Apple正面临来自新创公司和投资者的反弹，焦点在于它如何把 App Store 规则套用到快速成长的 AI「vibe coding」应用上；这些应用让使用者能迅速生成、预览并推出软体。估值达 9bn、并获 Andreessen Horowitz 支持的 Replit 表示，其 iPhone 应用更新被阻挡；而 Anything 则称其应用多次被阻挡，且在获批后又两度被移除。这场争议已成为一项测试：在 AI 工具让软体创作变得容易得多的市场中，Apple 是否仍能执行长期以来的安全规则。
问题核心在于 Apple 反对应用下载或安装会改变功能的程式码，而 Apple 表示这项规则是为了阻止未经审核的软体在 iPhone 上执行。根据 FT 审阅的往来讯息，Apple 告诉 Anything，AI 生成的应用预览功能违反了禁止下载程式码的规定；Anything 移除该功能并重新提交后，Apple 又以提供「minimum functionality」为由再次拒绝，之后又在 1 day 内短暂恢复并再次移除，理由仍是最初那条规则。Replit 表示，尽管已在平台上多年，更新仍被阻挡，令其「surprised and disappointed」；Vibecode 的更新也曾被延宕，而 Lovable 和 Cursor 等公司尚未推出 iOS 应用。
这场争议出现在 AI 驱动的应用创作加速之际：Sensor Tower 表示，2025 年全球 iOS 应用发布量年增 30%，增幅比 2024 年更明显。Apple 表示，其审核流程可保护隐私与安全，并否认 AI 生成应用拖慢了审批，但批评者认为该公司执法不一致，且可能在抑制竞争。Apple 也在其他地方拥抱类似的 AI 工具，并于 2月 更新 Xcode，加入来自 Anthropic 和 OpenAI 的 coding agents，凸显了鼓励 AI 发展与严格控制 iPhone 生态系之间的张力。
Apple is facing pushback from start-ups and investors over how it applies App Store rules to a fast-growing wave of AI "vibe coding" apps that let users generate, preview, and launch software quickly. Replit, valued at $9bn and backed by Andreessen Horowitz, said its iPhone app updates were blocked, while Anything said its app was repeatedly blocked and twice removed after being approved. The dispute has become a test of whether Apple can enforce long-standing security rules in a market where AI tools are making software creation far easier.
The issue centers on Apple’s rule against apps downloading or installing code that changes functionality, which Apple says is meant to stop unvetted software from running on iPhones. In communications reviewed by the FT, Apple told Anything that AI-generated app preview features violated the code-downloading ban; after Anything removed the feature and resubmitted, Apple rejected it again for offering "minimum functionality," then briefly restored and removed it again within 1 day, citing the original rule. Replit said it was "surprised and disappointed" that updates were blocked despite years on the platform, and Vibecode has also seen updates held up, while companies such as Lovable and Cursor have not yet launched iOS apps.
The controversy comes as AI-driven app creation accelerates: Sensor Tower said global iOS app releases in 2025 rose 30% year on year, a sharper increase than in 2024. Apple says its review process protects privacy and security and denies that AI-generated apps have slowed approvals, but critics argue the company is applying rules inconsistently and may be stifling competition. Apple has also embraced similar AI tools elsewhere, updating Xcode in February to include coding agents from Anthropic and OpenAI, underscoring the tension between encouraging AI development and tightly controlling the iPhone ecosystem.