Apple removes iPhone vibe coding app from app store

peddling-brink

As I understand it, these apps allowed running custom code from the app, and that has always been disallowed.

_alternator_

The real problem for Apple here: in the fairly near future, the model of pre-defined functionality of software will be obsolete. All apps will be vibe coded and customized. Individual apps will basically be silos that protect proprietary data sources that are difficult to collect. But they will be infinitely more configurable than they are today.

cadamsdotcom

It’ll be interesting to see if Apple comes around on customization of apps in general, because hopefully that’ll soon be what users expect. In the world where users expect to be able to customize software more and more, apps start to look quite rigid and open platforms like the web that offer flexibility start to look more appealing. Imagine a Lovable-style PWA that morphs into the app you vibecoded by storing the generated code in localStorage, for example - with cloud fallbacks to re-download the code if the storage is wiped.

legitronics

What does vibe coding add here? How is this any different than just arbitrary code execution on device, which is exactly what this gatekeeper rule covers? (Not commenting on the rule, just want to see what’s new here)

mentalgear

Apple's huge problem here is - even though the get 50% more native app submissions this year - that these apps-in-apps (no matter how buggy they are) do not get them their predatory 30% Apple cut. That being said, it is rumoured that Apple will make deal with the big one like Replit as long as these apps do not run on ios - they are going to keep profiting off that walled garden until it collapses.

barbazoo

It's refreshing that projects like https://grapheneos.org/ exist that let you take control of your device again at least to some degree.

k310

IANAL, but I think it means creating apps that stand alone outside their creator. I have a couple of linux VM's a-shell and iSH, but nothing runs outside of them.

NotPractical

Apple's own Swift Playground app does the exact thing that supposedly violates the rules, abusing an inconsistently-applied exception for "educational" apps [1]. Recent regulation doesn't help here, by the way. iOS apps submitted for "notarization" to be distributed in alternative app stores in the EU, Japan, etc. still must comply with a subset of the guidelines, including 2.5.2. EU is probably not interested in strengthening the DMA so that Apple doesn't have to approve everything because then it makes other EU regulations easier to bypass (e.g. Chat Control). Looks like YC wasted their money on this one, unless it's exempt because one of the founders used to work at Apple or something: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45041185 [1] https://developer.apple.com/swift-playground/