As the App Store faces increasing regulatory pressure in Brazil, a study highlighted by Apple today shows that iOS apps generated R$63.8 million ($11.7 million) in the country last year, with most of that revenue incurring no commission. Here are the details.
A bit of background
Like in many countries around the world, Apple has been fighting an uphill battle in Brazil, hoping to convince local regulators to keep the App Store model intact.
In late 2022, MercadoLibre, Latin America’s biggest online marketplace, filed an antitrust complaint against Apple, accusing it of unfair practices related to the App Store.
Since then, Apple has had its ups and downs in court, and it currently has until October to comply with orders that involve allowing sideloading on iOS and alternative payment methods beyond its own.
As it stands right now, Apple and CADE (the country’s competition watchdog) are working together to iron out the details, as Apple still tries to reverse the situation. So far, Apple has managed to score a few postponements, but the deadline is reportedly currently set for October.
What today’s study says
The study highlighted by Apple today was conducted by Silvia Fagá de Almeida, an MBA professor at Fundação Getúlio Vargas.
The study concluded that the App Store generated R$63.8 million ($11.7 million) for Brazilian developers last year, with 90% of that revenue exempt from Apple’s commission.
It also noted that Brazilian developers saw a total of 570 million app downloads across the globe last year, and that 53% of that total came from users outside Brazil.
When it comes to commission fees, the study revealed that:
“(…) most Brazilian developers who sell digital products and services are entitled to a reduced 15% commission on sales made through in-app purchases or paid downloads (for example, through the App Store Small Business Program and the Video Partner Program). The majority of Brazilian developers pay no commission to Apple, and among those who did pay a commission in 2024, 78% benefited from the reduced rate.”
Interestingly, the study also breaks down the revenue facilitated by the App Store into categories (the numbers add up to 101% due to rounding adjustments):
- 10% went to digital products and services
- 79% went to physical products and services
- 12% went to in-app advertising
Alongside the study, Apple also touted the fact that Brazilian users downloaded 1,5 billion apps last year, and that the country’s App Store had 25,5 million visits per week.
Apple also pointed to its local initiatives for developers, including 10 Apple Developer Academy locations across Brazil, and success stories like Moises, the 2024 iPad App of the Year, as examples of domestic apps that achieved global growth. The company framed these as proof that the App Store should be seen as a launchpad rather than a walled garden.
You can find the full post (in Brazilian Portuguese) here.
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