Apple Discloses How Many Users It Has in Europe

Complying with the European Digital Services Act, Apple today disclosed the number of monthly active users it has across all of its platforms. And you’re never going to believe what came in at number five.

Kidding. But this is an incredible bit of transparency from a company that years ago decided to stop reporting hard numbers for its device sales. And a small example of what regulating Big Tech can achieve.

Here are the numbers:

• iOS App Store: 101 million monthly active users (MAUs)
• iPadOS App Store: 23 million
• macOS App Store: 6 million
• tvOS App Store: 1 million
• watchOS App Store: under 1 million
• Apple Books: under 1 million
• Podcasts paid subscriptions: under 1 million

The European Digital Services Act (DSA) was enacted in November 2022 and will be enforced in 2024. It aims to make Big Tech accountable for spreading misinformation, exposing users to illegal content, and for using targeted advertising, among other things. Platform makers with 45 million or more average MAUs are considered very large online platforms (VLOPs), and they fall under the scrutiny of regulators because of the DSA.

Which explains why Apple is disclosing these numbers: where the EU may consider all of Apple’s users to fall under a single umbrella—i.e., it is Apple that is the VLOP here—Apple is arguing that each version of its App Store is a distinct online platform under the DSA. And thus, only the iOS App Store should be regulated under the terms of the DSA.

But don’t worry, Apple fans: the firm also revealed that it will “align” each of its App Store versions to meet the DSA requirements “on an entirely voluntary basis.” Because “the goals of the DSA align with Apple’s goals to protect consumers from illegal content.”

Aw.