Overview
- Research firm Sensor Tower, in data reported by The Information, counted 235,800 new apps in Q1 2026, an 84% increase from a year earlier after 2025 saw nearly 600,000 new apps.
- Analysts link the surge to “vibe coding,” a trend where AI writes code from plain language prompts so non‑coders can build apps faster.
- Tools cited in the rise include Anthropic’s Claude Code, OpenAI’s Codex, and new autonomous coding features in Apple’s Xcode.
- Apple has removed or blocked leading vibe‑coding apps such as Replit, Vibecode, and Anything under Guideline 2.5.2, which prohibits apps from downloading or executing new code that changes features after review.
- Apple says its App Review team processes 90% of submissions within 48 hours with an average of 1.5 days, uses AI to assist human reviewers, and faces mounting concerns about lower‑quality apps and harder discovery that have even spawned “cleanup” gigs to fix AI‑written code.