Apple App Store sees surge of AI‑generated ‘vibe‑coded’ apps

Data from analytics firm Sensor Tower show that in 2025 the Apple App Store added around 600,000 new apps, a 30 % year‑on‑year increase. In the first half of 2026 the count rose to roughly 560,000, suggesting the total for the year could double the 2025 level. Most of these new entries are created with AI‑assisted “vibe‑coding” tools that let users generate functional apps quickly, often without traditional programming skills.

The flood of AI‑generated apps has raised concerns for both consumers and legitimate developers. Many of the submissions are low‑quality, buggy, or merely repackaged web content, and a growing number appear to be grifter‑driven products aimed at quick monetisation. Apple's current review policies reject apps that are essentially repackaged, contain security flaws, or generate and run their own code, but the sheer volume makes thorough vetting difficult. Observers warn that without policy adjustments the marketplace could become cluttered with unusable or harmful apps, damaging user trust and hurting authentic developers.