Apple on Tuesday introduced new figures associated to its App Store’s potential to guard app builders and customers from fraud. The firm mentioned it has prevented greater than $9 billion in fraudulent transactions over the previous 5 years. In 2024, Apple stopped $2 billion in fraudulent transactions and blocked practically 2 million dangerous app submissions from being revealed.
The launch of those metrics, within the days earlier than Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2025), isn’t simply meant to spotlight the advantages of promoting software program on the App Store. It additionally serves as a stark reminder of what builders will face in the event that they attempt to go it alone on cellular funds.
After Fortnite maker Epic Games successfully prevailed in a high-stakes authorized battle with Apple over App Store antitrust points final month, Apple was pressured to provide U.S. app builders the flexibility to hyperlink to different cost strategies inside their apps, the place Apple couldn’t take a fee.
Though bigger apps like Fortnite, Spotify, and Amazon Kindle have been fast to benefit from the brand new performance, smaller app builders should still be on the fence as as to whether it makes monetary sense for them to course of their very own funds as a result of dangers of fraud, chargebacks, refunds, and different points that Apple’s App Store handles in trade for a 15%-30% fee on in-app purchases.
Demonstrating the dimensions of its operation, Apple mentioned it prevented over $2 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2024 alone throughout its App Store, which is dwell in 175 areas globally and sees a median of greater than 813 million guests per week.
The iPhone maker additionally reminded builders that transaction fraud isn’t the one form of danger that Apple protects in opposition to, noting that dangerous actors attempt to exploit customers in different methods, like stealing private information, creating fraudulent accounts, and pirating apps, amongst different issues.
Apple mentioned it terminated greater than 146,000 developer accounts in 2024 over fraud considerations, and rejected a further 139,000 developer enrollments from dangerous actors. It additionally rejected over 711 million buyer account creations and deactivated practically 129 million buyer accounts final yr. And it blocked over 10,000 illegitimate apps on pirate storefronts, which included malware, pornography apps, playing apps, and pirated variations of builders’ authentic apps in fraudulent transactions and blocked practically 2 million dangerous app submissions from being revealed.
Under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, folks within the area at the moment are allowed to entry different app shops that host the sorts of apps that Apple’s insurance policies don’t permit, or apps that wish to market themselves to customers exterior Apple’s management for different causes. Apple’s message to builders right here means that these app shops are additionally typically the place the place builders’ personal software program is pirated and resold, placing them in danger.
The firm additionally famous it stopped practically 4.6 million makes an attempt to put in or launch apps exterior the App Store or different permitted third-party marketplaces.
Apple has lengthy used the argument that its App Store commissions are about extra than simply processing funds, saying it’s additionally about offering safety, internet hosting, distribution, and discovery, in addition to blocking fraud.
That’s a compelling case for smaller app builders, together with those that already pay the decreased 15% fee as a part of Apple’s Small Business Program. In reality, early information from RevenueCat, which supplies builders with subscription infrastructure, signifies that small companies are unlikely to financially profit from switching to their very own cost methods.
In its announcement, Apple additionally reviewed different facets of its App Store enterprise and the way it benefited customers and builders, sharing different, extra detailed metrics round App Review, discovery fraud, cost and bank card fraud, and extra.
Combined, these numbers are designed to remind builders why they need to select the App Store in a market the place it’s now not the one strategy to attain customers or monetize cellular apps.
