YouTube today achieved a milestone, becoming the Top Grossing Free iPhone app in the U.S. App Store for the first time, according to data app analytics site Sensor Tower shared with TechCrunch.

Prior to today, the highest ranking YouTube had hit on the Top Grossing charts was #3, and the United States marks the first country where YouTube has reached the number one spot.

youtubetopcharts
YouTube has been climbing up the Top Grossing charts at a more rapid pace since the 2015 launch of YouTube Red, YouTube's paid service that provides users with ad-free videos, music, and exclusive content. YouTube Red is priced at $9.99 per month.

Sensor Tower says YouTube grossed approximately $14 million in February of 2018, a 133 percent year-over-year increase from last year. In March, YouTube has already earned $12 million, with iOS revenue up 150 percent year-over-year.

YouTube's App Store revenue does not include the money YouTube brings in through YouTube Music, YouTube Gaming, Google Play, rental purchases, or money. It's limited to YouTube Red and Super Chat, a feature that allow viewers to tip content creators during live streams.

Top Rated Comments

now i see it Avatar
80 months ago
It's funny (or creepy) how Google tracks you through their services. The other day I searched on Google Maps for the phone numbers of the nearby Holiday Inn Express hotel and Crown Plaza hotel. Ever since then, my video ads (on any random video) have been for Holiday Inn Express and Crown Plaza hotels. Makes me not want to use Google products any more. It's back to Duck Duck Go.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kabeyun Avatar
80 months ago
Mm how is Google doing that? Apple controls the App store.
By reminding them that apps allowing saving of offline YouTube content violates Google’s TOS.

I know some people like the YouTube t.v. platform etc. I view regular YouTube feed sometimes, and I am fine with that. The way that YouTube and Google inject tracking and ads everywhere is rather abhorrent to me, even though I can block most of it.
Agreed. Never forget that with Google, you’re the product.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsba Avatar
80 months ago
It's funny (or creepy) how Google tracks you through their services. The other day I searched on Google Maps for the phone numbers of the nearby Holiday Inn Express hotel and Crown Plaza hotel. Ever since then, my video ads (on any random video) have been for Holiday Inn Express and Crown Plaza hotels. Makes me not want to use Google products any more. It's back to Duck Duck Go.
I've been using DuckDuckGo for the last 4 or 5 years.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
80 months ago
I know some people like the YouTube t.v. platform etc. I view regular YouTube feed sometimes, and I am fine with that. The way that YouTube and Google inject tracking and ads everywhere is rather abhorrent to me, even though I can block most of it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Salvor Hardin Avatar
80 months ago
Is YouTube Red going to cover the ad insertions that Google announced today? Or is that a new higher tier charge on top of YouTube Red?
This made be curious so I looked it up and the Youtube/Google employee said exactly that is being done to “frustrate and seduce” users into subscribing, no Google this simply makes me want to go out of my way to find even more workarounds for your crummy ads. With how they bully 3rd party YT apps off the App Store I wonder how long until they start doing shady **** to prevent Android devices from being able to run similar apps. I wonder how many requests/demands they send to Apple weekly to remove the background video playback feature in iOS.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mtneer Avatar
80 months ago
Is YouTube Red going to cover the ad insertions that Google announced today? Or is that a new higher tier charge on top of YouTube Red?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro FineWoven

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Sunday April 21, 2024 6:03 am PDT by
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
Provenance Emulator

PlayStation and SEGA Emulator for iPhone and Apple TV Coming to App Store [Updated]

Friday April 19, 2024 8:29 am PDT by
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, SEGA Genesis,...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
apple vision pro orange

Apple Vision Pro Customer Interest Dying Down at Some Retail Stores

Monday April 22, 2024 2:12 am PDT by
Apple Vision Pro, Apple's $3,500 spatial computing device, appears to be following a pattern familiar to the AR/VR headset industry – initial enthusiasm giving way to a significant dip in sustained interest and usage. Since its debut in the U.S. in February 2024, excitement for the Apple Vision Pro has noticeably cooled, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On...