Apple has quietly prevented AI vibe coding apps such as Replit and Vibecode, which help people create games and other applications, from releasing updates to their mobile apps on the App Store unless they make modifications, according to several people with knowledge of the situation.
The company confirmed it has told some app developers that the vibe coding capabilities violate longstanding App Store rules that say an app can’t run code that changes the way it or other apps function. Apple’s crackdown is happening at a time when vibe coding apps are emerging as a potential threat to the company by helping developers create web apps that aren’t listed on its App Store, a key source of revenue and profits for Apple.
