In a stunning twist that nobody predicted, the very technology that was supposed to render the smartphone app obsolete is now apparently responsible for creating a whole lot more of them. According to a new analysis from Appfigures, worldwide app releases in the first quarter of 2026 were up a staggering 60% year-over-year across both Apple's App Store and Google Play. The iOS App Store alone saw an even more dramatic 80% increase. For the month of April 2026 so far, the total number of app releases is up 104% across both stores compared to last year, and up 89% on iOS. It seems the reports of the App Store's death, as Apple's Greg 'Joz' Joswiak might say, were somewhat premature.

This data arrives amidst a chorus of industry voices, like Nothing CEO Carl Pei, predicting that AI chatbots and agents would make apps irrelevant. The New York Times even reported on potential new computing platforms like smart glasses or AI-powered smartwatches that could eclipse the smartphone. OpenAI is reportedly working on an AI hardware device with famed Apple designer Jony Ive. Yet, the App Store is not just surviving; it's experiencing a renaissance, likely fueled by the very AI tools that were supposed to be its undoing.

The working hypothesis is that AI-powered tools like Claude Code or Replit are making it trivially easy for anyone with an idea to become an app developer. This has led to a new gold rush, particularly in specific categories. While mobile games still dominate new releases, 'productivity' apps have moved into the top five. The 'utilities' category is now number two, 'lifestyle' apps have moved up to number three, and 'health and fitness' applications round out the top five. It appears AI is not just for chatbots; it's also for building your dream calorie counter or productivity widget.

This explosion of new, potentially AI-generated apps is creating a significant moderation headache for Apple. The company was recently caught off guard by a malicious cryptocurrency app, a clone of Ledger Live, that drained $9.5 million from victims' accounts. It also pulled the rewards app Freecash from the Top Charts after months of rule violations. While Apple's 2024 analysis showed it rejected over 320,000 spammy app submissions and blocked more than 37,000 fraudulent apps, critics like John Gruber argue the store needs a dedicated 'bunco squad' to police scams. If AI is indeed the engine behind this app surge, that need will only intensify as more apps, not all of them benign, flood the marketplace.