Apple removes 'Anything' vibe‑coding app from App Store

Apple’s fight with the “Anything” app is less about one startup than about where each mobile platform draws the line on software that creates software. Anything’s co-founder, Dhruv Amin, said earlier this year that Apple removed the app from the App Store under Guideline 2.5.2, a rule Apple uses to restrict apps that download, install or execute code. TechCrunch reported on April 14 that Apple had removed the app twice, briefly restored it, and then pulled it again after exchanges with the company. On May 20, developers tied to the app said on X that they had put Anything on Google Play in about 30 seconds after its App Store removal. Those posts came one day after Google I/O, where Google said it was pushing further into agentic tools and that “now anyone can be a builder.” ### What exactly did Apple object to? TechCrunch reported that Apple told Anything its app marketed itself as an iPhone app builder, with features including native iOS app creation, code export and source-code editing. (techcrunch.com) According to screenshots and Amin’s account cited by TechCrunch, Apple said the product ran afoul of Guideline 2.5.2. (blog.google) Apple’s App Review Guidelines say apps may not be used to introduce code or functionality that changes what reviewers examined, and Apple frames the App Store as a curated environment centered on safety, security and privacy. Apple also says that if the App Store model does not fit a business, “there is always the open Internet,” and points developers to web distribution and, in some markets, alternative app marketplaces. (techcrunch.com) ### Why does this keep hitting vibe-coding apps? TechCrunch reported that Anything, Replit and Vibecode were among the affected apps as Apple increased scrutiny of products that let users generate and run software from prompts. Amin told TechCrunch the company had gone through emails, calls, appeals and multiple rewrites while trying to satisfy Apple’s review process. (developer.apple.com) The practical problem is that vibe-coding products often promise more than text generation. They pitch app creation, previewing, editing and sometimes execution. On iOS, that can collide with Apple’s long-standing restrictions on downloadable code and on apps that materially change after review, according to Apple’s published rules and the company’s explanation to Anything cited by TechCrunch. (techcrunch.com) ### Why did Google suddenly become part of this story? Google said on May 19 at I/O 2026 that it was expanding “agent-first” development tools through Gemini and Android-related products, and said its updates meant “now anyone can be a builder.” That language landed as developers were already discussing Apple’s clampdown on iPhone-based vibe-coding tools. (techcrunch.com) The contrast is platform-specific, not rhetorical. Apple’s public rules emphasize review-time containment and limits on executable code, while Google’s I/O announcements emphasized broader creation tools and agentic workflows across Android and Gemini. ### Did Anything abandon iPhone development? Anything told TechCrunch in April that it was looking at other routes, including a desktop companion app and Android, after the App Store dispute. (blog.google) The company had also launched an iMessage-based feature to keep parts of its product available on Apple devices while it worked around the removal. (developer.apple.com) That means the story is not simply “Apple banned one app.” It is a test case for whether AI app-builders can fit inside iPhone review rules without tripping code-execution limits, or whether they move key creation features to the web, desktop or Android instead. That framing is an inference from Apple’s rules, Google’s product push and Anything’s own stated fallback plans. (techcrunch.com) ### What should developers watch next? Apple’s next signal will come through App Review decisions and any changes to Guideline 2.5.2 or related documentation on its developer site. Google’s next signal will come through how quickly its I/O-announced Android and Gemini creation features reach developers and consumers. Anything’s next visible step is likely to show up first on Google Play, its desktop tools or its posts from Amin and the company account. (techcrunch.com) (developer.apple.com)