Artificial intelligence is making it easier to build apps, but it may take longer to get them on the App Store.
Since the mainstream release of agentic coding in 2025, there’s been an influx of apps released on Apple’s App Store each month, according to data from marketing intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
The number of iOS apps released in the US grew 54.8% year-over-year in January after hitting 56% in December — the highest rate in the past four years. It’s unclear what portion of the newly released apps were made with the help of vibe coding.
Just about anyone can vibe code and build useful software. It’s a tool people use to create apps and make a living.
Although vibe-coded apps are having a moment, not all developers are happy about their presence on the App Store. One coder and a thread of Reddit users have cited longer wait times for approval from Apple.
James Steinberg, a 35-year-old vibe coder and cat sitter in New York City, said he thinks that the app store is “overloaded with people like me submitting tons of apps.” He’s been waiting around six weeks to get his app live, and said he’s been waiting between two days to a week to get updates.
“The slowest thing is now the Apple store — not making the app, not marketing,” Steinberg said. “Yeah, it’s pretty wild.”
Apple said that while there have been some longer review times, 90% of submissions are reviewed within 48 hours. Over the last 12 weeks, Apple said it has processed over 200,000 app submissions a week, with an average review time of 1.5 days. It added that it’s excited to see new developers submitting apps.
Other developers on the iOS programming subreddit also complained about approvals taking longer than before. Some users on Reddit said they worry the review process could become stricter to prevent vibe-coded apps and AI slop from reaching consumers.
These developers’ frustrations come at a time when people are making careers out of vibe coding. Platforms like Lovable have listed jobs calling for professional vibe coders.
Forrester analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee said he expects Apple to err on the side of caution when approving apps for the App Store. A stricter process might frustrate developers, but it mitigates the amount of AI slop out there, he said. It’ll have to come up with a more long-term solution soon, however.
“This is not a problem Apple can reject its way out of; as AI accelerates app creation, the company will have to evolve from artisanal gatekeeping to curation at scale,” Chatterjee told Business Insider.
