2025: A Landmark Year for Apple Services - Breaking Records and Expanding Horizons!
It's no secret that Apple's services have become a massive part of our digital lives. But did you know that 2025 was a record-breaking year for these services? From Podcasts to Apple Pay, the company saw unprecedented growth and innovation. Let's dive in!
Apple celebrated major anniversaries across several services, including Apple Podcasts, Music, and News. These milestones were made possible by the incredible artists, creators, and storytellers who bring these platforms to life. What's even more impressive is that Apple brought its services to more users globally than ever before. For example, Apple Pay is now available in a staggering 89 markets! Find My launched in South Korea, and Apple Fitness+ expanded to 28 additional countries and regions. Talk about global reach!
Apple TV: Soaring Engagement and Blockbuster Success
Apple TV experienced a massive surge in engagement last December, with total viewing hours up by a whopping 36 percent compared to the previous year. This set a new monthly engagement record! This growth was fueled by audience expansion across Europe and Latin America, continued growth in the U.S., and the global streaming debuts of F1, Pluribus, and The Family Plan 2, as well as the timeless Peanuts classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas. But here's where it gets exciting: the landmark year was propelled by Apple's summer blockbuster, F1 — the No. 1 movie at the global box office, the top film on Apple TV, and the highest-grossing sports movie of all time — as well as the premiere of Apple TV’s biggest series to date, the widely acclaimed Pluribus.
- A still from Apple’s “F1 The Movie.”
A still from Apple TV’s “Pluribus.”
A still from Apple TV's “The Studio.”
A still from Apple TV’s “Severance.”
A still from Apple TV’s “Slow Horses.”
Apple Pay: Revolutionizing Payments Worldwide
Apple Pay continues to bring value to users, merchants, and banks worldwide, and it's now available in 89 markets. With over 11,000 banks and network partners, including over 20 local payment networks, Apple Pay is making a significant impact. According to Apple and industry data, over the past year, Apple Pay has eliminated well over $1 billion in fraud globally and generated more than $100 billion in incremental merchant sales globally. During the peak holiday shopping weekend, purchases made through Apple Pay significantly outpaced the overall growth in consumer spending levels during that time period. With iOS 26, Apple Pay allows banks and lenders to enable users to pay with bank- or lender-provided installments and rewards in stores. This is a game-changer for both consumers and businesses!
- The Digital ID in Wallet experience is shown on iPhone 17 Pro.
- The Digital ID in Wallet experience is shown on iPhone 17 Pro, with the option to present the ID to TSA.
- My Number Card is shown in Apple Wallet on iPhone 17 Pro.
- The ability to use Apple Cash in Messages is shown on iPhone 17 Pro.
Apple Maps: Expanding Horizons with Detailed City Experiences
Apple Maps expanded its Detailed City Experience to new locations like New Orleans, Singapore, and Monaco, showcasing 3D landmarks including a custom F1 Monaco Grand Prix experience, now totaling 34 cities live with Detailed City Experience. Additionally, Maps brought its all-new map to Mexico and Thailand, offering users more accurate and detailed navigation, cycling directions, and more. With iOS 26, Maps became more personalized and intelligent, with new features like Preferred Routes, which uses on-device intelligence for daily commutes, and Visited Places, which helps users recall past locations. This means a more intuitive and personalized experience for users.
- A user’s Preferred Routes are shown in Apple Maps on iPhone 17 Pro.
A user’s Visited Places are shown in Apple Maps on iPhone 17 Pro.
The home screen for Apple Invites is shown on iPhone 17 Pro.
An Apple Invites invitation to a housewarming party is shown on iPhone 17 Pro.
Apple Fitness+: Expanding Fitness to the World
In 2025, Apple Fitness+ marked its largest expansion since the service’s launch by rolling out to 28 new countries and regions, including Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Taiwan, with Japan coming early this year. To make Fitness+ even more welcoming, the service introduced digitally dubbed workouts and meditations in Spanish and German, featuring a generated voice based on the actual voice of each of the 28 Fitness+ trainers. Today, the service offers more than 8,000 workouts and meditations in 4K Ultra HD. Fitness+ also launched powerful personalization features with ready-made Custom Plans, and users with AirPods Pro 3 can now view real-time performance metrics directly onscreen for extra motivation.
Apple Podcasts: Celebrating 20 Years of Innovation
2025 was Apple Podcasts’ best year yet, achieving record listeners, plays, and subscribers. Celebrating 20 years, Podcasts drove innovation, growth, and content recognition. It honored this milestone by curating “20 Years, 20 Podcasts We Love,” and introduced new accessibility and discovery features: enhance dialogue, new playback speeds, automatically created chapters, timed links, and expanded transcripts to over 125 million episodes in 13 languages. Podcasts also launched its “Best So Far” editorial list and awarded its Show of the Year to The Rest Is History — a first for a UK series.
Apple News: Solidifying Its Position as a Leading News Source
As 2025 marked its 10th anniversary, Apple News solidified its position as the No. 1 news app in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, and No. 2 in the UK. News features over 3,000 publications and more than 600 titles with Apple News+. News+ expanded its offerings with the debut of Apple News+ Food, which includes 100,000 recipes from 60 publications in the U.S., the UK, Australia, and English-speaking Canada. It also introduced a new original puzzle, Emoji Game, in the U.S. and Canada. And to give more users access to critical local coverage, Apple News now includes over 150 local newspapers and news feeds across 50 U.S. states, seven Canadian markets, and London. This commitment to local news is a crucial step in keeping communities informed.
Apple One: The Ultimate Value Bundle
Apple One gives users access to the best of Apple services in one simple monthly plan that offers incredible value for individuals and families alike. Today, Apple One Individual and Family plans — which include iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Arcade — are available in more than 100 markets across the globe, with Apple One Premier, which also includes Apple Fitness+, available in more than 20 markets. The full Premier bundle, which also includes Apple News+, is available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the UK. It's a convenient way to enjoy all your favorite Apple services.
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- To create a Digital ID in wallet, a user must have an authentic and unexpired U.S. passport and an iPhone 11 or later with iOS 26.1 or later, or Apple Watch Series 6 or later with WatchOS 26.1 or later. Digital ID in Wallet can only be used at select TSA checkpoints in the U.S. to verify identity for domestic travel. It is not a replacement for a physical passport, and cannot be used to perform functions of a passport like international travel and border crossing. Users will still need an authentic and unexpired physical U.S. passport to perform such functions.
- Requires eligible device and OS version. See support.apple.com/en-us/105065 for details.
- Apple Cash services are provided by Green Dot Bank, Member FDIC. Apple Payments Services LLC, a subsidiary of Apple Inc., is a service provider of Green Dot Bank for Apple Cash accounts. Neither Apple Inc. nor Apple Payments Services LLC is a bank. Learn more about the Terms and Conditions. Only available in the U.S. on eligible devices.
- Heart rate sensing with AirPods Pro 3 and Powerbeats Pro 2 during workouts is available in the Fitness app on iPhone with iOS 26; iPad with iPadOS 26; and Apple TV with tvOS 26 when also paired with iPhone.
So, what do you think about Apple's impressive year? Do you use any of these services regularly? Which one do you find most valuable, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments below – I'd love to hear from you!
