App Store

App Store
Information
Type	Digital distribution platform / app store
Developer	Apple Inc.
Operating System	iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS
License	Proprietary
Supported Devices	iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro
Release Date	July 10, 2008
Website	https://www.apple.com/app-store/

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The App Store is a digital distribution platform operated by Apple Inc. for downloading and installing software applications onto Apple devices. It opened on July 10, 2008, alongside the iPhone 3G, and serves as the primary channel through which third-party and first-party apps reach iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS.

For virtual reality and augmented reality, the App Store matters because it is the storefront for Apple Vision Pro, Apple's spatial computing headset released in early 2024. On visionOS, the App Store is the only sanctioned way for ordinary users to obtain applications, both native spatial apps written for the headset and compatible iPhone and iPad apps running in a windowed compatibility mode.

Origin and history

Apple introduced the App Store on July 10, 2008, one day before the iPhone 3G went on sale, delivered to existing iPhone and iPod touch devices through the iPhone 2.0 software update. It opened with about 500 applications. Apple reported more than 10 million downloads within the first weekend. The catalog grew quickly, reaching roughly 3,000 apps and more than 100 million downloads by September 2008.

The number of available titles peaked at around 2.2 million in January 2017 and then declined as Apple removed older, abandoned, or non-compliant software; the catalog has since held above roughly 1.9 million apps. Apple stated in 2023 that it had paid developers more than 320 billion US dollars since the store's launch.

How it works

Developers build apps using Apple's tools (Xcode and frameworks such as SwiftUI, UIKit, RealityKit, and ARKit) and submit them through App Store Connect, Apple's web portal for managing app metadata, pricing, builds, and availability. Each submission is checked against the App Review Guidelines before it can be listed. Membership in the Apple Developer Program, which costs 99 US dollars per year (waived for eligible nonprofit and government organizations since 2018), is required to distribute through the store.

Apple's standard commission on paid apps and in-app purchases is 30 percent, with 70 percent paid to the developer. Under the App Store Small Business Program announced in November 2020 and effective January 2021, the commission drops to 15 percent for developers earning under 1 million US dollars per year. Subscriptions that a user keeps past one year are billed at the reduced 15 percent rate.

Distribution model and regulation

On most Apple operating systems the App Store has historically been the sole distribution channel, with no sideloading. That model changed in the European Union under the Digital Markets Act, which designated iOS, Safari, and the App Store as core platform services. In early 2024 Apple began allowing alternative app marketplaces and web distribution for iOS and iPadOS apps in the EU, under separate business terms that lowered the commission to 17 percent (10 percent for small businesses and second-year subscriptions) and introduced a per-install Core Technology Fee. Epic Games opened its own iOS marketplace in the EU in August 2024. These EU changes apply to iPhone and iPad apps; the visionOS App Store on Apple Vision Pro remained a closed, single-store environment.

App Store for Apple Vision Pro

Apple Vision Pro shipped in the United States on February 2, 2024, running visionOS and carrying a dedicated App Store built for the headset. The store distinguishes two kinds of software:

• Native spatial apps written for visionOS, which can present floating windows, 3D volumes, and fully immersive scenes.
• Compatible iPhone and iPad apps, which run automatically in a windowed compatibility layer unless the developer opts out.

At launch Apple said more than 600 apps and games were built specifically for Vision Pro, alongside more than 1 million compatible iOS and iPadOS apps. Named launch spatial titles included Disney+, IMAX, Max, the NBA app, PGA TOUR Vision, Microsoft 365, Zoom, Webex, NBA 2K24 Arcade Edition, Synth Riders, Super Fruit Ninja, and JigSpace. On February 13, 2024, Apple senior vice president of marketing Greg Joswiak said the number of native spatial apps had passed 1,000, while the count of compatible apps was cited as more than 1.5 million. Several widely used apps, including Netflix, Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, declined to ship native visionOS versions at launch.

Native spatial app growth

Date	Native visionOS apps	Source
January 2024 (pre-launch tally)	about 150
February 2, 2024 (launch)	more than 600
February 13, 2024	more than 1,000

Discovery on the headset

On Apple Vision Pro the App Store presents browsing sections including Apps and Games, Apple Arcade, and Search. The Search tab lets users filter results to show titles compatible with Apple Vision Pro or with iPhone and iPad, separating native spatial software from ported mobile apps. An internet connection and an Apple Account are required to browse and download.

Review requirements for spatial apps

App Store Connect requires developers to declare motion characteristics for visionOS submissions. If an app contains movement such as quick turns or sudden changes in camera perspective, the developer must indicate this so the product page shows a motion badge warning users who may be sensitive to it. Apple directs developers to section 2.3 of the App Review Guidelines when describing immersive experiences, so the product page accurately represents what the app does. These rules address motion sickness and comfort, concerns specific to head-mounted displays that do not arise for flat-screen apps.

Spatial accessories and game controllers

visionOS apps and games can use external spatial accessories. With visionOS 26, Apple added support for the Sony PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers, which provide motion tracking in six degrees of freedom, finger touch detection, and vibration, letting developers build tactile, tracked interactions on Apple Vision Pro; Apple also added support for the Logitech Muse spatial stylus. visionOS 26, shown at Apple's June 2025 developer conference, expanded spatial experiences and added APIs such as the Spatial Scene API for more immersive content.

Relevance to VR and AR

The App Store is the gatekeeper for the Apple Vision Pro software catalog. Because visionOS does not permit sideloading or alternative marketplaces, every consumer-facing spatial app, game, and ported mobile app reaches the headset through this single store, with App Review applied to each title. This is a tighter distribution model than the main competing VR platforms. The Meta Quest line distributes through the Meta Horizon Store and also offers looser side channels for unlisted or early builds, and SideQuest hosts apps outside Meta's main store entirely.

The App Store also shapes how spatial software is described and surfaced to buyers. Motion declarations and badges on product pages exist specifically because head-mounted displays can induce discomfort, a requirement absent from phone and desktop app listings. The store's split between native visionOS apps and windowed iPhone and iPad apps determines what counts as a true spatial experience versus a compatibility port, a distinction reflected in the App Store's own compatibility filters. Through frameworks like ARKit and RealityKit, the same Apple developer pipeline that fills the iPhone App Store also produces the spatial apps that define what Apple Vision Pro can do.

Current status

As of mid-2026 the App Store remains Apple's central software distribution platform across all of its operating systems, including visionOS on Apple Vision Pro and the updated Apple Vision Pro models that followed. On Apple Vision Pro it is still the only consumer route to install apps, combining native spatial titles with the broader iOS and iPadOS catalog in compatibility mode. In the European Union, alternative marketplaces and reduced fees apply to iPhone and iPad apps under the Digital Markets Act, while the visionOS storefront continues as a single store.