App industry news roundup 29 January 

There has been lots of app related news emerging over the course of this month – if you missed any of the big stories, we’re here to help with our round up and all the news you need to know to keep your finger on the pulse of the app development industry. It’s essential reading for any entrepreneur launching or running a mobile app business with the Eazi-Apps business-in-a-box solution .

Is a major change on the way for Snapchat?

The Snapchat app, which famously faced a barrage of criticism after a major app update could well be tempting the wrath of its users again are Reuters reports the app is mulling a major change. The social messaging app, which is famous for its disappearing messages it thought to be considering a move to permanent posts.

This move would also see users able to post updated publicly via a My Stories feature which would then be more shareable outside of the Snapchat ecosystem. The changes are said to be driven by the app’s desire to build a stronger user base after seeing its numbers eroded by the addition of the Stories format to mainstream social networks like Instagram and Facebook.

Apple may launch a games subscription service in the App Store

Apple is said to be working on a games subscription service for the App Store which inspired by a Netflix-style system. The games subscription option would be an additional stream of revenue for the App Store and would see users paying a monthly for access to a range of games apps.

Industry insiders say Apple initiated talks with games developers in the latter half of last year but isn’t fully committed to the subscription model as yet and it could still be put on hold or fail to see the light of day entirely.

Developers share $120 billion App Store revenue

App developers have been paid a total of $120 billion in revenue from the App Store since 2008. The figure includes direct App Store revenue only, such as fees from downloads, any in-app purchases and things like app subscriptions. Apple itself takes a cut of the revenue overall meaning the App Store funds generated are higher than the $120 billion paid to developers.

In June last year, Apple said the figure was around $100 billion, suggesting that revenue growth is scaling quickly.