Apple blocks vibe coding apps, sparking clash with AI startups over outdated App Store rules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 Is Blocking Vibe Coding Apps From the App Store, Infuriating Developers

Can't-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech There's unrest brewing in the world of vibe-coding startups. Apple is blocking AI coding apps on the App Store, sparking complaints among AI companies that believe the tech giant's rules are outdated and draconian, the Financial Times reports. Apple's resistance here could remain a huge roadblock for the AI industry, as coding tools have become one of the most popular -- and potentially profitable -- use cases for AI. The rule in question is App Store Guideline 2.5.2, which blocks apps from downloading, installing, or executing code that changes their functionality. This is a safety measure that Apple argues prevents unvetted software from running on users' phones, per the FT. That's quite clearly a problem for vibe-coding AI tools, whose purpose is to design and build entire pieces of software for you; when you use one of these apps' preview functions to test your vibe-coded creation, that's downloading and executing code. Among the aggrieved startups is Replit, which complained that Apple was blocking updates to its app. Another startup called Anything said its app was repeatedly blocked and was removed twice after being initially approved. Anything even went public about its struggles with Apple last month, blasting its grievances to its followers on social media. "We're in the dark," Anything founder Dhruv Amin told the 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 viewed communications between Apple and Anything in which Apple emphasized that letting users preview their vibe-coded apps breached the restriction against "downloading code." When Anything removed the preview feature, Apple rejected it again because it now offered "minimum functionality," the communications showed. In early April, Apple let Anything back on the App store, before removing it within a day, citing the prohibition against downloading code. The FT asked Apple about its reasoning for the reversal, but didn't hear back. Replit, meanwhile, told the magazine that it was "surprised and disappointed" by Apple blocking updates to its app, "given that we have been on the platform for years abiding by their rules." It added it was "in discussions with Apple" in the hopes of resolving the issue. On the one hand, the vibe coders aren't wrong to be frustrated with Apple's mixed signals, see-sawing between allowing and banning their apps. But on the other hand, Apple is right to be wary of the risks posed by AI tools that can crank out volumes of code on a mere whim, which can backfire in unexpected ways or be deliberately harnessed for nefarious purposes. It'll be an interesting tug of war to see play out, but for the moment Apple seems to be winning; other hugely popular vibe-coding apps like Cursor are yet to even launch their own iPhone apps, the FT noted.

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.