Apple says App Store stopped $2.2 billion

Apple said on May 20 that its App Store blocked more than $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2025, part of what the company described as a broader push using automated systems and human reviewers to police payments, accounts, apps and ratings. The company said the six-year total of prevented fraudulent transactions has now exceeded $11.2 billion. Apple also said its App Review team processed about 7.7 million app submissions in 2025 and rejected more than 1.9 million of them. ### Where does the $2.2 billion figure come from? Apple’s May 20 newsroom post said the $2.2 billion number covers “potentially fraudulent transactions” stopped during 2025 across the App Store. The company said the total includes attempts involving stolen payment cards, manipulated accounts and other abuse aimed at users or developers. Apple said its six-year cumulative figure now stands at more than $11.2 billion, up from more than $9 billion over the previous five-year period it reported in 2025. (apple.com) The company framed the figures as part of its annual fraud analysis. Apple said its commerce system operates in 175 regions and that its screening tools are meant to protect both customers making purchases and developers selling digital goods and services. (apple.com) ### How much of this is about app review rather than payments? App Review handled about 7.7 million app submissions in 2025 and rejected more than 1.9 million, according to Apple’s release and accounts summarizing it. Apple said the rejected apps failed standards covering security, reliability, privacy or design. (apple.com) Apple also said it rejected more than 2 million “problematic” app submissions last year, a broader figure cited in its newsroom summary. That suggests the company is grouping together several types of enforcement, including apps blocked before publication and apps flagged for policy or fraud concerns. Apple did not break out in the summary how much of the 1.9 million rejected submissions overlapped with the more than 2 million problematic submissions. (apple.com) ### What else did Apple say it blocked? Apple said it stopped more than 1.1 billion fraudulent account creation attempts in 2025. The company also said it identified and blocked nearly 195 million fraudulent ratings and reviews, which it said were removed or prevented before they could distort App Store rankings and discovery. (apple.com) MacRumors and AppleInsider, citing Apple’s figures, said the company also highlighted copycat apps and deceptive listings as recurring problems. AppleInsider reported that Apple described the system as relying on both artificial intelligence and human review, a point Apple also made in its own release. (apple.com) ### Why is Apple publishing these numbers now? May 20 was less than three weeks before Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple said WWDC will run from June 8 to June 12, with the opening keynote on June 8 and more than 1,000 developers, designers and students expected at Apple Park that day. (macrumors.com) The timing also comes as Apple faces continued scrutiny over how tightly it controls iPhone software distribution and app review. Apple’s post did not address those disputes directly, but it presented the fraud figures as evidence that centralized review and payment controls help keep the marketplace safe. That characterization is Apple’s. (apple.com) ### What should developers watch next? June 8 is Apple’s next scheduled public milestone for developers. Apple said WWDC will include sessions on tools, technologies and design, along with Group Labs and Apple Developer Forums activity through June 12. For developers, the next concrete step is whether Apple uses WWDC to expand on the review, payment or trust-and-safety systems it highlighted on May 20. (apple.com) Apple has so far published the fraud figures in its newsroom post and related App Store materials rather than in a regulatory filing or standalone transparency report. (apple.com)