Eddy Cue touts ‘record-breaking year’ for Apple services, including TV, Music, more

The Core Story

In a new press release today, Apple is celebrating the success of its services division throughout 2025. The company says that 2025 was a “record-breaking year for Apple services,” with milestones for Apple Music, Apple TV, and more. The press release kicks off with a memo from Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. Cue says that Apple Music hit a new all-time high in both listenership and new subscribers. Apple TV, meanwhile, “eclipsed all prior viewership records in December 2025.” Apple TV saw an increase in total hours viewed by 36 percent in December compared to the previous year. 2025 was a record-breaking year for Apple services, marked by remarkable growth, global expansion, and continuous innovation. From Apple TV, Apple Music, and Apple News, to daily essentials like Apple Pay and iCloud, we delivered enriching experiences to users worldwide. Reflecting on 2025, we remained committed to enhancing our users’ daily lives, with incredible engagement during the holiday season. Apple services had a banner year, rolling out game-changing features for customers while shattering records. The numbers reflect the incredible enthusiasm of our customers, whether it’s downloading an exciting new app or game, watching the hottest new show with family and friends, listening to their favorite songs, or shopping with peace of mind. The App Store alone saw over 850 million average weekly users globally, with developers earning over $550 billion on our platform since 2008. Apple Pay also made a significant impact by eliminating well over $1 billion in fraud, while generating more than $100 billion in incremental merchant sales globally, and purchases made through Apple Pay significantly outpaced the overall growth in consumer spending levels during the peak holiday shopping period in November and December. Apple TV eclipsed all prior viewership records in December 2025, while Apple Music reached all-time highs in both listenership and new subscribers. We marked milestone anniversaries across services, including Apple Podcasts, Music, News, and more — each made possible by the artists, creators, journalists, and storytellers who bring these platforms to life. And we brought services to more users across the globe than ever before, with Apple Pay now available in 89 markets, Find My launching in South Korea, and Apple Fitness+ expanding to 28 additional countries and regions. New updates to services delivered increasingly personalized, fun, and easy-to-use experiences for our users. Apple Wallet leveraged Apple Intelligence to make it easier for users to keep track of their orders, and Apple Maps made users’ Preferred Routes and Visited Places easily accessible using on-device intelligence

. Apple Music’s AutoMix mixed songs seamlessly like a DJ, while Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation broke down language barriers. AI-powered features like Enhance Dialogue, automatically generated chapters, and links in Apple Podcasts ensured everyone could personalize their listening experience and better navigate their favorite shows. Fitness+ added digital dubbing in Spanish and German, and introduced Custom Plans that automatically create personalized workout schedules based on user preferences. Apple Invites brought people together for all kinds of life occasions, capturing memories through direct integration with Shared Albums. Apple Arcade expanded its catalog of highly rated games with more than 50 new titles for families to enjoy, all without ads. As we look ahead, we’ll continue to bring innovation and intelligent enhancements to Apple services, always guided by our commitment to privacy and a phenomenal customer experience. The press continues with a handful of other metrics for Apple services in 2025: Finally, Apple says the App Store saw “unprecedented engagement” in 2025, with over 850 million average weekly users. The company says that developers selling digital goods and services have now earned “more than $550 billion since 2008, when the platform first launched.” The App Store facilitated $1.3 trillion in developer billings and sales in 2024, as Apple previously shared. “The App Store saw a record number of visitors between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, and customer spending on digital goods and services over this period also hit a record,” Apple adds. The App Store metrics come as Apple continues to face antitrust and regulatory scrutiny around its App Store practices, including in the EU, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and more. Follow Chance: Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Mastodon.  Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts. You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.

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To summarize, this event marks a significant moment in the industry. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available.