App Store review times are being dragged down by a flood of AI-made apps and games
Multiple game developers have reported significant slowdowns in Apple’s App Store review process, with approval times stretching from the expected 24-48 hours to several weeks. Small and mid-sized studios contacted mobilegamer-biz to report delays that are directly impacting their development timelines and budgets. The developers requested anonymity to protect their business relationships with Apple.
The slowdown appears directly linked to a flood of AI-generated apps and games submitted to the App Store. The Information reported in April that the platform experienced an 84% jump in new app submissions in a recent quarter, illustrating the scale of the influx. In contrast, developers have not observed similar review delays on Google’s Play Store, where processing times have remained stable, suggesting the problem is specific to Apple’s review infrastructure being overwhelmed.
The consequences for legitimate developers are tangible: extended approval timelines delay product launches, affect revenue projections, and force schedule adjustments. The situation highlights a broader challenge facing platform holders as AI-generated content proliferates. Apple’s review team must balance maintaining quality standards and preventing low-quality AI apps from degrading the store experience while efficiently processing legitimate submissions.
The issue raises pressing questions about the scalability of Apple’s review process and whether the platform will need to implement new strategies, tools, or policies specifically targeting AI-generated submissions to resolve the backlog affecting independent developers.