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This week Apple’s App Store (formerly known as the iTunes App Store) turns 10 years old. This follows the 10th anniversary of the iPhone last year, reminding us that for its first year the iPhone did not have any third-party apps. The first iPhone came with stock apps, such as Mail, Weather, iTunes and Calculator. You couldn’t download any other apps onto an iPhone back then.
Fortunately, Apple saw the wisdom in allowing iPhone (and iPod Touch) owners to use third-party apps and the iTunes App Store was born on July 10, 2008. The App Store quickly took off with both paid and free apps gaining popularity quickly.
By the end of 2008 over 10,000 apps were available in the App Store.
Top Apps in the iTunes App Store from 2008
The App Store began posting the most popular paid and free apps. By the end of 2008, Apple released it lists of the most popular apps for the year.
In 2008 the top 10 paid apps in the App Store were:
- Koi Pond
- Texas Hold’em
- Moto Chaser
- Crash Bandicoot: Nitro Kart 3d
- Super Monkey Ball
- Cro-Mag Rally
- Enigmo
- Pocket Guitar
- Recorder
- iBeer
The top 10 free apps were:
- Pandora Radio
- Tap Tap Revenge
- Shazam
- Labyrinth Lite Edition
- Remote
- Google Earth
- Lightsaber Unleashed
- AIM
- Urbanspoon
See, Tech Crunch Apple announces Top 10 iPhone App downloads of 2008
Your App Store History
You may be curious about your app history and about which apps were the very first you downloaded. The App Store lets you see which apps you’ve downloaded in the past, both free and paid. You can also re-download any available apps you’ve purchased in the past (more on how to do that below).
This list won’t include apps that have been removed from the App Store, but it will include apps that no longer work on your iDevices (see below).
To view your App Store history, open the App Store app on your iPhone or iPad. (Note that iTunes on your computer no longer includes apps).
Tap your icon in the upper right corner of the screen to open your account.
On the next screen tap Purchased.
Tap My Purchases on the next screen.
There you’ll see a list of the apps you’ve downloaded, free and paid, including the dates you first downloaded them from the App Store. At the top you can choose from All or Not on this iPhone.
The most recent apps you’ve downloaded will appear at the top of the list. Scroll down to the bottom to see the first apps you downloaded.
An Open button will appear next to apps you still have on your device. Tap that button to open the app on your iDevice.
Re-Downloading Apps
As you look through your App Store history you may discover some favorite apps you’ve forgotten. Maybe it’s a game app you loved playing. Maybe it’s a relaxation app that you could use right now.
You can re-download any apps that aren’t on your iPhone or iPad, if they are still available on iTunes and work on your iDevice. You may even want to create a folder called “Forgotten But Not Gone Apps” you can open when you’re feeling nostalgic.
Learn how at => How to Create App Folders for Your iPhone and iPad
To re-download an app, go to the Purchased section of the App Store app on your iPhone or iPad. Tap Not on this iPhone (or iPad). You’ll see a list of apps you’ve purchased in the past that you do not currently have on your iDevice.
Tap the Cloud with a down arrow icon to download the app to your iDevice.
If an app no longer works on your device, the app will be grayed out.
Remember, last year Apple made 32-bit apps obsolete so they do not work with devices running iOS 11 and later.
Find out more at => Why Your Favorite iPhone Apps May Not Work in iOS 11
Your Thoughts
Did you have any of the top 10 paid or free apps from 2008? Do you still use any of the first apps you downloaded? Did you discover any forgotten apps you re-downloaded? Are there any obsolete apps you wish were still available in the App Store?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
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*iPhone 2008 image (edited) courtesy of William Hook via Flickr and Creative Commons
**iTunes 2008 image courtesy of Thomas Cloer via Flickr and Creative Commons
The Apple App Store has really advanced with time, earlier us users were so limited to the number of apps that we could use but now it’s so much better. I really love the way Apple has evolved over time providing us with the best tech experience.
Hi Afiya, Yes, the App Store certainly has come a long way in 10 years. There’s pretty much an app for almost everything now!