'App Pollution' Worsens as Vibe Coding Lowers Entry Barriers

In Q1 This Year, New Apps on Apple App Store Up 84%
Proliferation of Similar Productivity Tool Apps

The application (app) market is expanding due to "vibe coding," where artificial intelligence (AI) programs apps based on verbal explanations of plans or ideas. However, concerns have been raised that the rapid proliferation of apps is overloading app markets and could lead to security issues.

According to the app data site "AppBrain" as of May 12, the number of apps available on Google's app marketplace, Google Play Store, stands at 1,818,125. After dropping to 1,593,038 in April last year, the number of apps has been increasing this year. The number of app registrations is also surging on Apple's app marketplace, the App Store. An analysis found that the number of new apps registered with the global App Store in the first quarter of this year rose 84% year-on-year to 235,800. Korea's domestic app marketplace, One Store, has also seen a noticeable increase in the number of apps. A One Store representative stated, "While it's difficult to disclose exact figures, the number of new app registrations has been visibly increasing due to the influence of vibe coding."

The problem is that app markets are experiencing "app pollution," with many apps offering similar functions being registered. App pollution refers to a situation where the excessive number of apps actually lowers device performance or hinders consumer choice. As of May 12, among the top 100 most popular apps on Google Play Store, financial and stock-related apps were the most common, numbering 17. This was followed by 16 productivity tool apps, and 10 each in the categories of social networking services (SNS), chat, online video services (OTT), entertainment, and lifestyle apps. However, most productivity tool apps provide similar services, such as viewing PDF or Excel files. Their names also frequently include terms like "reader" or "viewer," indicating their similar functions.

As the number of app registrations increases, app markets are suffering from overload. In the case of the Apple App Store, it is known that the review period for new apps now takes three to seven days—longer than the previous one to two days. To address this, Apple is blocking real-time programming of AI-based app creation by prohibiting apps from downloading code externally to change their functions. On May 3, the AI coding platform Replit was also blocked from updating on the Apple App Store.

Experts warn that security risks could also rise. Hacking techniques are advancing through AI, but apps created by general users without sufficient programming knowledge continue to be registered in app markets.

Choi Byungho, a research professor at the Human-Inspired AI Research Institute at Korea University, said, "Apps developed through vibe coding are very likely to lack a thorough security system, but it is difficult for users to distinguish these apps when downloading. The perception that standards for security and performance in app development need to be raised should spread throughout the AI and IT industries."