AI coding boom drives surge in App Store submissions, raising review and policy challenges

Apple’s App Store is experiencing a sharp increase in new app submissions, driven largely by the rapid adoption of AI-powered coding tools, according to reporting from The Information.

Data cited in the report indicates that global app releases rose significantly over the past year, reversing a multi-year decline. New app submissions grew by roughly 30% year over year to nearly 600,000, with some periods showing even sharper spikes. This follows a prolonged slowdown between 2016 and 2024, when new app launches declined substantially.

The shift is closely tied to the emergence of AI-assisted development tools such as Claude Code and OpenAI Codex. These systems enable users to generate functional applications using natural language prompts, lowering technical barriers and accelerating development cycles. As a result, both non-programmers and experienced developers are producing applications at a faster pace.

Industry data suggests that a significant share of newly launched apps now rely on some form of AI-generated code. Analysts attribute the surge to the growing accessibility of “agentic” coding tools, which automate parts of the software development process that previously required manual input.

The increase in submissions has introduced operational challenges for Apple’s App Review process. Developers have raised concerns about longer review times, though Apple maintains that the majority of submissions are still processed within 48 hours. The company reports reviewing more than 200,000 apps per week, with an average turnaround time of approximately 1.5 days.

To manage the growing volume, Apple has expanded its use of internal AI systems to support human reviewers. Despite this, every app submission continues to undergo manual review as part of the platform’s approval process.

At the same time, Apple has taken action against certain AI-driven development platforms that it says violate App Store policies. Some apps that generate and execute code dynamically have been removed or blocked from updates, particularly in cases where their functionality can change after approval. This reflects Apple’s restrictions on apps that alter their core behavior after passing review.

The surge in AI-assisted app creation is also prompting renewed scrutiny of existing App Store guidelines. As development tools evolve, questions are emerging about how platform rules should apply to software built with dynamically generated or interpreted code.