Apple on Tuesday introduced new figures associated to its App Retailer’s skill to guard app builders and shoppers from fraud. The corporate stated 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 discharge of those metrics, within the days earlier than Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Convention (WWDC 2025), aren’t simply meant to focus on the advantages of promoting software program on the App Retailer. In addition they function 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 Video games successfully prevailed in a high-stakes authorized battle with Apple over App Retailer antitrust points final month, Apple was compelled 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.
Although bigger apps like Fortnite, Spotify and Amazon Kindle have been fast to reap the benefits of the brand new performance, smaller app builders should be on the fence as as to if 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 Retailer handles in trade for a 15%-30% fee on in-app purchases.
Demonstrating the dimensions of its operation, Apple stated it prevented over $2 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2024 alone throughout its App Retailer, which is reside in 175 areas globally and sees a mean 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 stated it terminated greater than 146,000 developer accounts in 2024 over fraud considerations, and rejected an extra 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.
Underneath the EU’s Digital Markets Act, folks within the area at the moment are allowed to entry different app shops that host the form of apps that Apple’s insurance policies don’t permit, or apps that need 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 usually the place the place builders’ personal software program is pirated and resold, placing them in danger.
The corporate additionally famous it stopped practically 4.6 million makes an attempt to put in or launch apps exterior the App Retailer or different permitted third-party marketplaces.
Apple has lengthy used the argument that its App Retailer commissions are about extra than simply processing funds, saying it’s additionally about offering safety, internet hosting, distribution, discovery in addition to blocking fraud.
That’s a compelling case for smaller app builders, together with those that already pay the diminished 15% fee as a part of Apple’s Small Business Program. In actual fact, early information from RevenueCat, which offers builders with subscription infrastructure, signifies that small companies are unlikely to financially profit from switching to their very own cost programs.
In its announcement, Apple additionally reviewed different elements of its App Retailer enterprise and the way it benefited shoppers and builders, sharing different, extra detailed metrics round App Evaluation, discovery fraud, cost and bank card fraud, and extra.
Mixed, these numbers are designed to remind builders why they need to select the App Retailer in a market the place it’s now now not the one method to attain customers or monetize cellular apps.
