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Apple rolling out App Store to 20 new countries

Apple is bringing its popular App Store to iPhones, MacBooks and iPads in 20 new countries in Europe, Africa and Asia, according to a new note sent to developers on Tuesday.

Afghanistan, Cameroon, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq and Morocco are just some of the countries that will be able to download apps from the world-leading digital storefront from next month.

Apple announced the rollout to give developers a heads-up so that they can fill out forms to ensure that their apps are available when the App Store launches in the new locations.

Developers have until 10th April to submit an updated Program License Agreement.

In a statement, Apple hailed the success of the App Store, which originally launched in July 2008 and now hosts millions of smartphone-optimised applications.

Apple also revealed that developers have earned $155bn in total during the last 12 years and that 500 million users visit the App Store every single week.

“It’s grown into a vibrant platform with great apps that influence culture and change lives, with over half a billion visitors each week,” the company said in a statement.

Apple also confirmed on Tuesday that the universal purchase support option it unveiled earlier this month is now live.

The new one-stop shop button will allow customers to buy or download an app once and then access it and any in-app purchases across a variety of operating systems, including iOS, macOS and tvOS.

Developers will have to make a few changes to ensure that customers have access to this functionality.

Apple recommends implementing a single bundle ID for apps via Xcode and then ticking the box for universal purchase in App Store Connect.

Developers can navigate to Apple’s dedicated developer website to find out more about the new program, which is designed to improve the ease of bringing iPad apps to Mac and promote the Mac Catalyst platform.

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About the author

Chris

I've been a passionate evangelist for Apple and the Macintosh throughout my working life, my first love was a Quadra 605 working with a small creative agency in the south of Norfolk UK in the mid 1990's, I later progressed to other roles in other Macintosh dominated industries, first as a Senior graphic designer at a small printing company and then a production manager at Guardian Media Group. As the publishing and printing sector wained I moved into Internet Marketing and in 2006 co-founded blurtit.com which grew to become one the top 200 visited sites in the US (according to Quantcast), at its peak receiving over 15 million visits per month. For the last ten years I have worked as an Affiliate and Consultant to many different business and start ups, my key skill set being online marketing, on page monetisation, landing page optimisation and traffic generation, if you would like to hire me or discuss your current project please reach out to me here.

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