The Apple App Store has recorded a sharp drop in the number of apps to historical lows affecting other elements like revenue, according to a new report from the Finbold finance company. Notably, the declining application count has mainly been driven by the company’s internal policies.
In particular, according to data acquired by Finbold, the number of apps in the Apple App Store hit a seven-year low during the third quarter of 2022 with the number at 1,642,759. The value represents a drop of 541,697 or 24.79% from the 2,184,456 registered during quarter two of 2022. The last time the number of apps was this low was during quarter three of 2015 at 1,672,271, whereas the highest app count was recorded during Q1 2021 at 2,226,823.
Elsewhere, regarding the number of apps on leading app stores globally as of quarter three of 2022, Google Play Store ranks top at 3,553,050 while the App Store ranks second at 1,642,759. Amazon’s App Store has the third-highest number of applications at 483,328.
Policies affecting the App Store app count
From the Finbold report: ”It is worth noting that removing apps from the App Store is a perennial practice initiated by Apple as part of maintaining quality on the platform. However, the recent spike in removed apps can be attributed to several decisions by the company to improve user experience.”
“Notably, with Apple’s building a reputation for changing policies, the number of apps on the App Store will likely drop further as the company mainly focuses on hosting quality software. At the same time, the regulatory approach will potentially influence the outlook of the App Store further down the road.”
