In recent months, Apple’s App Store has experienced a significant surge in new app submissions driven largely by advancements in artificial intelligence, particularly through a process known as "vibecoding." This method allows individuals with little or no programming experience to develop mobile applications by describing their ideas to AI tools, which then generate the underlying code.
This wave of new app creators includes developers like Marco Pérez, a software engineer from Chicago who built two apps using vibecoding tools. His first, InfoDrizzle, aggregates news content and has achieved approximately 1,300 downloads since its launch earlier this year. His second app, Stampa, which converts photos into digital postage stamps, gained greater traction with 20,000 downloads following its May release. Pérez credits the lowered technical barriers for making the app market attractive once again, describing the current environment as a revitalization of a space that had seen slower growth in recent years.
App analytics firm Sensor Tower reports that in 2025, new app releases on the App Store increased by 30 percent to roughly 600,000, and in the first half of 2026, submissions doubled to about 560,000. This uptick contrasts with the earlier stagnation observed post-2017 when new releases had declined to around 420,000 in 2022 as the market matured and consumer attention consolidated around a smaller number of popular apps.
While the growth in submissions has the potential to benefit Apple financially—given its revenue share from in-app purchases ranging from 15 to 30 percent—the increase has not translated into proportional growth in app downloads. Last year, total downloads rose modestly by 3 percent to 35.4 billion, and in the first half of 2026, downloads grew by about 2 percent to 17.6 billion. This suggests that many of the newly launched apps have yet to achieve substantial user engagement.
The influx of apps also places additional demands on Apple’s review process. Developers have reported prolonged delays, with some apps reportedly waiting weeks for approval. Apple has responded by emphasizing its commitment to careful review and quality standards. A company spokesperson stated that 90 percent of app submissions are reviewed within 48 hours and highlighted the company’s efforts to maintain high standards for privacy, security, and overall quality.
Former App Store head Phillip Shoemaker noted that unlike physical stores with limited shelf space, the digital nature of the App Store means the proliferation of quickly made or niche apps does not necessarily pose a problem. He suggested that even apps used only sporadically can coexist without significant drawbacks for the platform.
Since its launch in 2008, the App Store has remained a central hub for mobile applications, with major successes like Flappy Bird demonstrating the potential for individual developers to earn substantial revenue. However, with over $34 billion collected by Apple from in-app purchases in 2025 alone, the company’s challenge remains balancing the benefits of a thriving developer ecosystem with maintaining a user experience that encourages meaningful engagement. The rise of vibecoding tools marks a new chapter in this ongoing dynamic, reshaping how apps are created and introduced to the global market.