AI Coding Sparks App Store Review Delays

The App Store review process at Apple is experiencing substantial delays, with some developers waiting up to six weeks for their AI-assisted apps to be approved. This bottleneck follows a significant rise in app submissions, with a nearly 55 percent year-over-year increase in new US iOS apps in January 2026. The accessibility of agentic coding tools in 2025 has empowered more individuals to create and submit applications.

While individual developers report extended wait times, even for app updates, Apple has refuted claims of widespread delays. The tech giant states that 90 percent of submissions are still reviewed within 48 hours and that they handle over 200,000 submissions weekly, averaging a 1.5-day review time. However, market analysts believe Apple will require a more robust, scalable solution beyond its current case-by-case review system to manage the influx of AI-generated content.