Kimoji launched on 21 December 2015 at $1.99 and topped the paid-app chart, but the famous “$1 million per minute” figure is a peak-moment calculation, not reported revenue. It rests on a claim of about 9,000 purchases a second (roughly $1.07 million a minute gross), which we could not trace to Apple or the publisher.
Kimoji key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Launch | 21 December 2015, iOS |
| Price | $1.99 |
| Content | Hundreds of Kardashian-themed emoji (we first reported 250) |
| Chart result | Topped paid apps; reportedly about number 45 on top-grossing |
| Viral claim | “$1 million per minute”: unverified |
Did Kim Kardashian break the App Store?
She tweeted “Apple, I’m so sorry I broke your App Store!!!”, and the line travelled. Apple said the store itself had no problem, and later corrections said the same. The likelier story is that the app’s own servers struggled under the launch traffic. Early ratings were poor.
How much did Kimoji really earn?
Nobody outside the publisher knows. The headline math does work: 9,000 sales a second at $1.99 is about $1.07 million a minute, but that is gross before Apple’s cut, and it describes a reported peak moment, not a sustained rate. The top-grossing rank of about 45 suggests a strong launch, not a record. That reading is our own.
Kardashian’s bigger business results came later, with beauty and shapewear brands. Our video on 15 things you didn’t know about Kim Kardashian covers her wider career.
FAQ
When did Kimoji launch?
On 21 December 2015.
How much did Kimoji cost?
$1.99.
Did Kimoji make $1 million per minute?
That figure is unverified. It was derived from a reported download rate, not from published revenue.
Did Kimoji crash the App Store?
Kardashian said so, but Apple and later corrections said the App Store did not go down.
How did Kimoji rank?
It topped the paid-app chart and reportedly reached around number 45 on top-grossing.
Last updated: October 2026.
