Apple has taken a tough stance on the Vibecoding app, blocking updates and removing the app from the App Store. Affected apps include Replit, Vibecode, and Anything. The Anything app was removed twice while Replit and Vibecode updates were paused. The company is currently exploring new ways for users to build apps for mobile devices, including offering a desktop version of the service.
Dhruv Amin, co-founder of Anything, said in a conversation with TechCrunch that Apple removed the app on March 26th. Since then, the company has been unable to get its app approved, despite a brief resurgence.
“There’s been a long story behind this. We built the mobile app primarily so that users developing iOS apps could preview their apps on their devices while they were being developed.[We]didn’t have any issues until December. After December, updates started being blocked for us and everyone else in that category,” Amin told TechCrunch.
Amin noted that Apple told the company that the app was restricted or removed due to Developer Agreement Clause 2.5.2, which prevents apps from downloading, installing, or running code.
“This app markets itself as a mobile app builder for iPhone, promoting the creation of native iOS apps with features such as one-tap App Store submission, code export, and full source code editing,” Apple told the company, according to a screenshot of the email shared by Anything on X.
Amin said that when the company managed to get a call with Apple, it was told that the iPhone maker had removed the Vibe Coding app because it could be used to download malicious code. Additionally, Apple noted that users could create harmful apps, sideload them onto their phones, and claim that they passed Apple’s app review process.
The Anything app was restored on April 3, but was quickly removed after Apple told the company it could no longer market itself as an app maker.
TechCrunch has reached out to Apple for comment on these deletions and will update this article if we hear back.
After a battle with Apple, the makers of Anything are exploring other ways to help people build mobile apps. Earlier this month, the company launched a feature that allows users to build apps using the iMessage platform. The company said it will also build a desktop companion app that lets users vibrate the mobile app on their computers.
Additionally, Amin said the company may consider Google’s Android operating system to build the app instead, since the platform is more open than iOS.
Beyond the vibecoding app maker, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has also been vocal about Apple’s strategy.
In a response to Replit’s Amjad Massad about X, Sweeney said Apple needs to “stop blocking developer tools and apps as soon as possible.”
Earlier this month, The Information reported that Apple saw an 84% increase in app submissions in one quarter thanks to AI-powered coding tools. This could force Apple to change its human-driven review process.
Additionally, as AI-powered coding becomes more prevalent, consumers may demand that platforms like Apple allow them to create their own apps.
