Apple on Wednesday announced a New Year’s Day App Store single-day spending record of over $540 million in the App Store. In the announcement, the company also celebrated highlights of its services in 2020.
Apple says 2020’s most downloaded apps were Zoom and Disney+. Games on the App Store “became more popular than ever.” Apple added that customers spent $1.8 billion on digital goods and services during the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, driven by games.
Other services highlights in 2020 included:
- Developers selling digital goods and services — which is only a small fraction of the overall commerce the App Store facilitates — have now earned more than $200 billion since the App Store launched in 2008.
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Apple Music had a record year as people around the world spent more time discovering and engaging with music. The service released its biggest product update ever with features like Listen Now, an all-new Search, personal radio stations, and Autoplay. Nearly 90 percent of iOS 14 listeners have used these new features, and engagement with Apple Music’s industry-leading lyrics feature has doubled since 2020.
- The Apple TV app is now available on over 1 billion screens in over 100 countries and regions. In 2020, the app launched on select LG, Sony, and VIZIO smart TVs, and PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
- Since its global launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ has been honored with 159 awards nominations and 45 wins and accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, Daytime Emmy Awards, a SAG Award, an NAACP Image Award, a Peabody Award, Critics Choice Award, Critics Choice Documentary Awards, a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, Cinema Eye Award, Kidscreen Awards, and more.
- Fitness+ launched in late 2020, the fitness service, built around Apple Watch, brought studio-style workouts to iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
- Apple Pay is now available in more than 90 percent of stores in the US. 85 percent of stores in the UK and 99 percent of stores in Australia accept Apple Pay.