App Store rejected 150,000 apps in 2020, seeing 100,000 submissions per week

Apple is promoting a new series of statistics revealing details of App Store operations, plus how the Apple Developer Program has grown.

Apple has revamped its official site to include newly updated sections devoted to promoting the App Store and its developer program, following recent criticism and disputes concerning both. Both sections now detail statistics about how the store and the program operate, and both are aimed at emphasizing the trustworthy security Apple claims is central to both.

App Store facts

"For over a decade, the App Store has proved to be a safe and trusted place to discover and download apps," says Apple on the new App Store page. "But the App Store is more than just a storefront — it's an innovative destination focused on bringing you amazing experiences."

"And a big part of those experiences is ensuring that the apps we offer are held to the highest standards for privacy, security, and content," it continues. "Because we offer nearly two million apps — and we want you to feel good about using every single one of them."

The statistics Apple provides include the fact that every week, over 100,000 apps — or updates to apps — are submitted, and reviewed by an App Review team. The team reportedly now consists of over 500 experts who are based around the world.

Detail from Apple's newly revamped App Store promotion pages

Apple says that last year the team rejected over 150,000 apps for violating the company's privacy guidelines. So far in 2020, it has removed over 60 million user reviews that it believes to be spam.

While it doesn't specify a time frame for this, Apple says that it has rejected over 1 million app submissions for reasons to do with illegal, unsafe, harmful, or objectionable content.

Whereas over 10,000 apps that have been accepted, all use Apple's own health technologies — HealthKit, CareKit, and ResearchKit — which are all built to protect patient privacy.

Apple Developer Program details

Apple's newly updated promotional page on "Developing for the App Store," has similarly revealed new statistics about the program. It starts with how there are now over 28 million developers in the Apple Developer Programme, and that they are based in what Apple describes as "227 regions."

Those regions will include both states and countries. Apple says that over 50% of app downloads come from outside the developer's home country.

In total, developers reportedly saw over 50 billion impressions — the term for when a user sees an ad or other promotion. This includes Apple's promotion of more than 130,000 apps across social media, general advertising, emails, and App Store promotion.