November 25, 2024
Every year, the App Store Awards celebrate exceptional apps and games that improve people's lives while showcasing the highest levels of technical innovation, user experience, design, and positive cultural impact. This year, the App Store Editorial team is proud to recognize over 40 outstanding finalists. Winners will be announced in the coming weeks.
November 14, 2024
The App Store is designed to make it easy to sell your digital goods and services globally, with support for 44 currencies across 175 storefronts.
From time to time, we may need to adjust prices or your proceeds due to changes in tax regulations or foreign exchange rates. These adjustments are made using publicly available exchange rate information from financial data providers to help make sure prices for apps and In-App Purchases stay consistent across all storefronts.
Tax updates as of October:
Your proceeds from the sale of eligible apps and In‑App Purchases have been increased in:
Exhibit B of the Paid Applications Agreement has been updated to indicate that Apple will not remit VAT in Nepal and Kazakhstan for local developers.
Learn more about your proceeds
Price updates as of December 2:
If you’ve selected the Japan or Türkiye storefront as the base for your app or In-App Purchase, prices won’t change. On other storefronts, prices will be updated to maintain equalization with your chosen base price.
Prices won’t change in any region if your In‑App Purchase is an auto‑renewable subscription and won’t change on the storefronts where you manually manage prices instead of using the automated equalized prices.
The Pricing and Availability section of Apps has been updated in App Store Connect to display these upcoming price changes. As always, you can change the prices of your apps, In‑App Purchases, and auto‑renewable subscriptions at any time.
Learn more about managing your prices
View or edit upcoming price changes
Edit your app’s base country or region
November 12, 2024
Share your app or game’s upcoming content and enhancements for App Store featuring consideration with new Featuring Nominations in App Store Connect. Submit a nomination to tell our team about a new launch, in-app content, or added functionality. If you’re featured in select placements on the Today tab, you’ll also receive a notification via the App Store Connect app.
In addition, you can promote your app or game’s biggest moments — such as an app launch, new version, or select featuring placements on the App Store — with readymade marketing assets. Use the App Store Connect app to generate Apple-designed assets and share them to your social media channels. Include the provided link alongside your assets so people can easily download your app or game on the App Store.
November 11, 2024
The Push Notifications Console now includes metrics for broadcast push notifications sent in the Apple Push Notification service (APNs) production environment. The console’s interface provides an aggregated view of the broadcast push notifications that are successfully accepted by APNs, the number of devices that receive them, and a snapshot of the maximum number of devices subscribed to your channels.
October 31, 2024
As part of ongoing efforts to improve security and privacy on Apple platforms, the App Store receipt signing intermediate certificate is being updated to use the SHA-256 cryptographic algorithm. This certificate is used to sign App Store receipts, which are the proof of purchase for apps and In-App Purchases.
This update is being completed in multiple phases and some existing apps on the App Store may be impacted by the next update, depending on how they verify receipts.
Starting January 24, 2025, if your app performs on-device receipt validation and doesn't support a SHA-256 algorithm, your app will fail to validate the receipt. If your app prevents customers from accessing the app or premium content when receipt validation fails, your customers may lose access to their content.
If your app performs on-device receipt validation, update your app to support certificates that use the SHA-256 algorithm; alternatively, use the AppTransaction and Transaction APIs to verify App Store transactions.
For more details, view TN3138: Handling App Store receipt signing certificate change.
October 24, 2024
Beta testing your apps, games, and App Clips is even better with new enhancements to TestFlight. Updates include:
To get started with TestFlight, upload your build, add test information, and invite testers.
October 23, 2024
The beta versions of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2 are now available. Get your apps ready by confirming they work as expected on these releases. And make sure to build and test with Xcode 16.2 beta to take advantage of the advancements in the latest SDKs.
As previewed earlier this year, changes to the browser choice screen, default apps, and app deletion for EU users, as well as support in Safari for exporting user data and for web browsers to import that data, are now available in the beta versions of iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2.
These releases also include improvements to the Apps area in Settings first introduced in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. All users worldwide will be able to manage their default apps via a Default Apps section at the top of the Apps area. New calling and messaging defaults are also now available for all users worldwide.
Following feedback from the European Commission and from developers, in these releases developers can develop and test EU-specific features, such as alternative browser engines, contactless apps, marketplace installations from web browsers, and marketplace apps, from anywhere in the world. Developers of apps that use alternative browser engines can now use WebKit in those same apps.
View details about the browser choice screen, how to make an app available for users to choose as a default, how to create a calling or messaging app that can be a default, and how to import user data from Safari.
October 23, 2024
The Apple Developer Program License Agreement and its Schedules 1, 2, and 3 have been updated to support updated policies and upcoming features, and to provide clarification. Please review the changes below and accept the updated terms in your account.
Apple Developer Program License Agreement
Schedules 1, 2, and 3
Apple Services Pte. Ltd. is now the Apple legal entity responsible for the marketing and End-User download of the Licensed and Custom Applications by End-Users located in the following regions:
Paid Applications Agreement (Schedules 2 and 3)
Exhibit B: Indicated that Apple shall not collect and remit taxes for local developers in Nepal and Kazakhstan, and such developers shall be solely responsible for the collection and remittance of such taxes as may be required by local law.
Exhibit C:
View the full terms and conditions
Translations of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement will be available on the Apple Developer website within one month.
October 17, 2024
Starting today, in order to submit updates for apps on the App Store in the European Union (EU) Account Holders or Admins in the Apple Developer Program need to enter trader status in App Store Connect. If you’re a trader, you’ll need to provide your trader information before you can submit your app for review.
Starting February 17, 2025, apps without trader status will be removed from the App Store in the EU until trader status is provided and verified in order to comply with the Digital Services Act.
October 17, 2024
The Certification Authority (CA) for Apple Push Notification service (APNs) is changing. APNs will update the server certificates in sandbox on January 20, 2025, and in production on February 24, 2025. All developers using APNs will need to update their application’s Trust Store to include the new server certificate: SHA-2 Root : USERTrust RSA Certification Authority certificate.
To ensure a smooth transition and avoid push notification delivery failures, please make sure that both old and new server certificates are included in the Trust Store before the cut-off date for each of your application servers that connect to sandbox and production.
At this time, you don’t need to update the APNs SSL provider certificates issued to you by Apple.
October 8, 2024
We’re thrilled to announce the Swift Student Challenge 2025. The Challenge provides the next generation of student developers the opportunity to showcase their creativity and coding skills by building app playgrounds with Swift.
Applications for the next Challenge will open in February 2025 for three weeks.
We’ll select 350 Swift Student Challenge winners whose submissions demonstrate excellence in innovation, creativity, social impact, or inclusivity. From this esteemed group, we’ll name 50 Distinguished Winners whose work is truly exceptional and invite them to join us at Apple in Cupertino for three incredible days where they’ll gain invaluable insights from Apple experts and engineers, connect with their peers, and enjoy a host of unforgettable experiences.
All Challenge winners will receive one year of membership in the Apple Developer Program, a special gift from Apple, and more.
To help you get ready, we’re launching new coding resources, including Swift Coding Clubs designed for students to develop skills for a future career, build community, and get ready for the Challenge.
September 26, 2024
Apple is committed to making the App Store a safe place for everyone — especially kids. Within the next few months, the following regional age ratings for Australia and France will be implemented in accordance with local laws. No action is needed on your part. Where required by local regulations, regional ratings will appear alongside Apple global age ratings.
Australia
Apps with any instances of simulated gambling will display an R18+ regional age rating in addition to the Apple global age rating on the App Store in Australia.
France
Apps with a 17+ Apple global age rating will also display an 18+ regional age rating on the App Store in France.
September 13, 2024
The App Review Guidelines have been revised to add iPadOS to Notarization.
Starting September 16:
If you’ve entered into a previous version of the following agreements, be sure to sign the latest version, which supports iPadOS:
Learn more about the update on apps distributed in the EU
Translations of the guidelines will be available on the Apple Developer website within one month.
September 10, 2024
You can now configure win-back offers — a new type of offer for auto-renewable subscriptions — in App Store Connect. Win-back offers allow you to reach previous subscribers and encourage them to resubscribe to your app or game. For example, you can create a pay up front offer for a reduced subscription price of $9.99 for six months, with a standard renewal price of $39.99 per year. Based on your offer configuration, Apple displays these offers to eligible customers in various places, including:
When creating win-back offers in App Store Connect, you’ll determine customer eligibility, select regional availability, and choose the discount type. Eligible customers will be able to discover win-back offers this fall.
September 9, 2024
iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, tvOS 18, visionOS 2, and watchOS 11 will soon be available to customers worldwide. Build your apps and games using the Xcode 16 Release Candidate and latest SDKs, test them using TestFlight, and submit them for review to the App Store. You can now start deploying seamlessly to TestFlight and the App Store from Xcode Cloud. With exciting new features like watchOS Live Activities, app icon customization, and powerful updates to Swift, Siri, Controls, and Core ML, you can deliver even more unique experiences on Apple platforms.
And beginning next month, you’ll be able to bring the incredible new features of Apple Intelligence into your apps to help inspire the way users communicate, work, and express themselves.
Starting April 2025, apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built with SDKs for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, tvOS 18, visionOS 2, or watchOS 11.
August 29, 2024
The App Store is designed to make it easy to sell your digital goods and services globally, with support for 44 currencies across 175 storefronts.
From time to time, we may need to adjust prices or your proceeds due to changes in tax regulations or foreign exchange rates. These adjustments are made using publicly available exchange rate information from financial data providers to help make sure prices for apps and In-App Purchases stay consistent across all storefronts.
On September 16:
If you’ve selected the Chile, Laos, or Senegal storefront as the base for your app or In-App Purchase, prices won’t change. On other storefronts, prices will be updated to maintain equalization with your chosen base price.
Prices won’t change in any region if your In‑App Purchase is an auto‑renewable subscription and won’t change on the storefronts where you manually manage prices instead of using the automated equalized prices.
The Pricing and Availability section of Apps has been updated in App Store Connect to display these upcoming price changes. As always, you can change the prices of your apps, In‑App Purchases, and auto‑renewable subscriptions at any time.
Learn more about managing your prices
View or edit upcoming price changes
Edit your app’s base country or region
Pricing and availability start times by region
Set a price for an In-App Purchase
As of August 29:
Your proceeds from the sale of eligible apps and In‑App Purchases have been modified in:
Exhibit B of the Paid Applications Agreement has been updated to indicate that Apple collects and remits applicable taxes in Laos and Senegal.
Beginning in September:
Your proceeds from the sale of eligible apps and In‑App Purchases will be modified in:
Learn more about your proceeds
1: Excludes auto-renewable subscriptions.
August 26, 2024
Join us for a special Apple Event on September 9 at 10 a.m. PT.
Watch on apple.com, Apple TV, or YouTube Live.
August 22, 2024
By the end of this year, we’ll make changes to the browser choice screen, default apps, and app deletion for iOS and iPadOS for users in the EU. These updates come from our ongoing and continuing dialogue with the European Commission about compliance with the Digital Market Act’s requirements in these areas.
Developers of browsers offered in the browser choice screen in the EU will have additional information about their browser shown to users who view the choice screen, and will get access to more data about the performance of the choice screen. The updated choice screen will be shown to all EU users who have Safari set as their default browser. For details about the changes coming to the browser choice screen, view About the browser choice screen in the EU.
For users in the EU, iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 will also include a new Default Apps section in Settings that lists defaults available to each user. In future software updates, users will get new default settings for dialing phone numbers, sending messages, translating text, navigation, managing passwords, keyboards, and call spam filters. To learn more, view Update on apps distributed in the European Union.
Additionally, the App Store, Messages, Photos, Camera, and Safari apps will now be deletable for users in the EU.
August 15, 2024
As a reminder, Account Holders or Admins in the Apple Developer Program need to enter trader status in App Store Connect for apps on the App Store in the European Union (EU) in order to comply with the Digital Services Act.
Please note these new dates and requirements:
August 13, 2024
Apple Entrepreneur Camp supports underrepresented founders and developers, and encourages the pipeline and longevity of these entrepreneurs in technology. Attendees benefit from one-on-one code-level guidance, receive unprecedented access to Apple engineers and experts, and become part of the extended global network of Apple Entrepreneur Camp alumni.
Applications are now open for female,* Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Indigenous founders and developers. And this year we’re thrilled to bring back our in-person programming at Apple in Cupertino. For those who can’t attend in person, we’re still offering our full program online. We welcome established entrepreneurs with app-driven businesses to learn more about eligibility requirements and apply today.
Apply by September 3, 2024.
* Apple believes that gender expression is a fundamental right. We welcome all women to apply to this program.
August 8, 2024
In response to the announcement by the European Commission in June, we’re making the following changes to Apple’s Digital Markets Act compliance plan. We’re introducing updated terms that will apply this fall for developers with apps in the European Union storefronts of the App Store that use the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement. Key changes include:
Learn more by visiting Alternative payment options on the App Store in the European Union or request a 30-minute online consultation to ask questions and provide feedback about these changes.
August 6, 2024
In macOS Sequoia, users will no longer be able to Control-click to override Gatekeeper when opening software that isn’t signed correctly or notarized. They’ll need to visit System Settings > Privacy & Security to review security information for software before allowing it to run.
If you distribute software outside of the Mac App Store, we recommend that you submit your software to be notarized. The Apple notary service automatically scans your Developer ID-signed software and performs security checks. When your software is ready for distribution, it’s assigned a ticket to let Gatekeeper know it’s been notarized so customers can run it with confidence.
August 1, 2024
The App Review Guidelines have been revised to support updated policies and upcoming features, and to provide clarification.
View the App Review Guidelines
Get resources and support to prepare for App Review
Translations of the guidelines will be available on the Apple Developer website within one month.
July 1, 2024
Alternative payment options are now supported starting in visionOS 1.2 for apps distributed on the App Store in the EU.
June 24, 2024
The changes for apps in the European Union (EU), currently available to iOS users in the 27 EU member countries, can now be tested in iPadOS 18 beta 2 with Xcode 16 beta 2.
Also, the Web Browser Engine Entitlement Addendum for Apps in the EU and Embedded Browser Engine Entitlement Addendum for Apps in the EU now include iPadOS. If you’ve already entered into either of these addendums, be sure to sign the updated terms.
Learn more about the recent changes:
June 18, 2024
Apple Vision Pro will launch in China mainland, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore on June 28 and in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom on July 12. Your apps and games will be automatically available on the App Store in regions you’ve selected in App Store Connect.
If you’d like, you can:
You can also learn how to build native apps to fully take advantage of exciting visionOS features.
June 18, 2024
Apple is committed to making sure that the App Store is a safe place for everyone — especially kids. Within the next few months, you’ll need to indicate in App Store Connect if your app includes loot boxes available for purchase. In addition, a regional age rating based on local laws will automatically appear on the product page of the apps listed below on the App Store in Australia and South Korea. No other action is needed. Regional age ratings appear in addition to Apple global age ratings.
Australia
A regional age rating is shown if Games is selected as the primary or secondary category in App Store Connect.
South Korea
A regional age rating is shown if either Games or Entertainment is selected as the primary or secondary category in App Store Connect, or if the app has Frequent/Intense instances of Simulated Gambling in any category.
June 14, 2024
Thank you to everyone who joined us for an amazing week. We hope you found value, connection, and fun. You can continue to:
We’d love to know what you thought of this year’s conference. If you’d like to tell us about your experience, please complete the WWDC24 survey.
June 10, 2024
Discover the latest advancements across Apple platforms, including the all-new Apple Intelligence, that can help you create even more powerful, intuitive, and unique experiences.
To start exploring and building with the latest features, download beta versions of Xcode 16, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, tvOS 18, visionOS 2, and watchOS 11.
June 10, 2024
WWDC24 is here! Here’s how to make the most of your week:
June 10, 2024
The App Review Guidelines, Apple Developer Program License Agreement, and Apple Developer Agreement have been updated to support updated policies and upcoming features, and to provide clarification. Please review the changes below and accept the updated terms as needed.
Please sign in to your account to review and accept the updated terms.
View all agreements and guidelines
Translations of the terms will be available on the Apple Developer website within one month.
June 6, 2024
The App Store is designed to make it easy to sell your digital goods and services globally, with support for 44 currencies across 175 storefronts.
From time to time, we may need to adjust prices or your proceeds due to changes in tax regulations or foreign exchange rates. These adjustments are made using publicly available exchange rate information from financial data providers to help make sure prices for apps and In-App Purchases stay consistent across all storefronts.
On June 21, pricing for apps and In-App Purchases¹ will be updated for the Egypt, Ivory Coast, Nepal, Nigeria, Suriname, and Zambia storefronts if you haven’t selected one of these as the base for your app or In‑App Purchase.¹ These updates also consider the following value‑added tax (VAT) changes:
Prices won’t change on the Egypt, Ivory Coast, Nepal, Nigeria, Suriname, or Zambia storefront if you’ve selected that storefront as the base for your app or In-App Purchase.¹ Prices on other storefronts will be updated to maintain equalization with your chosen base price.
Prices won’t change in any region if your In‑App Purchase is an auto‑renewable subscription and won’t change on the storefronts where you manually manage prices instead of using the automated equalized prices.
The Pricing and Availability section of Apps has been updated in App Store Connect to display these upcoming price changes. As always, you can change the prices of your apps, In‑App Purchases, and auto‑renewable subscriptions at any time.
View or edit upcoming price changes
Edit your app’s base country or region
Pricing and availability start times by region
Set a price for an In-App Purchase
Your proceeds for sales of apps and In-App Purchases will change to reflect the new tax rates and updated prices. Exhibit B of the Paid Applications Agreement has been updated to indicate that Apple collects and remits applicable taxes in Ivory Coast, Nepal, Suriname, and Zambia.
As of today, June 6, your proceeds from the sale of eligible apps and In‑App Purchases have been modified in the following countries to reflect introductions of or changes in tax rates.
The Fitness and Health category has a new attribute: “Content is primarily accessed through streaming”. If this is relevant to your apps or In-App Purchases that offer fitness video streaming, review and update your selections in the Pricing and Availability section of Apps in App Store Connect.
Learn about setting tax categories
1: Excludes auto-renewable subscriptions.
June 6, 2024
Every year, the Apple Design Awards recognize innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement in app and game design.
The incredible developers behind this year’s finalists have shown what can be possible on Apple platforms — and helped lay the foundation for what’s to come.
We’re thrilled to present the winners of the 2024 Apple Design Awards.
June 3, 2024
One week to go. Don’t miss the exciting reveal of the latest Apple software and technologies.
Keynote kicks off at 10 a.m. PT on June 10.
Join us for the Platforms State of the Union at 1 p.m. PT on June 10.
May 28, 2024
Every year, the Apple Design Awards recognize innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement in app and game design.
But they’ve also become something more: A moment to step back and celebrate the Apple developer community in all its many forms.
May 28, 2024
Join the worldwide developer community for an incredible week of technology and creativity — all online and free. WWDC24 takes place from June 10-14.
May 23, 2024
The Apple Developer Forums have been redesigned for WWDC24 to help developers connect with Apple experts, engineers, and each other to find answers and get advice.
Apple Developer Relations and Apple engineering are joining forces to field your questions and work to solve your technical issues. You’ll have access to an expanded knowledge base and enjoy quick response times — so you can get back to creating and enhancing your app or game. Plus, Apple Developer Program members now have priority access to expert advice on the forums.
May 2, 2024
The CTF is an element of the alternative business terms in the EU that reflects the value Apple provides developers through tools, technologies, and services that enable them to build and share innovative apps. We believe anyone with a good idea and the ingenuity to bring it to life should have the opportunity to offer their app to the world. Only developers who reach significant scale (more than one million first annual installs per year in the EU) pay the CTF. Nonprofit organizations, government entities, and educational institutions approved for a fee waiver don’t pay the CTF. Today, we’re introducing two additional conditions in which the CTF is not required:
This week, the European Commission designated iPadOS a gatekeeper platform under the Digital Markets Act. Apple will bring our recent iOS changes for apps in the European Union (EU) to iPadOS later this fall, as required. Developers can choose to adopt the Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU that will include these additional capabilities and options on iPadOS, or stay on Apple’s existing terms.
Once these changes are publicly available to users in the EU, the CTF will also apply to iPadOS apps downloaded through the App Store, Web Distribution, and/or alternative marketplaces. Users who install the same app on both iOS and iPadOS within a 12-month period will only generate one first annual install for that app. To help developers estimate any potential impact on their app businesses under the Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU, we’ve updated the App Install reports in App Store Connect that can be used with our fee calculator.
For more details, visit Understanding the Core Technology Fee for iOS apps in the European Union. If you’ve already entered into the Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU, be sure to sign the updated terms.
Global business revenue takes into account revenue across all commercial activity, including from associated corporate entities. For additional details, read the Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU.
April 26, 2024
The App Store was created to be a safe place for users to discover and get millions of apps all around the world. Over the years, we‘ve built many critical privacy and security features that help protect users and give them transparency and control — from Privacy Nutrition Labels to app tracking transparency, and so many more.
An essential requirement of maintaining user trust is that developers are responsible for all of the code in their apps, including code frameworks and libraries from other sources. That‘s why we’ve created privacy manifests and signature requirements for the most popular third-party SDKs, as well as required reasons for covered APIs.
Starting May 1, 2024, new or updated apps that have a newly added third-party SDK that‘s on the list of commonly used third-party SDKs will need all of the following to be submitted in App Store Connect:
Apps won’t be accepted if they fail to meet the manifest and signature requirements. Apps also won’t be accepted if all of the following apply:
In the future, these required reason requirements will expand to include the entire app binary. If you’re not using an API for an approved reason, please find an alternative. These changes are designed to help you better understand how third-party SDKs use data, secure software dependencies, and provide additional privacy protection for users.
This is a step forward for all apps and we encourage all SDKs to adopt this functionality to better support the apps that depend on them.
April 23, 2024
Drive discovery and downloads on the App Store with Apple Search Ads in 70 countries and regions, now including Brazil, Bolivia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Paraguay.
Visit the Apple Search Ads site and Q&A.
And explore best practices to improve your campaign performance with the free Apple Search Ads Certification course.
April 23, 2024
Watch the May 7 event at apple.com, on Apple TV, or on YouTube Live.
April 19, 2024
Join us around the world to learn about growing your business, elevating your app design, and preparing for the App Review process. Here’s a sample of our new activities — and you can always browse the full schedule to find more.
April 16, 2024
Web Distribution lets authorized developers distribute their iOS apps to users in the European Union (EU) directly from a website owned by the developer. Apple will provide developers access to APIs that facilitate the distribution of their apps from the web, integrate with system functionality, and back up and restore users’ apps, once they meet certain requirements designed to help protect users and platform integrity. For details, visit Getting started with Web Distribution in the EU.
April 5, 2024
The beta versions of iOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5, macOS 14.5, tvOS 17.5, visionOS 1.2, and watchOS 10.5 are now available. Get your apps ready by confirming they work as expected on these releases. And to take advantage of the advancements in the latest SDKs, make sure to build and test with Xcode 15.3.
April 5, 2024
The App Review Guidelines have been revised to support updated policies, upcoming features, and to provide clarification. The following guidelines have been updated:
March 26, 2024
Join the worldwide developer community online for a week of technology and creativity.
Be there for the unveiling of the latest Apple platforms, technologies, and tools. Learn how to create and elevate your apps and games. Engage with Apple designers and engineers and connect with the worldwide developer community. All online and at no cost.
March 21, 2024
To align with the Digital Services Act (DSA) in the European Union (EU), Account Holders and Admins in the Apple Developer Program can now enter their trader status in App Store Connect.
You’ll need to let us know whether or not you’re a trader to submit new apps to the App Store. If you’re a trader, you may be asked for documentation that verifies your trader contact information.
March 12, 2024
We’re providing more flexibility for developers who distribute apps in the European Union (EU), including introducing a new way to distribute apps directly from a developer’s website.
Developers who’ve agreed to the Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU have new options for their apps in the EU:
Web Distribution, available with a software update later this spring, will let authorized developers distribute their iOS apps to EU users directly from a website owned by the developer. Apple will provide authorized developers access to APIs that facilitate the distribution of their apps from the web, integrate with system functionality, back up and restore users’ apps, and more. For details, visit Getting ready for Web Distribution in the EU.
March 5, 2024
We’re expanding the analytics available for your apps to help you get even more insight into your business and apps’ performance.
Over 50 new reports are now available through the App Store Connect API to help you analyze your apps’ App Store and iOS performance. These reports include hundreds of new metrics that can enable you to evaluate your performance and find opportunities for improvement. Reports are organized into the following categories:
Additionally, new reports are also available through the CloudKit console with data about Apple Push Notifications and File Provider.
March 5, 2024
Over the past several weeks, we’ve communicated with thousands of developers to discuss DMA-related changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store impacting apps in the European Union. As a result of the valuable feedback received, we’ve revised the Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU to update the following policies and provide developers more flexibility:
If you’ve already entered into the Addendum, you can sign the updated version here.
March 5, 2024
You can now submit your apps and games built with Xcode 15.3 and all the latest SDKs for iOS 17.4, iPadOS 17.4, macOS 14.4, tvOS 17.4, visionOS 1.1, and watchOS 10.4.
Developers who have agreed to the Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU can now submit apps offering alternative payment options in the EU. They can also now measure the number of first annual installs their apps have accumulated.
If you’d like to discuss changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store impacting apps in the EU to comply with the Digital Markets Act, request a 30-minute online consultation with an Apple team member.
March 5, 2024
The App Store Review Guidelines have been revised to support updated policies, upcoming features, and to provide clarification.
The following guidelines have been updated:
View the App Review Guidelines
Translations of the guidelines will be available on the Apple Developer website within one month.
February 29, 2024
Developers are responsible for all code included in their apps. At WWDC23, we introduced new privacy manifests and signatures for commonly used third-party SDKs and announced that developers will need to declare approved reasons for using a set of APIs in their app’s privacy manifest. These changes help developers better understand how third-party SDKs use data, secure software dependencies, and provide additional privacy protection for users.
Starting March 13: If you upload a new or updated app to App Store Connect that uses an API requiring approved reasons, we’ll send you an email letting you know if you’re missing reasons in your app’s privacy manifest. This is in addition to the existing notification in App Store Connect.
Starting May 1: You’ll need to include approved reasons for the listed APIs used by your app’s code to upload a new or updated app to App Store Connect. If you’re not using an API for an allowed reason, please find an alternative. And if you add a new third-party SDK that’s on the list of commonly used third-party SDKs, these API, privacy manifest, and signature requirements will apply to that SDK. Make sure to use a version of the SDK that includes its privacy manifest and note that signatures are also required when the SDK is added as a binary dependency.
This functionality is a step forward for all apps and we encourage all SDKs to adopt it to better support the apps that depend on them.
February 28, 2024
iOS 17.4, iPadOS 17.4, macOS 14.4, tvOS 17.4, visionOS 1.1, and watchOS 10.4 will soon be available to customers worldwide. Build your apps and games using the Xcode 15.3 Release Candidate and latest SDKs, then test them using TestFlight. You can submit your iPhone and iPad apps today.
Developers who’ve agreed to the Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU can set up marketplace distribution in the EU. Eligible developers can also submit marketplace apps and offer apps with alternative browser engines.
Once these platform versions are publicly available:
If you’d like to discuss changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store impacting apps in the EU to comply with the Digital Markets Act, request a 30-minute online consultation to meet with an Apple team member. In addition, if you’re interested in getting started with operating an alternative app marketplace on iOS in the EU, you can request to attend an in-person lab in Cork, Ireland.
February 14, 2024
Apple developer activities are in full swing. Here’s a look at what’s happening:
And we’ll have lots more activities in store — online, in person, and in multiple languages — all year long.
February 8, 2024
We recently announced changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store impacting developers’ apps in the European Union (EU) to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), supported by more than 600 new APIs, a wide range of developer tools, and related documentation.
And we’re continuing to provide new ways for developers to understand and utilize these changes, including:
Developers who have agreed to the new business terms can now use new features in App Store Connect and the App Store Connect API to set up marketplace distribution and marketplace apps, and use TestFlight to beta test these features. TestFlight also supports apps using alternative browser engines, and alternative payments through payment service providers and linking out to a webpage.
And soon, you’ll be able to view expanded app analytics reports for the App Store and iOS.
February 6, 2024
Apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built with Xcode 15 for iOS 17, iPadOS 17, tvOS 17, or watchOS 10, starting April 29, 2024.
February 5, 2024
Every year, the Swift Student Challenge aims to inspire students to create amazing app playgrounds that can make life better for their communities — and beyond.
Have an app idea that’s close to your heart? Now’s your chance to make it happen. Build an app playground and submit by February 25.
All winners receive a year of complimentary membership in the Apple Developer Program and other exclusive awards. And for the first time ever, we’ll award a select group of Distinguished Winners a trip to Apple Park for an incredible in-person experience.
February 1, 2024
Meet with an Apple team member to discuss changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store impacting apps in the European Union to comply with the Digital Markets Act. Topics include alternative distribution on iOS, alternative payments in the App Store, linking out to purchase on your webpage, new business terms, and more.
Request a 30-minute online consultation to ask questions and provide feedback about these changes.
In addition, if you’re interested in getting started with operating an alternative app marketplace on iOS in the European Union, you can request to attend an in-person lab in Cork, Ireland.
January 30, 2024
The App Store is designed to make it easy to sell your digital goods and services globally, with support for 44 currencies across 175 storefronts.
January 30, 2024
The beta versions of iOS 17.4, iPadOS 17.4, macOS 14.4, tvOS 17.4, and watchOS 10.4 are now available. Get your apps ready by confirming they work as expected on these releases. And to take advantage of the advancements in the latest SDKs, make sure to build and test with Xcode 15.3 beta.
January 25, 2024
New analytics reports coming in March for developers everywhere
Developers can also enable new sign-in options for their apps
Today, Apple is introducing new options for how apps globally can deliver in-app experiences to users, including streaming games and mini-programs. Developers can now submit a single app with the capability to stream all of the games offered in their catalog.
Apps will also be able to provide enhanced discovery opportunities for streaming games, mini-apps, mini-games, chatbots, and plug-ins that are found within their apps.
Additionally, mini-apps, mini-games, chatbots, and plug-ins will be able to incorporate Apple’s In-App Purchase system to offer their users paid digital content or services for the first time, such as a subscription for an individual chatbot.
Each experience made available in an app on the App Store will be required to adhere to all App Store Review Guidelines and its host app will need to maintain an age rating of the highest age-rated content included in the app.
The changes Apple is announcing reflect feedback from Apple’s developer community and is consistent with the App Store’s mission to provide a trusted place for users to find apps they love and developers everywhere with new capabilities to grow their businesses. Apps that host this content are responsible for ensuring all the software included in their app meets Apple’s high standards for user experience and safety.
Apple provides developers with powerful dashboards and reports to help them measure their apps’ performance through App Analytics, Sales and Trends, and Payments and Financial Reports. Today, Apple is introducing new analytics for developers everywhere to help them get even more insight into their businesses and their apps’ performance, while maintaining Apple’s long-held commitment to ensure users are not identifiable at an individual level.
Over 50 new reports will be available through the App Store Connect API to help developers analyze their app performance and find opportunities for improvement with more metrics in areas like:
Engagement — with additional information on the number of users on the App Store interacting with a developer’s app or sharing it with others;
Commerce — with additional information on downloads, sales and proceeds, pre-orders, and transactions made with the App Store’s secure In-App Purchase system;
App usage — with additional information on crashes, active devices, installs, app deletions, and more.
Frameworks usage — with additional information on an app’s interaction with OS functionality such as PhotoPicker, Widgets, and CarPlay.
Additional information about report details and access will be available for developers in March.
Developers will have the ability to grant third-party access to their reports conveniently through the API.
In line with Apple’s mission to protect user privacy, Apple is updating its App Store Review Guideline for using Sign in with Apple. Sign in with Apple makes it easy for users to sign in to apps and websites using their Apple ID and was built from the ground up with privacy and security in mind. Starting today, developers that offer third-party or social login services within their app will have the option to offer Sign in with Apple, or they will now be able to offer an equivalent privacy-focused login service instead.
January 25, 2024
We’re sharing some changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store, impacting developers’ apps in the European Union (EU) to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). These changes create new options for developers who distribute apps in any of the 27 EU member states, and do not apply to apps distributed anywhere else in the world. These options include how developers can distribute apps on iOS, process payments, use web browser engines in iOS apps, request interoperability with iPhone and iOS hardware and software features, access data and analytics about their apps, and transfer App Store user data.
If you want nothing to change for you — from how the App Store works currently in the EU and in the rest of the world — no action is needed. You can continue to distribute your apps only on the App Store and use its private and secure In-App Purchase system.
January 25, 2024
The App Store Review Guidelines have been revised to support updated policies, upcoming features, and to provide clarification. We’ve added notations to all guidelines to indicate which guidelines only apply to Notarization for iOS apps in EU, and which guidelines additionally apply to apps distributed on the App Store.
January 23, 2024
We’re so excited applications for the Swift Student Challenge 2024 will open on February 5.
Looking for some inspiration? Learn about past Challenge winners to gain insight into the motivations behind their apps.
Just getting started? Get tools, tips, and guidance on everything you need to create an awesome app playground.
January 16, 2024
Starting today, because of a recent United States Court decision, App Store Review Guideline 3.1.1 has been updated to introduce the StoreKit Purchase Link Entitlement (US), which allows apps that offer in-app purchases in the iOS or iPadOS App Store on the United States storefront the ability to include a link to the developer’s website that informs users of other ways to purchase digital goods or services.
We believe Apple’s in-app purchase system is the most convenient, safe, and secure way for users to purchase digital goods and services. If you’re considering using this entitlement along with in‑app purchase, which continues to be required for the purchase of digital goods and services within your app — it’s important to understand that some App Store features, such as Ask to Buy or Family Sharing, won’t be available to your customers when they make purchases on your website. Apple also won’t be able to assist customers with refunds, purchase history, subscription management, and other issues encountered when purchasing digital goods and services. You will be responsible for addressing such issues with customers.
A commission will apply to digital purchases facilitated through the StoreKit Purchase Link Entitlement (US). For additional details on commissions, requesting the entitlement, usage guidelines, and implementation details, view our support page.
January 8, 2024
Apple Vision Pro will have a brand-new App Store, where people can discover and download incredible apps for visionOS. Whether you’ve created a new visionOS app or are making your existing iPad or iPhone app available on Apple Vision Pro, here’s everything you need to know to prepare and submit your app to the App Store.
December 22, 2023
The Apple Developer Program License Agreement has been revised to support updated policies and provide clarification. The revisions include:
Definitions, Section 3.3.3(N): Updated "Tap to Present ID" to "ID Verifier"
Definitions, Section 14.10: Updated terms regarding governing law and venue
Section 3.3: Reorganized and categorized provisions for clarity
Section 3.3.3(B): Clarified language on privacy and third-party SDKs
Section 6.7: Updated terms regarding analytics
Section 12: Clarified warranty disclaimer language
Attachment 1: Updated terms for use of Apple Push Notification Service and Local Notifications
Attachment 9: Updated terms for Xcode Cloud compute hours included with Apple Developer Program membership
December 15, 2023
Contingent pricing for subscriptions on the App Store — a new feature that helps you attract and retain subscribers — lets you give customers a discounted subscription price as long as they’re actively subscribed to a different subscription. It can be used for subscriptions from one developer or two different developers. We’re currently piloting this feature and will be onboarding more developers in the coming months. If you’re interested in implementing contingent pricing in your app, you can start planning today and sign up to get notified when more details are available in January.
December 14, 2023
The beta versions of iOS 17.3, iPadOS 17.3, macOS 14.3, tvOS 17.3, and watchOS 10.3 are now available. Get your apps ready by confirming they work as expected on these releases. And to take advantage of the advancements in the latest SDKs, make sure to build and test with Xcode 15.2 beta.
December 7, 2023
Xcode Cloud, the continuous integration and delivery service built into Xcode, accelerates the development and delivery of high-quality apps. It brings together cloud-based tools that help you build apps, run automated tests in parallel, deliver apps to testers, and view and manage user feedback.
We’re pleased to announce that as of January 2024, all Apple Developer Program memberships will include 25 compute hours per month on Xcode Cloud as a standard, with no additional cost. If you’re already subscribed to Xcode Cloud for free, no additional action is required on your part. And if you haven’t tried Xcode Cloud yet, now is the perfect time to start building your app for free in just a few minutes.
December 7, 2023
Third-party SDK privacy manifest and signatures. Third-party software development kits (SDKs) can provide great functionality for apps; they can also have the potential to impact user privacy in ways that aren’t obvious to developers and users. As a reminder, when you use a third-party SDK with your app, you are responsible for all the code the SDK includes in your app, and need to be aware of its data collection and use practices.
At WWDC23, we introduced new privacy manifests and signatures for SDKs to help app developers better understand how third-party SDKs use data, secure software dependencies, and provide additional privacy protection for users. Starting in spring 2024, if your new app or app update submission adds a third-party SDK that is commonly used in apps on the App Store, you’ll need to include the privacy manifest for the SDK. Signatures are also required when the SDK is used as a binary dependency. This functionality is a step forward for all apps, and we encourage all SDKs to adopt it to better support the apps that depend on them.
Learn more and view list of commonly-used third-party SDKs
New use cases for APIs that require reasons. When you upload a new app or app update to App Store Connect that uses an API (including from third-party SDKs) that requires a reason, you’ll receive a notice if you haven’t provided an approved reason in your app’s privacy manifest. Based on the feedback we received from developers, the list of approved reasons has been expanded to include additional use cases. If you have a use case that directly benefits users that isn’t covered by an existing approved reason, submit a request for a new reason to be added.
Starting in spring 2024, in order to upload your new app or app update to App Store Connect, you’ll be required to include an approved reason in the app’s privacy manifest which accurately reflects how your app uses the API.
December 5, 2023
Have questions on designing your app or implementing a technology? We’re here to help you find answers, no matter where you are in your development journey. One-on-one consultations with Apple experts in December — and newly published dates in January — are available now.
We’ll have lots more consultations and other activities in store for 2024 — online, in person, and in multiple languages.
December 5, 2023
The busiest season on the App Store is almost here! Make sure your apps and games are up to date and ready in advance of the upcoming holidays. We’ll remain open throughout the season and look forward to accepting your submissions. On average, 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. However, reviews may take a bit longer to complete from December 22 to 27.
November 29, 2023
Join us in celebrating the work of these outstanding developers from around the world!
November 14, 2023
Every year, the App Store celebrates exceptional apps that improve people’s lives while showcasing the highest levels of technical innovation, user experience, design, and positive cultural impact. This year we’re proud to recognize nearly 40 outstanding finalists. Winners will be announced in the coming weeks.
November 8, 2023
Apple is proud to support and uplift the next generation of student developers, creators, and entrepreneurs. The Swift Student Challenge has given thousands of students the opportunity to showcase their creativity and coding capabilities through app playgrounds, and build real-world skills that they can take into their careers and beyond. From connecting their peers to mental health resources to identifying ways to support sustainability efforts on campus, Swift Student Challenge participants use their creativity to develop apps that solve problems they’re passionate about.
We’re releasing new coding resources, working with community partners, and announcing the Challenge earlier than in previous years so students can dive deep into Swift and the development process — and educators can get a head start in supporting them.
Applications will open in February 2024 for three weeks.
New for 2024, out of 350 overall winners, we’ll recognize 50 Distinguished Winners for their outstanding submissions and invite them to join us at Apple in Cupertino for three incredible days next summer.
November 7, 2023
Ready to level up your app or game? Join us around the world for a new set of developer labs, consultations, sessions, and workshops, hosted in person and online throughout November and December.
You can explore:
Discover activities in multiple time zones and languages.
October 31, 2023
The App Store’s commerce and payments system was built to enable you to conveniently set up and sell your products and services on a global scale in 44 currencies across 175 storefronts. Apple administers tax on behalf of developers in over 70 countries and regions and provides you with the ability to assign tax categories to your apps and in‑app purchases.
Periodically, we make updates to rates, categories, and agreements to accommodate new regulations and rate changes in certain regions. As of today, the following updates have been made in App Store Connect.
Your proceeds from the sale of eligible apps and in‑app purchases (including auto‑renewable subscriptions) have been increased to reflect the following reduced value-added tax (VAT) rates. Prices on the App Store haven’t changed.
If any of these categories or attributes are relevant to your apps or in-app purchases, you can review and update your selections in the Pricing and Availability section of My Apps.
Learn about setting tax categories
October 26, 2023
The beta versions of iOS 17.2, iPadOS 17.2, macOS 14.2, tvOS 17.2, and watchOS 10.2 are now available. Get your apps ready by confirming they work as expected on these releases. And to take advantage of the advancements in the latest SDKs, make sure to build and test with Xcode 15.1 beta.
To check if a known issue from a previous beta release has been resolved or if there’s a workaround, review the latest release notes. Please let us know if you encounter an issue or have other comments. We value your feedback, as it helps us address issues, refine features, and update documentation.
October 24, 2023
TestFlight provides an easy way to get feedback on beta versions of your apps, so you can publish on the App Store with confidence. Now, improved controls in App Store Connect let you better evaluate tester engagement and manage participation to help you get the most out of beta testing. Sort testers by status and engagement metrics (like sessions, crashes, and feedback), and remove inactive testers who haven’t engaged. You can also filter by device and OS, and even select relevant testers to add to a new group.
October 19, 2023
The Push Notifications Console now includes metrics for notifications sent in production through the Apple Push Notification service (APNs). With the console’s intuitive interface, you’ll get an aggregated view of delivery statuses and insights into various statistics for notifications, including a detailed breakdown based on push type and priority.
Introduced at WWDC23, the Push Notifications Console makes it easy to send test notifications to Apple devices through APNs.
October 17, 2023
We’re thrilled with the excitement and enthusiasm from developers around the world at the Apple Vision Pro developer labs, and we’re pleased to announce new labs in New York City and Sydney. Join us to test directly on the device and connect with Apple experts for help with taking your visionOS, iPadOS, and iOS apps even further on this exciting new platform. Labs also take place in Cupertino, London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo.
Learn about other ways to work with Apple to prepare for visionOS.
September 27, 2023
The beta versions of iOS 17.1, iPadOS 17.1, macOS 14.1, tvOS 17.1, and watchOS 10.1 are now available. Get your apps ready by confirming they work as expected on these releases. And to take advantage of the advancements in the latest SDKs, make sure to build and test with Xcode 15.
To check if a known issue from a previous beta release has been resolved or if there’s a workaround, review the latest release notes. Please let us know if you encounter an issue or have other feedback. We value your feedback, as it helps us address issues, refine features, and update documentation.
September 26, 2023
Join us around the world for a variety of sessions, consultations, labs, and more — tailored for you.
Apple developer activities are for everyone, no matter where you are on your development journey. Activities take place all year long, both online and in person around the world. Whether you’re looking to enhance your existing app or game, refine your design, or launch a new project, there’s something for you.
September 13, 2023
Offering your app or game for pre-order is a great way to build awareness and excitement for your upcoming releases on the App Store. And now you can offer pre-orders on a regional basis. People can pre-order your app in a set of regions that you choose, even while it’s available for download in other regions at the same time. With this new flexibility, you can expand your app to new regions by offering it for pre-order and set different release dates for each region.
September 12, 2023
iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma, tvOS 17, and watchOS 10 will soon be available to customers worldwide. Build your apps and games using the Xcode 15 Release Candidate and latest SDKs, test them using TestFlight, and submit them for review to the App Store. You can now start deploying seamlessly to TestFlight and the App Store from Xcode Cloud. With exciting new capabilities, as well as major enhancements across languages, frameworks, tools, and services, you can deliver even more unique experiences on Apple platforms.
September 7, 2023
Apple Entrepreneur Camp supports underrepresented founders and developers, and encourages the pipeline and longevity of these entrepreneurs in technology. Building on the success of our alumni from cohorts for female*, Black, and Hispanic/Latinx founders, starting this fall, we’re expanding our reach to welcome professionals from Indigenous backgrounds who are looking to enhance and grow their existing app-driven businesses. Attendees benefit from one-on-one code-level guidance, receive insight, inspiration, and unprecedented access to Apple engineers and experts, and become part of the extended global network of Apple Entrepreneur Camp alumni.
Applications are now open for founders and developers from these groups who have either an existing app on the App Store, a functional beta build in TestFlight, or the equivalent. Attendees will join us online starting in October 2023. We welcome eligible entrepreneurs with app-driven organizations to apply and we encourage you to share these details with those who may be interested.
Apply by September 24, 2023.
* Apple believes that gender expression is a fundamental right. We welcome all women to apply to this program.
September 5, 2023
A brand‑new App Store will launch with Apple Vision Pro, featuring apps and games built for visionOS, as well as hundreds of thousands of iPad and iPhone apps that run great on visionOS too. Users can access their favorite iPad and iPhone apps side by side with new visionOS apps on the infinite canvas of Apple Vision Pro, enabling them to be more connected, productive, and entertained than ever before. And since most iPad and iPhone apps run on visionOS as is, your app experiences can easily extend to Apple Vision Pro from day one — with no additional work required.
August 28, 2023
The Apple Developer Program License Agreement has been revised to support upcoming features and updated policies, and to provide clarification. The revisions include:
Definitions, Section 3.3.39: Specified requirements for use of the Journaling Suggestions API.
Schedule 1 Exhibit D Section 3 and Schedules 2 and 3 Exhibit E Section 3: Added language about the Digital Services Act (DSA) redress options available to developers based in the European Union.
Schedule 1 Section 6.3 and Schedules 2 and 3 Section 7.3: Added clarifying language that the content moderation process is subject to human and systematic review and action pursuant to notices of illegal and harmful content.
August 9, 2023
As announced in April, your customers will soon be able to resolve payment issues without leaving your app, making it easier for them to stay subscribed to your content, services, and premium features.
Starting August 14, 2023, if an auto-renewable subscription doesn’t renew because of a billing issue, a system-provided sheet will appear in your app with a prompt that lets customers update the payment method for their Apple ID. You can test this sheet in Sandbox, as well as delay or suppress it using messages and display in StoreKit. This feature is available in iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 or later, and no action is required to adopt it.
July 27, 2023
Apple is committed to protecting user privacy on our platforms. We know that there are a small set of APIs that can be misused to collect data about users’ devices through fingerprinting, which is prohibited by our Developer Program License Agreement. To prevent the misuse of these APIs, we announced at WWDC23 that developers will need to declare the reasons for using these APIs in their app’s privacy manifest. This will help ensure that apps only use these APIs for their intended purpose. As part of this process, you’ll need to select one or more approved reasons that accurately reflect how your app uses the API, and your app can only use the API for the reasons you’ve selected.
Starting in fall 2023, when you upload a new app or app update to App Store Connect that uses an API (including from third-party SDKs) that requires a reason, you’ll receive a notice if you haven’t provided an approved reason in your app’s privacy manifest. And starting in spring 2024, in order to upload your new app or app update to App Store Connect, you’ll be required to include an approved reason in the app’s privacy manifest which accurately reflects how your app uses the API.
If you have a use case for an API with required reasons that isn’t already covered by an approved reason and the use case directly benefits the people using your app, let us know.
July 25, 2023
Join us for online sessions August 1 through 24 to learn about the latest App Store features and get your questions answered. Live presentations with Q&A are being held in multiple time zones and languages.
July 24, 2023
We can help you make sure your visionOS, iPadOS, and iOS apps behave as expected on Vision Pro. Align your app with the newly published compatibility checklist, then request to have your app evaluated directly on Vision Pro.
Experience your visionOS, iPadOS, and iOS apps running on Vision Pro. With support from Apple, you’ll be able to test and optimize your apps for the infinite spatial canvas. Labs are available in Cupertino, London, Munich, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo.
Have a great idea for a visionOS app that requires building and testing on Vision Pro? Apply for a Vision Pro developer kit. With continuous, direct access to Vision Pro, you’ll be able to quickly build, test, and refine your app so it delivers amazing spatial experiences on visionOS.
July 10, 2023
The App Store’s commerce and payments system was built to empower you to conveniently set up and sell your products and services on a global scale in 44 currencies across 175 storefronts. When tax regulations or foreign exchange rates change, we sometimes need to update prices on the App Store in certain regions and/or adjust your proceeds. These updates are done using publicly available exchange rate information from financial data providers to help ensure prices for apps and in‑app purchases stay equalized across all storefronts.
On July 25, pricing for apps and in‑app purchases (excluding auto‑renewable subscriptions) will be updated for the Egypt, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Türkiye storefronts. These updates also consider the following tax changes:
The Pricing and Availability section of My Apps has been updated in App Store Connect to display these upcoming price changes. As always, you can change the prices of your apps, in‑app purchases, and auto‑renewable subscriptions at any time.
Your proceeds for sales of apps and in-app purchases (including auto‑renewable subscriptions) will change to reflect the new tax rates and updated prices. Exhibit B of the Paid Applications Agreement has been updated to indicate that Apple collects and remits applicable taxes in Egypt and Tanzania.
Selecting a base country or region
July 10, 2023
The App Store was created to be a safe and trusted place for users to get apps, and a great business opportunity for developers. Apple platforms and the apps you build have become important to many families, as children use our products and services to explore the digital world and communicate with family and friends. We hold apps for kids and those with user-generated content and interactions to the highest standards. To continue delivering safe experiences for families together, we wanted to remind you about the tools, resources, and requirements that are in place to help keep users safe in your app.
June 26, 2023
Now it’s even easier to design your apps quickly and accurately with new and updated design resources for creating apps on Apple platforms.
June 21, 2023
You can now start creating cutting-edge spatial computing apps for the infinite canvas of Apple Vision Pro. Download Xcode 15 beta 2, which includes the visionOS SDK and Reality Composer Pro (a new tool that makes it easy to preview and prepare 3D content for visionOS). Add a visionOS target to your existing project or build an entirely new app, then iterate on your app in Xcode Previews. You can interact with your app in the all-new visionOS simulator, explore various room layouts and lighting conditions, and create tests and visualizations. New documentation and sample code are also available to help you through the development process.
June 9, 2023
Thank you to everyone who joined us for an amazing week. We hope you found value, connection, and fun. You can continue to:
We’d love to know what you thought of this year’s conference. If you’d like to tell us about your experience, please complete the WWDC23 survey.
June 6, 2023
Online labs and activities are a great way to connect with Apple engineers, designers, and experts all week long.
Get personalized guidance about development basics, complex concepts, and everything in between. Learn how to implement new Apple technologies, explore UI design principles, improve your App Store presence, and much more.
There are plenty of exciting activities happening daily on Slack.
Labs and activities are open to all members of the Apple Developer Program and Apple Developer Enterprise Program, as well as 2023 Swift Student Challenge applicants.
June 5, 2023
The Apple Design Awards celebrate apps and games that excel in the categories of Inclusivity, Delight and Fun, Interaction, Social Impact, Visuals and Graphics, and Innovation. Learn about the 2023 winning apps and the talented developers behind them.
June 5, 2023
Discover the latest advancements on all Apple platforms. With an incredible new opportunity in spatial computing in visionOS, new features in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS, and major enhancements across languages, frameworks, tools and services, you can create even more unique experiences for users worldwide.
June 5, 2023
Apple Vision Pro is a revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world, while allowing users to stay present and connected to others. Apple Vision Pro creates an infinite canvas for apps that scales beyond the boundaries of a traditional display and introduces a fully three-dimensional user interface controlled by the most natural and intuitive inputs possible — a user’s eyes, hands, and voice. Featuring visionOS, the world’s first spatial operating system, Apple Vision Pro lets users interact with digital content in a way that feels like it is physically present in their space. The breakthrough design of Apple Vision Pro features an ultra-high-resolution display system that packs 23 million pixels across two displays, and custom Apple silicon in a unique dual-chip design to ensure every experience feels like it’s taking place in front of the user’s eyes in real time.
Discover the resources you can use to bring your spatial computing creations to life with a new, yet familiar, way to build apps that reimagine what it means to be connected, productive, and entertained.
June 5, 2023
The App Store Review Guidelines, the Apple Developer Program License Agreement, and the Apple Developer Agreement have been updated to support updated policies and upcoming features, and to provide clarification. Please review the changes below and accept the updated terms as needed.
June 5, 2023
At Apple, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right. That is why we’ve built a number of features to help users understand developers’ privacy and data collection and sharing practices, and put users in the driver’s seat when it comes to their data. App Tracking Transparency (ATT) empowers users to choose whether an app has permission to track their activity across other companies’ apps and websites for the purposes of advertising or sharing with data brokers. With Privacy Nutrition Labels and App Privacy Report, users can see what data an app collects and how it’s used.
Many apps leverage third-party software development kits (SDKs), which can offer great functionality but may have implications on how the apps handle user data. To make it even easier for developers to create great apps while informing users and respecting their choices about how their data is used, we’re introducing two new features.
First, to help developers understand how third-party SDKs use data, we’re introducing new privacy manifests — files that outline the privacy practices of the third-party code in an app, in a single standard format. When developers prepare to distribute their app, Xcode will combine the privacy manifests across all the third-party SDKs that a developer is using into a single, easy-to-use report. With one comprehensive report that summarizes all the third-party SDKs found in an app, it will be even easier for developers to create more accurate Privacy Nutrition Labels.
Additionally, to offer additional privacy protection for users, apps referencing APIs that could potentially be used for fingerprinting — a practice that is prohibited on the App Store — will now be required to select an allowed reason for usage of the API and declare that usage in the privacy manifest. As part of this process, apps must accurately describe their usage of these APIs, and may only use the APIs for the reasons described in their privacy manifest.
Second, we want to help developers improve the integrity of their software supply chain. When using third-party SDKs, it can be hard for developers to know the code that they downloaded was written by the developer that they expect. To address that, we’re introducing signatures for SDKs so that when a developer adopts a new version of a third-party SDK in their app, Xcode will validate that it was signed by the same developer. Developers and users alike will benefit from this feature.
We’ll publish additional information later this year, including:
June 5, 2023
The Xcode 15 beta supports the latest SDKs for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. This version of Xcode helps you code and design your apps faster with enhanced code completion, interactive previews, and live animations. Use Git staging to craft your next commit without leaving your code. Explore and diagnose your test results with redesigned test reports with video recording. And start deploying seamlessly to TestFlight and the App Store from Xcode Cloud.
June 5, 2023
Check out the session schedule to plan your week! Sessions will be posted daily and will include links to resources and forums tags. And you can now request one-on-one lab appointments to get your questions answered, whether you’re just starting out or need to solve an advanced issue.
May 30, 2023
The App Store’s commerce and payments system was built to empower you to conveniently set up and sell your products and services at a global scale in 44 currencies across 175 storefronts. Apple administers tax on behalf of developers in over 70 countries and regions and provides you with the ability to assign tax categories to your apps and in‑app purchases. Periodically, we update your proceeds in certain regions based on changes in tax regulations.
On May 31, your proceeds from the sale of apps and in‑app purchases (including auto‑renewable subscriptions) will be adjusted to reflect the tax changes listed below. Prices will not change.
Due to changes to tax regulations in Brazil, Apple now withholds taxes for all App Store sales in Brazil. We’ll administer the collection and remittance of taxes to the appropriate tax authority on a monthly basis. You can view the amount of tax deducted from your proceeds starting in June 2023 with your May earnings. Developers based in Brazil aren’t impacted by this change.
Once these changes go into effect, the Pricing and Availability section of My Apps will be updated in App Store Connect. As always, you can change the prices of your apps and in‑app purchases (including auto‑renewable subscriptions) at any time. And now you can change them for any storefront with 900 price points to choose from.
May 30, 2023
WWDC23 is almost here. We’ll be kicking off with the Apple Keynote on June 5 at 10:00 a.m. PT. Watch online at apple.com or in the Apple Developer app. You can even use SharePlay to watch with friends.
Activities are now open for sign-up for eligible developers. Designed to connect you with the developer community and Apple experts, they’ll feature Q&As, Meet the Presenters, and community icebreakers in online group chats.
May 26, 2023
As part of ongoing efforts to improve security and privacy on Apple platforms, the App Store receipt signing intermediate certificate that’s used to verify the sale of apps and associated in‑app purchases is being updated to use the SHA‑256 cryptographic algorithm. This update will be completed in multiple phases and new apps and app updates may be impacted, depending on how they verify receipts.
If your app verifies App Store transactions using the AppTransaction and Transaction APIs, or the verifyReceipt web service endpoint, no action is required.
If your app validates App Store receipts on device, make sure your app will support the SHA-256 version of this certificate. New apps and app updates that don’t support the SHA-256 version of this certificate will no longer be accepted by the App Store starting August 14, 2023.
For more details, view TN3138: Handling App Store receipt signing certificate change.
May 26, 2023
As announced last year at WWDC, if you notarize your Mac software with the Apple notary service using the altool command-line utility or Xcode 13 or earlier, you’ll need to transition to the notarytool command-line utility or upgrade to Xcode 14 or later. Starting November 1, 2023, the Apple notary service will no longer accept uploads from altool or Xcode 13 or earlier. Existing notarized software will continue to function properly.
The Apple notary service is an automated system that scans Mac software for malicious content, checks for code-signing issues, and returns the results quickly. Notarizing your software assures users that Apple has checked it for malicious software and none was detected.
May 23, 2023
The Apple Design Awards celebrate apps and games that excel in the categories of Inclusivity, Delight and Fun, Interaction, Social Impact, Visuals and Graphics, and Innovation. Discover this year’s finalists, then check back June 5 at 6:30 p.m. PT to learn about the winners.
May 23, 2023
Get ready for an action-packed online experience at WWDC23. Join the developer community for a week of sessions, labs, and activities, starting June 5 at 10:00 a.m. PT.
May 19, 2023
The beta versions of iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, macOS 13.5, tvOS 16.6, and watchOS 9.6 are now available. Get your apps ready by confirming they work as expected on these releases. And to take advantage of the advancements in the latest SDKs, make sure to build and test with Xcode 14.3.1.
To check if a known issue from a previous beta release has been resolved or if there’s a workaround, review the latest release notes. Please let us know if you encounter an issue or have other feedback. We value your feedback, as it helps us address issues, refine features, and update documentation.
April 19, 2023
Soon it will be easier than ever for your customers to resolve payment issues, so they can stay subscribed to your content, services, and premium features. Starting this summer, if an auto-renewable subscription doesn’t renew due to a billing issue, a system-provided sheet appears in your app with a prompt that lets customers update their payment method for their Apple ID. No action is required to adopt this feature. Starting today, you can get familiar with the sheet in Sandbox. You can also test delaying or suppressing it using messages and display in StoreKit. This feature will require a minimum of iOS 16.4 or iPadOS 16.4.
All of this adds to existing powerful App Store features that help you retain subscribers. For example, if a subscription is in the billing retry state, Apple uses machine learning to optimize payment retries for the best possible recovery rate. And when you enable Billing Grace Period, customers can continue accessing their subscriptions while Apple attempts to collect payment.
April 19, 2023
The App Store’s world-class commerce and payments system provides a convenient and effective way to set equalized prices across international markets, adapt to foreign exchange rate or tax changes, and manage prices per storefront. Last month, we introduced major pricing upgrades, including enhanced global pricing, across all purchase types. Now more customer friendly, the new price points follow the most common conventions in each country or region, and are globally equalized to your selected base country or region using publicly available exchange rate information from financial data providers.
As a reminder, on May 9, 2023, pricing for existing apps and one-time in-app purchases will be updated across App Store storefronts using your current price in the United States as the basis — unless you’ve made relevant updates after March 8, 2023. You can update your base country or region at anytime using App Store Connect or the App Store Connect API. If you choose to do so, prices in your selected base country or region won’t be adjusted when prices are globally equalized on the App Store to account for foreign currency changes or new taxes. You can also choose to manually adjust prices on multiple storefronts of your choice instead of using the equalized price.
Learn how to select a base country or region
March 29, 2023
We’re excited to continue our long-standing support of students around the world who love to code. Show us your passion for coding by submitting an incredible app playground on the topic of your choice using Swift Playgrounds or Xcode. Winners will receive an award, recognition, and more.
March 29, 2023
Mark your calendars June 5 through 9 for an exhilarating week of technology and community. Be among the first to learn the latest about Apple platforms, technologies, and tools. You’ll also have the opportunity to engage with Apple experts and other developers. All online and at no cost.
In addition, Apple will host a special all‑day event for developers and students on June 5 at Apple Park. Watch the keynote and State of the Union videos together, meet some of the teams at Apple, celebrate great apps at the Apple Design Awards ceremony, and enjoy activities into the evening.
Talented students can showcase their creativity for the opportunity to receive an award in the Swift Student Challenge.
March 28, 2023
The beta versions of iOS 16.5, iPadOS 16.5, macOS 13.4, tvOS 16.5, and watchOS 9.5 are now available. Get your apps ready by confirming they work as expected on these releases. And to take advantage of the advancements in the latest SDKs, make sure to build and test with Xcode 14.3.
To check if a known issue from a previous beta release has been resolved or if there’s a workaround, review the latest release notes. Please let us know if you encounter an issue or have other feedback. We value your feedback, as it helps us address issues, refine features, and update documentation.
March 28, 2023
Starting April 25, 2023, iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS apps submitted to the App Store must be built with Xcode 14.1 or later. The latest version of Xcode 14, which includes the latest SDKs for iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and watchOS 9, is available for free on the Mac App Store.
When building your app, we highly recommend taking advantage of the latest advances in iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and watchOS 9.
iOS 16 enhances iPhone with all-new personalization features, deeper intelligence, and more seamless ways to communicate and share. Take advantage of Live Activities to help people stay on top of what’s happening live in your app, right from the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro. Use App Intents to help users quickly accomplish tasks related to your app by voice or tap. And get the most out of the latest enhancements in MapKit, ARKit, Core ML, and more.
iPadOS 16 introduces new productivity features that let you deliver compelling collaboration experiences and build more capable, intuitive apps and powerful pro workflows on iPad. You can bring desktop-class features, such as an editor-style navigation bar, enhanced text editing menu, and external display support, to your iPad app. Metal 3 introduces powerful features that help your games and pro apps tap into the full potential of Apple silicon on the latest generations of iPad Pro and iPad Air.
watchOS 9 provides new and powerful communication features for watchOS apps. You can deliver timely information with rich complications on more Apple Watch faces, enable sharing of your app content, let users make VoIP calls directly from Apple Watch, and more. And with a simplified watchOS app structure, managing your projects is simpler than ever.
March 9, 2023
In December, we announced the most comprehensive upgrade to pricing capabilities since the App Store first launched, including additional price points and new tools to manage pricing by storefront. Starting today, these upgrades and new prices are now available for all app and in‑app purchase types, including paid apps and one‑time in‑app purchases.
More flexible price points. Choose from 900 price points — nearly 10 times the number of price points previously available for paid apps and one‑time in‑app purchases. These options also offer more flexibility, increasing incrementally across price ranges (for example, every $0.10 up to $10, every $0.50 between $10 and $50, etc.).
Enhanced global pricing. Use globally equalized prices that follow the most common pricing conventions in each country or region, so you can provide pricing that’s more relevant to customers.
Worldwide options for base price. Specify a country or region you’re familiar with as the basis for globally equalized prices across the other 174 storefronts and 43 currencies for paid apps and one‑time in‑app purchases. Prices you set for this base storefront won’t be adjusted by Apple to account for taxes or foreign currency changes, and you’ll be able to set prices for each storefront if you prefer.
Regional options for availability. Define the availability of in‑app purchases (including subscriptions) by storefront, so you can deliver content and services customized for each market.
The App Store’s global equalization tools provide a simple and convenient way to manage pricing across international markets. On May 9, 2023, pricing for existing apps and one‑time in‑app purchases will be updated across all 175 App Store storefronts to take advantage of new enhanced global pricing. The updated prices will be globally equalized to your selected base country or region using publicly available exchange rate information from financial data providers. These price points will also follow the most common conventions in each country or region so that prices are more relevant to customers.
You can now update your current pricing to take advantage of the enhanced global pricing using App Store Connect or the App Store Connect API. If you haven’t made price updates for your existing apps and one‑time in‑app purchases by May 9, Apple will update them for you using your current price in the United States as the basis. If you’d like a different price to be used as the basis, update the base country or region for your apps or in‑app purchases to your preferred storefront. You can also choose to manually manage prices on storefronts of your choice instead of using the equalized price.
Learn how to select a base storefront
March 1, 2023
App Analytics in App Store Connect is a helpful tool with a breadth of features to help you understand and improve how your app is performing on the App Store. With metrics related to acquisition, usage, and monetization strategy, App Analytics enables you to monitor results in each stage of the customer lifecycle, from awareness to conversion and on to retention. Starting today, you can put your app’s performance into context using peer group benchmarks, which compare your app’s performance to that of similar apps on the App Store. Now you’ll have even more insights to help you identify growth opportunities.
Peer group benchmarks provide powerful new insights across the customer journey, so you can better understand what works well for your app and find opportunities for improvement. Apps are placed into groups based on their App Store category, business model, and download volume to ensure relevant comparisons. Using industry-leading differential privacy techniques, peer group benchmarks provide relevant and actionable insights — all while keeping the performance of individual apps private.
Review your new benchmark data, then leverage other tools in App Store Connect to improve conversion rates, proceeds, crash rates, and user retention. You can test different elements of your product page to find out which resonate with people most, create additional product page versions to highlight specific features or content, get feedback on beta versions of your app, offer in‑app events to encourage engagement, and so much more.
Learn how to view benchmark data
February 21, 2023
Join us for online sessions February 28 to April 13 to learn about the latest App Store features and get your questions answered. Find out how to measure user acquisition with App Analytics and grow your subscription business using App Store features. Explore how product page optimization lets you test different elements of your product page to find out which resonate with people most and how custom product pages let you create additional product page versions to highlight specific features or content. Learn how to boost discovery and engagement with Game Center and how to configure in‑app events. Apple Developer Program members can register for sessions today.
February 16, 2023
The beta versions of iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, macOS 13.3, tvOS 16.4, and watchOS 9.4 are now available. Get your apps ready by confirming they work as expected on these releases. And to take advantage of the advancements in the latest SDKs, make sure to build and test with Xcode 14.3.
To check if a known issue from a previous beta release has been resolved or if there’s a workaround, review the latest release notes. Please let us know if you encounter an issue or have other feedback. We value your feedback, as it helps us address issues, refine features, and update documentation.
January 27, 2023
The App Store’s commerce and payments system was built to empower you to conveniently set up and sell your products and services at a global scale with 44 currencies across 175 storefronts. Periodically, we update prices on the App Store in certain regions based on changes in taxes and foreign exchange rates. This is done using publicly available exchange rate information from financial data providers to help ensure prices for apps and in‑app purchases stay equalized across all storefronts.
On February 13, 2023, prices of apps and in-app purchases (excluding auto-renewable subscriptions) on the App Store will increase in Colombia, Egypt, Hungary, Nigeria, Norway, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Prices in Uzbekistan will decrease to reflect a reduction of the value-added tax rate from 15% to 12%. Your proceeds will be adjusted accordingly and will be calculated based on the tax-exclusive price.
While prices on the App Store in Ireland, Luxembourg, Singapore, and Zimbabwe won't change, your proceeds will be adjusted to reflect the following tax changes:
Additionally, by the end of January proceeds will increase for local developers selling in Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Uzbekistan.
Apple will estimate and remove taxes based on the tax category information you have provided before calculating commission. Exhibit B of the Paid Applications Agreement will be updated to reflect this change.
Once these changes go into effect, the Pricing and Availability section of My Apps will be updated. As always, you can change the price of your apps and in-app purchases (including auto-renewable subscriptions) at any time in App Store Connect. If you offer subscriptions, you can choose to preserve prices for existing subscribers.
And as previously announced, in spring 2023, upgraded pricing capabilities for apps and in-app purchases will provide you 700 additional price points and more flexibility to set prices per storefront, so you can manage foreign exchange rate changes independent of globally equalized prices.
December 20, 2022
Thank you to everyone who joined us during three great weeks of Ask Apple in October, November, and December. Q&As remain available in Slack for Ask Apple participants to review as needed.
If you haven’t already told us about your experience in Q&As, we’d love to get your feedback in our short survey. It only takes a few minutes to complete and your responses will be anonymous.
We’re excited to connect with you again soon.
December 20, 2022
Starting January 18, 2023, the App Store receipt signing certificate will use a new WWDR intermediate certificate. The existing intermediate certificate expires on February 7, 2023. In most cases, this certificate change won’t require changes to apps. However, we recommend reviewing how you verify the sale of your apps and in-app purchases from the App Store to make sure your apps aren’t impacted.
If you verify App Store transactions using the AppTransaction and Transaction APIs, or the verifyReceipt web service endpoint, no action is required.
If you validate App Store receipts on device using the App Store receipt signing certificate, make sure you haven’t hardcoded the intermediate certificate and verify that the chain of trust for the container’s signature matches the Apple Inc. Root Certificate.
Additional details on App Store receipt validation:
December 14, 2022
The beta versions of iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, macOS 13.2, tvOS 16.3, and watchOS 9.3 are now available. Get your apps ready by confirming they work as expected on these releases. And to take advantage of the advancements in the latest SDKs, make sure to build and test with Xcode 14.2.
To check if a known issue from a previous beta release has been resolved or if there’s a workaround, review the latest release notes. Please let us know if you encounter an issue or have other feedback. We value your feedback, as it helps us address issues, refine features, and update documentation.
December 7, 2022
Join us for another exciting week of Ask Apple, where you can connect directly with Apple experts to get your latest technical and design questions answered — or just hang out and learn from the conversation. Ask about using the latest frameworks, improving your app’s UI design, developing with beta OS software and tools, and so much more.
Online one-on-one consultations and group Q&As will run December 12 to 16, with activities in multiple languages and time zones. Registration is open now to current members of the Apple Developer Program and Apple Developer Enterprise Program.
December 6, 2022
Apple today announced the most comprehensive upgrade to pricing capabilities since the App Store first launched, providing developers with 700 additional price points and new pricing tools that will make it easier to set prices per App Store country or region, manage foreign exchange rate changes, and more.
November 30, 2022
The busiest season on the App Store is almost here! Make sure your apps and product pages are up to date and ready in advance of the upcoming holidays. We’re pleased to remain open throughout the season again this year and look forward to accepting your submissions. On average, 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. However, reviews may take a bit longer to complete from December 23 to 27.
November 28, 2022
Every year, the App Store editorial team celebrates exceptional apps that improve people’s lives while showcasing the highest levels of technical innovation, user experience, design, and positive cultural impact. Join us in celebrating the work of outstanding developers from around the world.
November 28, 2022
Connect with experts online to learn how to make the most of App Store features. Discover how to attract new customers, test marketing strategies, add subscriptions, and so much more. Live presentations with Q&A are being held through December 8 in multiple time zones and languages. Register today if you’re a member of the Apple Developer Program.