The narrative that apps are dying, pushed aside by AI agents that handle tasks on their own, has grown louder in recent months. Yet a look at what's actually happening in the App Store tells a different story. New app launches have surged 60% year-over-year globally in the first quarter of 2026, and on Apple's iOS store alone that figure hit 80%, according to one report. Far from fading away, independent developers are shipping creative, niche tools that solve real problems — often with AI quietly working under the hood. Main Developments Several recent app launches illustrate the breadth of what independent developers are building. Albo (previously called Sortd, but unrelated to an older app of the same name) targets anyone who bookmarks content from social media and then forgets about it. Users share a link from TikTok, Instagram Reel, YouTube, or any website to the app, which automatically pulls details from the post, categorizes the idea, and saves it. The post and any notes remain available in Albo even if the original creator deletes the content later. The app works with Pinterest, X, LinkedIn, Threads, Reddit, Facebook, and browsers like Chrome and Safari. Users can also add screenshots. Albo categorizes saved ideas by type — travel spots, recipes, movies, workouts, books — and collections can be shared with friends. It comes from the London-based studio The Feel Good Project, which focuses on tech that leaves users feeling inspired rather than drained by doomscrolling. The app is free with a subscription for advanced features, though reviewers noted the onboarding process pushes the trial subscription heavily. Read also: Why HBO Max's vertical video feed could change how you browse Coop addresses a different concern: a recent parasite outbreak in the U.S. has made people more conscious about where their food comes from. Buying from local growers and bakers is safer and supports the community, but not everyone can make it to the farmers market. Coop's neighborhood marketplace lets users buy handmade and homegrown items from nearby sellers — fresh eggs from a farmhouse, baked goods from a neighbor, or bartered goods. Sellers get an additional income stream, and buyers browse by location, follow favorites, and pay through Stripe integration. The seller prepares the order for pickup. PI.FYI aims to bring back the old internet, where recommendations came from a network of friends rather than algorithms. It emerged from a cult newsletter and has been around for a couple of years but still feels fresh. Users track what they're into, share their taste, and browse categories like music, whimsy, retro, and literature. They can find community, read articles, make lists, gather local recommendations, and play games with friends. The app's retro aesthetic mirrors its philosophy of a less polished, more personal web. Lettre offers a digital take on pen pals. Users start friendships with people around the world, discovered through the app, or with anyone whose email address they already know. Letters are sent digitally through the app or email for now, but the company's FAQ suggests it is considering a postal mail option in the future. Sofa Time is one of several apps picking up where the recently shuttered TV Time left off. It has a clean, uncluttered interface for tracking movies and TV shows, organizing a watchlist, discovering what to stream next, and getting reminders about new releases. Its commenting section isn't yet as active as TV Time's forums, but the app supports GIF and image reactions in comments and includes built-in translation features for a global audience. ThingsBook comes from South Korean internet giant Naver's U.S. subsidiary, so it's not an indie effort, but it offers an intriguing vision for social media's future. Instead of doomscrolling, it provides a flexible space for journaling, logging ideas, or collecting things like books and other media. It represents a shift away from algorithmic feeds toward intentional personal curation. Background The surge in new app launches coincides with the rise of AI coding tools, which let people ship software faster and enable novices to build apps they couldn't have before. Some worry that "vibe-coded" apps — those built quickly with AI assistance — could clutter the App Store with low-quality content. But developers argue that the market will sort out quality: apps that resonate with consumers will rise to the top. Many of the apps gaining traction use AI under the hood but don't market themselves as AI-powered. This approach reflects a broader shift: consumers care about what an app does for them, not the technology behind it. Albo's automatic categorization, PI.FYI's recommendation systems, and Coop's marketplace matching all rely on AI in ways that feel invisible to the user. The app ecosystem has seen waves of concern about its health before. During the early days of the iPhone, observers worried that web apps would replace native ones. Later, th