Apple App Store Tops $50 Billion in Developer Revenue

Apple recently announced that developer payouts on their app platform passed the $50 billion mark, with a record-setting 2 million apps live and 130 billion downloads. The announcement comes at an interesting time in the mobile revolution as the advancing popularity of app alternatives like voice, bots, and integrated assistants begins to chip away some user attention. The numbers remind developers that, while some Chicago iPhone app developers fear that we could be heading into a dip in the growth of the native app market, increased screen time and mobile audience growth promises to fuel steady growth for years to come.

The figures demonstrate 30% growth since the previous announcement, reassuring that app developers will benefit from year-over-year growth for some time. Last year the app store reported 100 billion downloads, with $30 billion in developer revenue.

While Google hasn’t yet released concrete data from the Google Play store, the company did report developer revenues in excess of $7 billion in the course of a single year — which given the larger market share of Android devices is consistent with the apparant rapid growth in app listings.

Apple has faced scrutiny among iPhone app developers in recent months as rumors of divisive hardware upgrades (including headphone jack-free iPhones) combined with an overall consumer disatisfaction with design trends has threatened the market leader in high-end mobile devices. Meanwhile, Google’s aggresive work in the Android space has cleaned up the formerly chaotic and messy Android app offerings and brought a refined, unique aesthetic to the platform that positions it to challenge Apple for some of the high-end market.

Chances are, Google’s forthcoming sales figures for the year will support that trend and highlight the opportunities created for app developers by some healthy competition in the top-tier hardware and software space.