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AI is turning Apple's app review process into a nightmare for synth developers

What HN thinks

A flood of vibe-coded slop meets a review queue staffed like it's 2020, and everyone is waiting on the same 500 people.

Apple's fault, not AI's
App review was bad long before AI, and Apple could easily afford more reviewers or simply allow sideloading and third-party stores. Many say only regulation will force a change.
Slop flood justifies stricter review
AI-generated spam apps are swamping the store, so tougher gatekeeping in crowded categories like synths makes sense. Some argue this developer was copying Serum and acting entitled.
Others are worse or no different
Google Play's 12-tester rule, Steam's slowdowns and Anthropic's MCP directory are described as equally bad or worse, while some developers report fast approvals.

Consensus: Most agree review times have grown because of a surge of AI-generated apps, and that Apple's process is opaque and inconsistent. Commenters split on whether stricter gatekeeping is justified.

Recommended in the comments

GrapheneOS (product): Offered as a way to own a phone that runs any software you like.
MVAVE FM-1 (product): Hackable music hardware was suggested as an escape from App Store gatekeeping.
F-Droid (service): Cited as an example of software you can install outside the official stores.
Web MIDI API ↗ (other): If WebKit supported it, web synths could replace iOS apps.

Summarised by Claude from the comment thread 15 hours ago.

Points: 162
Comments: 186
Best rank: #6
Posted: 2026-11-12 by anigbrowl
Category: Mobile

apple-app-store app-review ios auv3 music-apps vibe-coding synthesizers

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