel to do so monopolistic behavior.

Repeat after me: the Google Store does NOT constitute an option, that is an entirely different OS.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
topgunn Avatar
79 months ago

Why hasn't GeekWebGuides ran an article on the Coalition for App Fairness, yet? Here's that page:
https://appfairness.org
Just because you don't like your options, doesn't mean you don't have a choice. There are blatant mistruths on the App Fairness page.

For example, "For most purchases made within the App Store, Apple takes 30% of the purchase price. No other transaction fee — in any industry — comes close."

Let's list other companies that charge a similar fee for similar overhead: Google, Steam, Amazon, UberEats, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, GrubHub, eBay+PayPal, and the list goes on, I am sure.

Another example, "If consumers want to use a modern mobile device, Apple levies a tax that no one can avoid. No competition, no options, no recourse."

Unless the Apple tax now extends to the billions of Android phones out there, this is ridiculous on its face. While I content that Apple and it's ecosystem are superior (in large part due to the App Store and it's walled garden), to say that Android-based phones are not a modern mobile device and that Apple has no competition is being willfully ignorant, at best.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
topgunn Avatar
79 months ago

Basic math. It's embarrassing you can't do it.

The amount Apple paid out (the number they like to tout) is 70%. The amount Apple collected is 30%. 0.3 / 0.7 = 0.43
So, I buy an app for $10. The developer gets $7.00 (70%) and Apple keeps $4.30 (based on your basic math). I now see how Apple is worth two trillion dollars. They are literally creating money.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
79 months ago
>85 percent of apps are reportedly free, and these developers pay nothing to Apple.

Don't you have to pay $99 a year to have a developer account to post these free apps?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
timborama Avatar
79 months ago
App store search sucks. You can search for a literal app title, and the app store gives you something else. Apple shows you only what Apple wants you to see. Completely useless.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ruka.snow Avatar
79 months ago

If Apple has to run a campaign like this then they’re losing.
Looks like they are trying to educate all the muppets that think developers getting 70% instead of the 5-30% we used to get is a bad thing.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Apple Will Label Apps 'Made for iPhone Duo' in App Store
Apple Will Label Apps 'Made for iPhone Duo' in App Store
2 hours ago
Amazon Takes $49 Off iPad With Prices Starting at $399.99
Amazon Takes $49 Off iPad With Prices Starting at $399.99
2 hours ago
F1 on Apple TV Now Available in Dolby Atmos
F1 on Apple TV Now Available in Dolby Atmos
3 hours ago
Apple Reveals More Than 50 Apps That Will Be Updated for iPhone Duo
Apple Reveals More Than 50 Apps That Will Be Updated for iPhone Duo
3 hours ago
Apple Blocks Certificates That Could Help Attackers Fake Websites
Apple Blocks Certificates That Could Help Attackers Fake Websites
5 hours ago
Giant iPhone Duo Installations Spotted at Apple Fifth Avenue
Giant iPhone Duo Installations Spotted at Apple Fifth Avenue
5 hours ago
iPhone Duo 2 Prototypes Include Under-Display Face ID
iPhone Duo 2 Prototypes Include Under-Display Face ID
6 hours ago
Tesla App Gains iPad and iPhone Duo Support
Tesla App Gains iPad and iPhone Duo Support
10 hours ago
Apple Reportedly Boosts iPhone Duo Orders by 44%
Apple Reportedly Boosts iPhone Duo Orders by 44%
10 hours ago
Fortnite Returning to Australian App Store After Court Ruling
Fortnite Returning to Australian App Store After Court Ruling
11 hours ago
Apple Ordered to Open iPhone to Rival App Stores in Australia
Apple Ordered to Open iPhone to Rival App Stores in Australia
11 hours ago
Apple Suppliers Face Hurdles Cutting Circuit Board Emissions
Apple Suppliers Face Hurdles Cutting Circuit Board Emissions
11 hours ago
Things Updated for iPhone Duo With Adaptive Layout
Things Updated for iPhone Duo With Adaptive Layout
12 hours ago
Simplicity and Siri AI Are HomeView's Killer Features, Apple Says
Simplicity and Siri AI Are HomeView's Killer Features, Apple Says
12 hours ago
iPhone Duo Reviewers Really Miss Face ID
iPhone Duo Reviewers Really Miss Face ID
17 hours ago
Does the iPhone Duo Run Hot? Here's What Reviews Found
Does the iPhone Duo Run Hot? Here's What Reviews Found
18 hours ago
Apple Music's New Look is Now Live on Apple's Website
Apple Music's New Look is Now Live on Apple's Website
19 hours ago
Anthropic Launches Claude Duet, a Proactive AI Agent
Anthropic Launches Claude Duet, a Proactive AI Agent
20 hours ago
What 32,000 Folds Did to the iPhone Duo's Hinge
What 32,000 Folds Did to the iPhone Duo's Hinge
20 hours ago
iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos
iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos
22 hours ago
iPhone Duo Has 'Edge Light' Feature That Debuted on Macs Last Year
iPhone Duo Has 'Edge Light' Feature That Debuted on Macs Last Year
23 hours ago
Apple Support App Updated for iPhone Duo's Larger Display
Apple Support App Updated for iPhone Duo's Larger Display
23 hours ago
Amazon Sweetens the Deal on Entry-Level 16-Inch MacBook Pro With $570 Off
Amazon Sweetens the Deal on Entry-Level 16-Inch MacBook Pro With $570 Off
23 hours ago
iPhone Duo Tips Over on MagSafe Stands When Unfolded
iPhone Duo Tips Over on MagSafe Stands When Unfolded
23 hours ago
Apple Music's New Look Officially Announced
Apple Music's New Look Officially Announced
1 day ago
iPhone Duo Supports Apple Pencil Starting With iOS 27.2
iPhone Duo Supports Apple Pencil Starting With iOS 27.2
1 day ago
iPhone Duo Accessories Roundup: Cases and Screen Protectors From OtterBox, ZAGG, and More
iPhone Duo Accessories Roundup: Cases and Screen Protectors From OtterBox, ZAGG, and More
1 day ago
Apple Stores Will Have 'Limited' Availability of iPhone Duo for Walk-In Customers
Apple Stores Will Have 'Limited' Availability of iPhone Duo for Walk-In Customers
1 day ago
iPhone Duo Reviews Explain Why Device is Both 'Fun' and 'Frustrating'
iPhone Duo Reviews Explain Why Device is Both 'Fun' and 'Frustrating'
1 day ago
Apple Says 'Reachability' Feature Coming to iPhone Duo Later This Year
Apple Says 'Reachability' Feature Coming to iPhone Duo Later This Year
1 day ago