Apple blocks vibe coding apps from Replit and Anything, sparking developer backlash over rules

Start-ups challenge Apple over curbs on AI 'vibe coding' apps

Apple's handling of "vibe coding" apps is drawing complaints from start-ups and investors who say the tech giant is applying App Store rules erratically as AI tools make it easier to build software. Replit, valued at $9bn and backed by venture capital group Andreessen Horowitz, said Apple was blocking updates to its iPhone app, while start-up Anything said its app had been repeatedly blocked and had twice been removed after initially being approved. Their accounts, alongside Apple communications reviewed by the FT, offer a window into how the iPhone maker is responding to the surge in apps that allow users to generate and test software with AI. Apple said its review process was designed to protect users' privacy and security and denied a surge in AI-generated apps had slowed approvals. But start-ups suggest the company is struggling to apply existing App Store rules to a new class of AI tools that can generate, preview and launch software almost instantly. "We're in the dark," Anything founder Dhruv Amin said. "Either they should stop enforcing the rules in this weird way, or they should update the guideline to let this use case emerge." The dispute centres on a longstanding App Store rule that bars apps from downloading or installing code that changes their functionality, a restriction Apple says is designed to prevent unvetted software from running on iPhones. In communications seen by the FT, Apple repeatedly told Anything that features allowing users to preview apps built with AI-generated code breached that rule, under a catch-all prohibition against "downloading code". After the company removed the preview feature and resubmitted its app, Apple rejected it again on separate grounds, saying it now offered "minimum functionality", according to the correspondence. Apple briefly restored Anything to the App Store in early April before removing it again within a day, citing the original code-downloading restriction. When contacted by the FT, the iPhone maker did not explain the reversal or say why the app had been approved in the first place. Other developers have reported similar issues. Replit said it was "surprised and disappointed" at the move to block updates to its app, "given that we have been on the platform for years abiding by their rules". The start-up said it was "in discussions with Apple" and hoped to resolve the issue. Another app, Vibecode, has also had updates held up. Other leading vibe-coding companies, such as Lovable and Cursor, have yet to launch their own apps on the iOS mobile platform. Apple polices the software on its mobile store more closely than apps for Mac computers. According to Sensor Tower, the number of iOS apps released globally in 2025 rose 30 per cent year on year, a sharp acceleration compared with 2024. There had been a "big upsurge in vibe coding" driven by AI agents that can write and run code, said Anastasios Angelopoulos, chief executive of Arena, an open platform for evaluating AI models. "The barrier to entry for building an app is getting extremely low." Apple is embracing the same technology elsewhere in its ecosystem. In February, it updated its developer toolkit, Xcode, to include AI coding agents from groups including Anthropic and OpenAI. Andreessen Horowitz partner David George said moves to "pump the brakes" on some vibe-coding apps "under the banner of security" risked stifling innovation and competition. "More surgical enforcement of [the App Store's] terms should be the priority," he said.

Apple's Stance on Vibe Coding Apps Leaves Startups Frustrated | PYMNTS.com

By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. As the Financial Times (FT) reported Sunday (May 3), the issue centers around what these companies argue is Apple's erratic approach to applying App Store rules. This is happening amid a rise in artificial intelligence tools designed to make it easier to develop software. One of these companies, Replit, said Apple had blocked updates to its iPhone app. Another startup, Anything, said its app had been blocked repeatedly and twice pulled from the App Store despite being approved initially. Apple said its review process was created to protect users' privacy and security and denied an uptick in AI-generated apps had led to slower approvals, FT added. However, vibe coding startups say the iPhone maker is having a tough time applying its existing rules to AI tools that can create and roll out software almost instantly, the report added. "We're in the dark," Anything founder Dhruv Amin told FT. "Either they should stop enforcing the rules in this weird way, or they should update the guideline to let this use case emerge." The FT story follows a similar report last week from The Information about an apparent crackdown on vibe coding services. That report noted that the vibe coding wave has led to an explosion of new apps on platforms like the iPhone, something that could pose a problem for Apple if this trend floods the App Store with lesser-quality apps. Beyond that, the report added, these tools could be competition for Apple's Xcode developer tool, which has launched integrations with Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's Codex models. Writing about the advent of vibe coding earlier this year, PYMNTS argued that the office of the CFO is a perfect fit for this space, at least on paper. "Finance has always been data-rich and time-poor," that report said. "Modern organizations generate enormous volumes of financial and operational data across ERP systems, planning tools, data warehouses and point solutions." Access to data has never been an obstacle. Rather, the roadblock is but the friction that comes with interrogating it. "However, vibe coding and conversational AI promise to help collapse much of that friction," the report added.