Apple made more than $20 billion from the App Store last year

Whenever you hear about the ridiculous amounts of money that mobile games like Candy Crush Sage and Clash of Clans make, just remember that they all have to give Apple a little slice. The company announced earlier this week that it made more than $20 billion from the App Store last year, about $6 billion of which went to Apple itself, while the rest went to developers. As impressive as that is, however, growth in this area has been slowing down quite a bit, and even the release of the new Apple TV and the Apple Watch weren’t enough to boost growth.

Apple Inc. said App Store billings topped a record $20 billion in 2015, but growth from the business appeared to slow even as the company introduced apps on new devices such as Apple TV and Apple Watch. Apple keeps 30 cents of every dollar that flows through the App Store, meaning the store generated more than $6 billion in Apple revenue for the year; the remainder of the money goes to developers. The figures highlight the growing financial importance of apps for Apple, which posted revenue of $233 billion and net income of $53 billion in the fiscal year ended September. The roughly 1.5 million available apps boost the appeal of Apple’s highly profitable hardware and help to distinguish Apple’s products from its competitors. Apple created the App Store for the iPhone in 2008, later adding apps catered to the iPad. Last year, it opened a software marketplace for the Apple Watch and its latest Apple TV box. By opening those products to software from outside developers, Apple supplements the basic features of its products with broader and more diverse offerings. The company said it had its biggest day of sales in the App Store on Jan. 1, when customers spent more than $144 million.