Apple Highlights Services in 2020 as App Store Sets Single-Day Spending Record on New Year’s Day

Apple has today announced that New Year’s Day saw a new single-day spending record of over $540 million on the App Store, as the company celebrated a number of highlights from its various services in 2020.

Recapping 2020, Apple announced that the year’s most downloaded apps were Zoom and Disney+, and games on the ‌App Store‌ “became more popular than ever.” Apple revealed that developers around the world have now earned more than $200 billion since the ‌App Store‌ was launched in 2008 from digital goods and services. Apple added that ‌App Store‌ customers spent $1.8 billion on digital goods and services over the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, driven largely by games.

2020 was also a “record year” for Apple Music. More than 90 percent of iOS 14 listeners have used new features such as “Listen Now” and “Autoplay,” and engagement with ‌Apple Music‌’s real-time lyrics feature doubled last year.

Apple claims that the Apple TV app is now available on over one billion screens in over 100 countries and regions, aided by launches on launched on select LG, Sony, and VIZIO smart TVs, as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

Apple teased its lineup for Apple TV+ in 2021, with second seasons of “Dickinson,” “Servant,” “For All Mankind,” “The Morning Show,” and “See,” as well as brand new originals such as “Losing Alice,” “Palmer,” and “Cherry.”

Other highlights include the fact that Apple Books saw “remarkable” growth of new customers in 2020 and now draws over 90 million active users every month. Apple Pay is now accepted by more than 90 percent of stores in the U.S., 85 percent of stores in the UK, and 99 percent of stores in Australia. The company also celebrated the success of the launch of Apple Fitness+ and featured the importance of delivering “curated world-class journalism” via Apple News.