Surprise Twist: New Apps Are Flooding Apple and Google Stores at Record Rates, And AI Might Be the Secret

For a while now, many smart people in tech have been predicting the end of traditional apps. They argued that powerful AI chatbots and intelligent digital helpers would take over, making our individual apps less and less necessary. We would just ask an AI to do something, rather than open a specific app.

But here is the unexpected news: that is not what is happening at all. Instead, it seems like apps are booming. A new report from Appfigures, a company that tracks app markets, shows a massive surge in new app releases around the world. In the first three months of this year, new app launches were up a huge 60 percent compared to last year across both Apple’s App Store and Google Play. For Apple’s store alone, the increase was an even more impressive 80 percent.

The numbers for April are even wilder. So far this month, the total number of new apps released has more than doubled, up 104 percent on both stores compared to April of last year. Apple’s App Store saw an 89 percent jump in that same period. Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Greg Joswiak, even joked recently that rumors of the App Store’s death were "greatly exaggerated."

This huge comeback for apps goes against a popular theory that AI would simply replace them. Tech leaders like Carl Pei, who heads the phone company Nothing, have openly said that smartphone apps will disappear as AI assistants take their place. Even big names like The New York Times reported last year on how new types of computing, like smart glasses or advanced smartwatches with AI, might overshadow our phones. There have even been whispers about OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, working on its own AI hardware device with the legendary Apple designer Jony Ive.

But there is another way to look at it, and it seems to be playing out now. Instead of killing apps, AI might be making it incredibly easy for anyone to create them. We could be seeing a brand-new "app gold rush," driven by people who have brilliant ideas but might not have the traditional coding skills to bring mobile software to life. Imagine creating a functional app just by telling an AI what you want it to do.

Appfigures’ data gives us a clue about what kind of apps are leading this surge. While mobile games still represent the largest chunk of new releases, other categories are climbing fast. "Productivity" apps, which help you get things done, have jumped into the top five this year. "Utilities" apps, which often handle small but useful tasks, are now number two. "Lifestyle" apps, covering things like hobbies or personal interests, moved up to third place. Rounding out the top five are "health and fitness" applications.

The leading theory is that powerful AI coding tools, like those from companies such as Claude Code or Replit, are making this all possible. It feels like we are at a turning point where these AI tools are becoming user-friendly enough for almost anyone to quickly build a mobile app. This could mean a lot of first-time app creators are now joining the marketplace.

So, why should you, an everyday person, care about this massive wave of new apps. First, it means you could soon see an explosion of new, perhaps more niche or creative, apps available for your phone. If it is easier for more people to build apps, we might get highly specialized tools or unique experiences that bigger companies would not bother making. It could lead to a burst of innovation and choice, tailored to all sorts of interests.

However, more apps also means more clutter. The sheer volume of new applications could make it harder to find the truly good ones. This surge also has a downside when it comes to trust and safety. Think about how Apple and Google review the apps that get into their stores. With so many new apps flooding in, their review teams might get overwhelmed.

We have already seen this challenge recently. Apple, despite its strong reputation for screening apps, had to pull a rewards app called Freecash from its store this month for breaking rules, even after it spent months on the top charts. They also missed a malicious cryptocurrency app that pretended to be another well-known service, which ended up stealing millions of dollars from users. Experts have often suggested that Apple needs a dedicated team to proactively hunt down scammy apps that manage to slip through. If AI truly lowers the bar for app creation, that need for careful oversight will only grow, because not every new app will have good intentions.

What happens next will be fascinating to watch. Will this app explosion continue at the same pace, or is it a temporary bubble? How will Apple and Google adapt their app review systems to handle this unprecedented volume of new submissions while still protecting users? Will AI itself become a tool for these companies to better identify harmful apps, or will it create even more sophisticated ways for bad actors to get through? Keep an eye out for new kinds of apps appearing and any changes in how app stores manage their growing libraries.

Do you think AI making app creation easier will lead to exciting new apps, or just a flood of low-quality ones that are hard to navigate?

How much would you trust an app built primarily by AI, especially if it handled sensitive personal data?

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Filed under: AppStoreBoom, AICode, MobileApps, TechTrends, DeveloperTools