As reported by The Information, Apple pulled vibe coding app ‘Anything’ from the App Store last week, citing a self-containment rule from its App Review Guidelines. Here are the details.
A bit of background
A few days ago, The Information reported that Apple was blocking updates to vibe coding apps such as Replit and Vibecode, claiming they violated “longstanding App Store rules that say an app can’t run code that changes the way it or other apps function,” per the report.
On that same day, in a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple said that the problem isn’t vibe coding apps per se, but rather apps that violate certain sections of the App Review Guidelines, and the Developer Program License.
Specifically, Apple has taken issue with apps that it claims violate section 2.5.2 of the App Review Guidelines, which states the following:
Apps should be self-contained in their bundles, and may not read or write data outside the designated container area, nor may they download, install, or execute code which introduces or changes features or functionality of the app, including other apps. Educational apps designed to teach, develop, or allow students to test executable code may, in limited circumstances, download code provided that such code is not used for other purposes. Such apps must make the source code provided by the app completely viewable and editable by the user.
In the statement to 9to5Mac, Apple also pointed to section 3.3.1(B) of the Developer Program License, which states:
Interpreted code may be downloaded to an Application but only so long as such code: (a) does not change the primary purpose of the Application by providing features or functionality that are inconsistent with the intended and advertised purpose of the Application.
In other words (and running the risk of oversimplifying the issue), Apple seems fine with apps that help users build other apps, but not with apps that can change their own behavior by generating and running code outside of App Store review, which sometimes is part of the vibe coding process, depending on the app’s workflow.
Apple removes ‘Anything’ from the App Store
In today’s report, The Information says that Apple has pulled vibe coding app ‘Anything’ from the App Store, citing 2.5.2 of the App Review Guidelines.
The report notes that it isn’t immediately clear why Apple decided to take action against ‘Anything’ specifically, and that the app was removed after developer Dhruv Amin tried to address the very situation Apple had been taking issue with:
Following The Information’s coverage of the issue early this month, Anything sought to make an update to the app that would allow users of the tool to see previews of their vibe coded apps inside a web browser rather than inside the Anything app. Apple rejected that submission and removed the app entirely from the App Store, Amin said.
The Information says that Apple didn’t respond to its requests for comment. As of right now, similar vibe coding apps remain available on the App Store.
What’s your take on how Apple is dealing with vibe coding apps? Let us know in the comments.
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