Apple Releases 2024 App Store Transparency Report: Nearly $2 Billion in Fraud Prevented, Over 1.9 Million Apps Now Available

Apple has officially published its 2024 App Store Transparency Report, offering a deep look into the platform’s global performance, moderation efforts, and fraud prevention measures. The annual report covers a broad range of stats for the full 2024 calendar year, reinforcing Apple’s commitment to a safe and trusted digital marketplace for both users and developers across 175 countries and regions.

Key Highlights from the 2024 Report

1.96 Million Apps and Counting

By the end of 2024, the App Store hosted 1,961,596 apps. Over the year, Apple’s App Review teams processed 7.77 million app submissions, rejecting approximately 1.93 million for not meeting various criteria.

• Performance issues led the rejection reasons with 1.23 million rejections.

• Legal concerns accounted for over 445,000 rejections.

• Design problems were cited in 378,300 cases.

• Following resubmissions and corrections, 295,109 initially rejected apps were ultimately approved.

82,509 Apps Removed

Apps that violated App Review Guidelines or the Developer Program License Agreement (DPLA) were removed throughout the year. The most common removal reasons were:

• Design guideline violations (4.0) — 42,252 apps

• Fraud (DPLA 3.2(f)) — 38,315 apps

In terms of categories:

• Utilities accounted for 16,191 removals

• Games followed with 15,122 removals

Government Takedown Requests

Apple received 17,309 requests for app removals from governments. The breakdown includes:

• Mainland China: 13,070 apps removed (including 1,131 games lacking a GRN license)

• Russia: 171 apps

• South Korea: 79 apps

These takedowns were localized to each requesting jurisdiction. Developers appealed 26,224 removals, resulting in 421 apps being restored.

Developer Account Activity

There are now over 51.7 million registered developers in the Apple ecosystem. However, 146,747 developer accounts were terminated in 2024:

• 146,583 of those terminations were due to fraud.

• Apple received 8,132 appeals, with 225 resulting in account reinstatement.

Customer Account Monitoring

Apple terminated 128.9 million customer accounts last year and blocked over $2 billion in fraudulent transactions, continuing its multi-year crackdown on App Store fraud.

App Usage and Discovery Stats

The App Store remains one of the most trafficked digital storefronts globally:

• 813 million weekly visitors

• 839 million weekly app downloads

• 1.89 billion redownloads weekly

• 66 billion automatic app updates weekly

Search and Visibility

• 440 million accounts used App Store search weekly.

• An average of 169,235 apps appeared in the top 10 search results at least 1,000 times weekly.

• Over 1.37 million apps reached this visibility threshold throughout the year.

Extra Resources

Apple provides additional transparency by offering CSV files that break down:

• App removals by category and country

• Detailed government takedown data

• Account termination reasons

These documents are available for download from Apple’s Legal Resources page

Final Thoughts

Apple’s 2024 Transparency Report reinforces its role as a gatekeeper of quality, safety, and trust in the digital app economy. While the App Store continues to grow, so do Apple’s efforts to ensure apps meet rigorous standards. From combating fraud to upholding privacy and supporting developers, Apple’s oversight appears to be scaling in step with the platform’s global footprint.

If you're a developer, entrepreneur, or user, this report offers a clear window into the scale, integrity, and evolution of the App Store today.