Many predicted that AI would eliminate apps. However, the number of new app launches is skyrocketing.

As per a recent report from market intelligence firm Appfigures, global app launches in the first quarter of 2026 increased by 60% compared to the previous year across both Apple’s App Store and Google Play. This figure rose to an impressive 80% when considering only the iOS App Store. Thus far in April 2026, the total number of app launches has surged by 104% across both platforms compared to the same period last year, with a nearly 89% increase on iOS.

Greg “Joz” Joswiak, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, humorously remarked in a recent discussion that claims regarding the demise of the App Store in the AI era “may have been greatly exaggerated.”

These insights appear amidst worries that the growth of AI chatbots and agents might lead users to abandon apps – a suggestion already posited by industry figures, such as Nothing’s CEO Carl Pei, who is intent on developing a smartphone for the AI generation. The New York Times highlighted last year the possibility of new computing platforms overtaking smartphones, such as smart glasses, ambient computing gadgets, or redesigned smartwatches with AI functionalities.

OpenAI is reportedly even collaborating with renowned Apple designer Jony Ive on an AI hardware device.

However, there’s another angle to consider: AI may facilitate app creation, leading to a revival of the App Store. This new wave of app development might be spearheaded by creators who have innovative concepts but lack the technical know-how to develop mobile software.

Data from Appfigures shows that some app categories are experiencing more new launches than others.

Mobile games continue to dominate global new app releases as of Q1 2026, consistent with previous years. However, this year, “productivity” apps have entered the top five. The “utilities” category has ascended to the second position, while “lifestyle” apps have climbed from the fifth position last year to the third position now. Finally, “health and fitness” applications complete the top five categories.

The hypothesis suggests that AI-driven tools, such as Claude Code or Replit, could be contributing to this increase in new launches. It appears we may be reaching a tipping point regarding AI usability, enabling individuals to utilize these resources to create their own mobile applications more efficiently — or even embark on building their very first apps.

The influx of new apps awaiting review by Apple may also be implicated in some of the tech giant’s recent errors. This week, Apple removed the rewards app Freecash from the App Store for violating rules, after allowing it to rise in the Top Charts and remain within the top five for several months. Additionally, Apple faced an unexpected threat from a malicious cryptocurrency app, a fake version of Ledger Live, that siphoned $9.5 million in crypto from users’ accounts.

Although significant issues like these can create negative publicity for the App Store, the company still effectively prevents and rejects hazardous or spammy apps. According to Apple’s latest analysis from 2024, the firm removed or denied over 17,000 apps for bait-and-switch violations that year; rejected more than 320,000 app submissions identified as spam, duplicates, or misleading; and acted to block over 37,000 potentially fraudulent apps from being available to users on the App Store.

Nonetheless, Apple commentators like John Gruber have long contended that the App Store requires a vigilant team to monitor for fraudulent or scammy applications that are gaining traction or generating significant revenue.

If AI-assisted coding becomes the catalyst for this recent wave of app launches, the necessity for such vigilance will only increase as more new apps enter the market, not all of which will be harmless.