Apple said its services division delivered a record breaking year in 2025, with rising App Store usage, higher payment volumes, and increased engagement across Apple TV and Apple Music.
App Store And Payments
In a blog post, senior vice president Eddy Cue said Apple recorded 850 million average weekly App Store users in 2025, up from 813 million the previous year. Apple Pay merchant sales exceeded $100 billion.
Apple also said it has now paid $550 billion to developers since the App Store launched in 2008. The last time the company released comparable figures, it reported $260 billion in payouts as of 2021 and $200 billion in 2020. The App Store typically takes a 30 percent commission on in app purchases, with a reduced 15 percent rate for developers earning under $1 million annually. This part of Apple’s business remains under regulatory scrutiny in multiple countries over allegations of monopolistic practices.
Apple TV And Music Performance
Apple TV reached its highest viewership on record in December 2025, according to the company. Engagement on the service rose 36 percent over the year. New releases including “Pluribus” and “The Studio,” alongside continuing series such as “Severance,” contributed to the growth. Apple TV also expanded its sports offerings through deals with Major League Soccer and Formula 1.
The film “F1,” produced by Apple Studios, became the company’s highest grossing movie to date and the highest grossing film of actor Brad Pitt’s career.
Apple Music also recorded its strongest year for listenership and new subscriber growth. Apple said Shazam generated more than 1 billion recognitions per month, which it linked to increased music discovery on its platform. The company also cited its Sing feature and partnerships with companies including GM and Chase as contributors to growth.
Market Context
Apple Music’s performance comes as Spotify continues to face public criticism. Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek’s investment firm led a €600 million funding round for European defense technology company Helsing, prompting several artists to remove their music from Spotify in protest. The platform has also faced earlier controversies, including criticism over COVID 19 misinformation tied to Joe Rogan’s podcast and disputes over artist compensation.
Apple offers a three month free trial of Apple Music with the purchase of many of its devices, which may have also supported subscriber growth during a period of economic uncertainty.
Featured image credits: Flickr
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.