Everyone said AI would kill apps. Instead, new app launches are soaring.

According to a new analysis from market intelligence provider Appfigures, worldwide app releases in the first quarter of 2026 were up 60% year-over-year across both Apple’s App Store and Google Play. That percentage was an even higher 80% when looking at the iOS App Store alone. In April 2026 so far, the total number of app releases is up 104% across both stores compared to the same time last year, and up 89% on iOS.

As Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Greg “Joz” Joswiak, quipped in a recent interview: rumors of the App Store’s death in the AI age ‘may have been greatly exaggerated.’

These findings come amid concerns that the rise of AI chatbots and agents would ultimately see users turning away from apps. But there’s another possibility too: AI will make it easier for anyone to create apps, driving a rebirth of the App Store. The new app gold rush could be led by creators who have ideas but not the technical skills to design mobile software.

The explosion of new apps for Apple to review could also be behind some of the tech giant’s recent missteps. This week, Apple pulled the rewards app Freecash from the App Store for rules violations after letting it climb the store’s Top Charts and sit in the top five for months. Apple was also caught off guard by a malicious cryptocurrency app that drained $9.5 million in crypto from victims’ accounts.