Apple makes a profit from other people's artificial intelligence, while Siri lags behind: revenue from apps could exceed one billion dollars

Complex launch timelines for Siri + Apple Intelligence, but AI profits are growing

*Apple is not giving up on delays with its updated voice assistant and new set of AI products, while successfully monetizing related services. Analysts estimate that revenue from AI technologies could exceed $1 billion already this year.*

1. How Apple makes money from third‑party AI apps
* Commissions

* In the App Store, transactions by third‑party developers are subject to a commission: 30% in the first year of subscription and 15% thereafter.

* According to AppMagic, AI‑related apps brought Apple $900 million in commissions only in 2025 – and that figure could already surpass a billion dollars by year’s end.

* Key players

* ChatGPT accounts for ~75% of all subscriptions that generate revenue for Apple.

* xAI (the Grok chatbot) makes up about 5%.

* In August 2025, the commission from AI subscriptions rose from $35 million in January to $101 million, even though peak demand for ChatGPT slightly eased.

2. What this means for Apple’s business
* Small share of total revenue – although $1 billion sounds impressive, it represents only a small portion of the company’s overall receipts.

* Strong growth – the growth rate of AI revenue is higher than that of the “electronics devices” segment, which still dominates Apple’s earnings.

* Low capital expenditures – the company limits itself to minimal investment in its own AI infrastructure.

* It mainly uses on‑device edge computing rather than cloud services.

* At the same time, Apple does not plan to lease excess capacity to third parties, as it is not building scalable data centers.

3. Restrictions and regulatory barriers
* In some countries antitrust authorities forced Apple to allow subscription payments through external platforms, but this option is rarely used.

* Even in the U.S., ChatGPT does not offer savings when paying directly on OpenAI’s site compared with a quick payment inside the Apple ecosystem.

4. Dependence on partners and future threats
* Siri will be supported by Google Gemini technology – meaning Apple relies on external suppliers.

* Competition from OpenAI: the company acquired a startup founded by former Apple chief designer Johnny Ive, which is developing 15–20 AI device concepts. The first of these could appear as early as next semester, creating direct competition with Apple in its familiar market segment.

Conclusion:

Apple continues to generate significant revenue from AI apps in the App Store, but delays in launching its own services and dependence on external technologies leave open prospects and potential risks. Nevertheless, the growth rate of AI revenue remains higher than that of traditional electronics, indicating the strategic importance of this area for the company’s future.