With the widespread adoption of agentic coding technology by 2025, a new development paradigm called "Vibe Coding" is sweeping the software industry. Now, with basic concepts and AI assistance, almost anyone can easily create applications. However, this explosion of AI-driven productivity seems to be putting pressure on Apple's App Store review team.Facing unprecedented pressure.
Recently, many developers have complained that the influx of AI-generated apps has significantly lengthened the waiting time for app store listings, and has even raised concerns that Apple may soon introduce stricter review standards.
AI production capacity explodes: App submissions hit a four-year high.
According to data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, since proxy coding became mainstream in 2025, the number of new apps launched on the App Store each month has seen explosive growth.
• Amazing growth rate:In the US market, iOS app releases in January this year grew by 54.8% compared to the same period last year, continuing to climb after reaching a growth rate of 56% in December last year (the highest in the past four years).
• Vibe Coding is becoming a new and popular field of study:This development approach, which utilizes natural language to interact with AI agents and relies on "intuition" to guide code generation, has even evolved into a new profession. For example, the well-known platform Lovable recently posted a job opening for a "professional Vibe Coder".
The pain point for developers: The slowest part now is "waiting for Apple to nod in approval".
While AI has made development incredibly fast, traditional review mechanisms have become a new bottleneck.
James Steinberg, a 35-year-old developer who works as a pet sitter in New York and is also a Vibe Coder, said he believes the App Store is currently "overwhelmed by people like me submitting tons of apps." He complained that one of his apps took nearly six weeks to be successfully listed, and even subsequent updates took anywhere from two days to a week to be approved.
"The slowest part of the whole process right now is waiting for Apple's App Store approval—not developing the app, not marketing it, which is really outrageous," said James Steinberg. On Reddit, many iOS app developers have also reported similar delays. Their greater concern is that Apple may implement even stricter review standards in the future to prevent the creation of poorly made "AI digital garbage."
Apple's official response: 90% are still being reviewed within 48 hours.
In response to external doubts, Apple quickly issued a clarification.
Apple stated that while there have been some cases of longer review times recently, overall, 90% of submissions are still reviewed within 48 hours. Official data indicates that in the past 12 weeks, Apple has processed up to 20 app submissions per week, with an average review time of 1.5 days. Apple also emphasized that they greatly welcome and appreciate new developers submitting innovative applications.
Analysis of viewpoints
The App Store review congestion caused by "Vibe Coding" actually points to a deeper industry structure problem: "When AI makes the marginal cost of content production approach zero, the platform's review and curation capabilities will face extreme tests."
Forrester analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee believes that Apple will be more conservative and cautious in its review process, even if it means "criticizing" some developers. While a stricter review process may anger some developers, it is a necessary step to curb the proliferation of low-quality "AI digital garbage" at this stage.
However, Apple cannot rely on human or traditional mechanisms for gatekeeping forever. As Dipanjan Chatterjee said, "This is not a problem that Apple can solve by simply 'refusing to put on the App Store'; as AI accelerates the generation of applications, Apple must evolve from 'artisan-style human gatekeeping' to 'curation at scale'."
For developers, the future battleground will no longer be "who can write the app", but "whose app has real original value and excellent user experience" to successfully convince Apple's review mechanism and the end consumer among the many AI-generated apps.
