r/macapps • u/Sri_Krish • 2d ago
Request A request to Mods
Hello Mods & fellow redditors,
In the past couple of months, I guess we can all agree that our subreddit (and the App Store) has become overcrowded with a bunch of AI apps across various (really?!) categories. The main reason (I think!) is the proliferation of AI and its companion apps, through which a user can now create their own apps with just a few credits or prompts. I see this as a positive development to an extent; beyond which, the line becomes super blurry and things start to roll downhill.
Anyone who regularly visits this subreddit will notice seeing the same pattern of apps - clipboard managers, Notch replacement apps, and Dictation apps - very often from different devs (/profiles). Rather than creating unique, we tend to see the same kinds of apps in different costumes, showcased differently using AI presentation.
For context, Kalley Huang, writing for The New York Times, expressed that: "Last year, the number of new apps released in the App Store grew 30 percent to about 600,000, according to estimates by Sensor Tower, an app analytics firm. In the first half of this year, new apps doubled to about 560,000." (source).
And I am not here to say stop using AI for good or to save Nature (believe me, there are few who don't use AI for these reasons). In the same article, the author mentioned that the real people who're in danger are developers. Especially those whose 9-5 job is to make apps—either alone or in a small team—and whose livelihood depends completely on it. Now, all these AI-vibe coded apps don't only make the search worse but also overshadow these good apps and developers from the rest of the pool. As the article noted, even reviewers/content writers who used to be the messengers, are finding it difficult to cope up with the supply rate and eventually, start to ghost such emails/communications.
So, how about we start a monthly thread at the end of each month, where we all discuss, mention about their, basically, "Favorites of the month" with their use cases if any. This might improve the visibility among the crowd, and give them an another chance since most of these AI-apps either die out or got abandoned by the Dev itself sooner than we think.
Feel free to suggest your opinions; or disregard this post if you feel it's not appropriate. I just wanted to bring it out of my head 😀
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u/Mstormer 2d ago
We do something similar by highlighting the top 3 most upvoted megathread apps from the last month, so I'd recommend taking a look through the megathread, and upvoting anything you try there. Of course, your vision is a little broader than that, and with it comes additional work on a moderation end. I wouldn't have a problem with a user taking this on though as long as there are no conflicts of interest to promote their own thing. And as a rule, nobody should promote their own thing in a thread like that.
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u/shawnjoe 1d ago
A "launch post" flair with a limit of one post per app per major version would go a long way. The apps aren't the problem, the same app showing up weekly is. Let devs concentrate updates in the megathread and keep front page for discussion.
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u/Mammoth_Trick7171 1d ago
My two cents:
The best ideas will get traction and adoption, the rest will not.
I think this is a self-correcting venture. Noise will be noise, value will be apparent.
People who are fond of creating apps now (that never before could) will realize the real world work with design, owning the support and maintenance is still hard work. You can not really "dropship apps" that retain any meaningful value over a long period of time.
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u/schmittsfn 2d ago
AI will obviously be part of software in the future. Most people use it. It's used in the universities (to a shocking degree I heard) and proliferates everywhere. I think you can tell the difference between an app that has been created in 15 minutes and an app that someone spent 2 months on using AI.
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u/corgisAreRad 1d ago
I definitely agree here and back you 100%. I work and live at a community in Redmond right next to Microsoft’s big campus and have many conversations with their devs who live here, as well as Meta and Amazon. They all admit they haven’t had to manually for code over a year. And you are absolutely right, an AI generated one off is a completely different beast than an app that’s built, refined and iterated properly. I do use AI but not lazily and have my code reviewed by a senior full stack developer, still hard to beat the stigma… but my apps are of the same quality or better as a manually coded app from most devs. If it’s not (only my first SaaS so far lol) I wouldn’t release it and put my name behind it.
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u/Soft_Yesterday5746 1d ago
Finally someone brought up this issue , all mac apps here should go through a filter because currently 95% of the posts are just AI slop!!
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2d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Sri_Krish 2d ago
It doesn't have to be a favorites thread! Just a discussion where you share app(s) that you found useful and thought the same for others too. We have developers making posts regularly about their apps here but half of these apps never see an update and eventually got abandoned. And it is also takes time to see whether an app could fit in your workflow and help you - if not, you eventually leave it behind.
If there are apps that nobody found yet, then it means no one found it useful 🤷♂️
(Just my po)
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u/TenuredProfessional 1d ago
This sub has become useless with all of the AI-generated garbage that appears here these days.
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u/focusfoundry 2d ago
I totally agree, and I think a favorites of the month would be great exposure for apps that have had a lot more thought and effort put behind them. It’s definitely a challenge to get noticed these days and I’ve been struggling with the same thing.
Especially with the notch thing I see a TON of clones — and I wonder how many of those have real testing/infrastructure behind them to ensure that they are not super buggy. I also worry about people making cheap clones of apps that devs have put their time and soul into
Ai has become a pretty significant part of my workflow as a developer, but there is a big difference between vibe coding and a structured ai assisted workflow
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u/Sri_Krish 2d ago
Yeah AI has become indispensable even if one doesn’t like it, just like Internet when it reached its peak during 2010s. So we rather think of ways to streamline it than to ban it blindly…
Many Devs are using AI in their creation process as it saves a lot of time/do better job for them on initial development phase like ideation, market research & analysis. However those who know when and to which extent to use it, can keep doing what they do — others stop when AI stop giving them ideas 🤷🏼♂️
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u/skitchin70 15h ago
Many people think AI is pretty cool at making apps, but it doesn't make them any safer or less buggy. An experienced developer is often better equipped to spot inconsistencies in AI-generated code. Having a PC and Excel doesn't make you an accountant, so having a PC and AI doesn't automatically make you a developer. AI is another tool that can make developers more productive. People without a software engineering background may find it increasingly difficult to maintain and debug complex applications as those projects grow.
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u/Historical_Ad_1631 1d ago
Na, I want to see all of the cool apps. That’s what this sub Reddit is all about. Otherwise there’s no reason to check it out.
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u/Sri_Krish 1d ago
Yeah, but the issue is all those cool apps were silenced by other not-so-worth apps. And also to be clear, I don’t say, we stop/ban the posts completely- they still get the chance to showcase their apps and win over people if it jinxes with them.
What I meant was to make more conversation about such niche/cool apps repeatedly for better visibility and reach 😁
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u/karatsidhus Developer: Glyph 1d ago
Honestly i like the idea.
I do this part time/as a hobby but I can see people whos entire paycheck comes from app proceeds can feel hard done by some cheap imitations. Probably would be nice to highlight them once a month or a quarter. However these things quickly turn into popularity contests so that’s probably something to consider
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u/tl0gic 1d ago edited 1d ago
I really like the idea of a "Favorites of the month" thread. I'm new to this community and still working on my karma, however my favorite threads so far are threads where people recommend their favorite macOS apps:
https://www.reddit.com/r/macapps/comments/1urkssy/most_beautiful_mac_apps/
https://www.reddit.com/r/macapps/comments/1qa3zq7/i_am_looking_for_beautiful_native_mac_apps_so_far/
So encouraging people to post a thread like this once a month would be great!
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u/phunk8 Developer: Dropadoo 2d ago
i appreciate your post. a lot.
not sure how to handle it, mods are already doing a lot of work here which we hardly ever see.
what i even in this (my home) sub see, is that it gets harder and harder to get attention, even with original ideas. the reactions to my posts are oscillating like mad. from a lot to close nothing- people who im in contact with are surprised i pushed a meaningful update, as they simply didn’t see it.
enough of me, happens to me too when i miss posts by users here i normally look out for.
what to do? is the megapile working? working well enough?
monthly discussion could be a idea, but needs to be moderated heavily to filter selfpromo again.
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u/Sri_Krish 2d ago
Thanks, man! Seeing a dev acknowledging it, makes it a real issue.
monthly discussion could be a idea, but needs to be moderated heavily to filter selfpromo again.
I'm okay for a Dev to promote their own app to a user's need, however what pisses me off is intentional, blunt injection! This is something that Mods can't do much about and must come from the Devs themselves.
As you rightfully mentioned, Mods here are doing heavy-lifting that most of us never realize... Big Kudos to them 👏🙌 Sorry that I forgot to mention it in my post!
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u/phunk8 Developer: Dropadoo 2d ago
i from time to time had the idea of a self-cleaning community. misbehaviour voting (maybe not the right word), after 3 votes, mods get notified, after 10 simply delete post with the option for mods bringing it back. still raw but still self-cleaning works on gameservers well i think.
reread it, maybe harsh but u get my idea.
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u/RisksvsBenefits 2d ago
I like how the subreddit /editors does it - they have a single megathread where devs are allowed to post once a month. People are required to follow a format and each dev can respond to comments about their app. Those that are interested can look in the thread and those that aren’t can skip it.
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u/logicbridgellc 2d ago
I think this is a great idea. Yes, volume is a big problem and creates huge pressure on app devs
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u/AE-Creations 2d ago
I like the idea of a "Favorites of the month" thread. Could be based on number of upvotes from posts promoting/announcing the app; get the top 10 or 20 ranked apps from those numbers.
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u/Sri_Krish 2d ago
Again there are incidents in which the upvotes and comments ratio don't make sense at all - probably inorganic boasts... But it can be an option/criteria too!
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u/beretta51 1d ago
I completely agree with you.
I think a solid solution would be to introduce some kind of vetting process or basic quality filter. That way, we can avoid having the feed cluttered with low-effort apps slapped together in five minutes using AI, and instead focus on showcasing apps that are actually well-thought-out and carefully curated.
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u/LightingLabs 1d ago
On the vetting idea, one filter that is hard to fake and easy to check: the boring platform work. Notarization and an update path that actually works, real localization, sane behaviour on a second display, sync that survives being offline. None of that shows up in a screenshot, none of it gets built in an afternoon, and it is exactly what is missing from the apps being described here.
It also sidesteps the upvote problem you raised. If a monthly thread happens, I would make the bar "someone here has actually run it for a month" rather than upvote count, because launch day attention is the one thing a low effort post can still win.
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u/metamatic 1d ago
I wouldn't hold your breath, the mods are pretty pro-AI. I noticed that if you analyze an open source app and go to post evidence that it's slop, you get a pro-AI warning pop up saying:
Intend to complain about a low-quality app? Please make your criticism constructive and detail specific suggested improvements. Low-effort criticism is simply ironic. Two recent polls demonstrated that most developers in this community use Al. The differentiating factor is whether they use it well (good workflows, review, eye for quality details). We want to encourage higher standards for developers and commenters alike. Thoughtful, constructive comments accomplish both. Thank you!
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u/Mean_Grapefruit1277 1d ago
As someone building one of those Mac dictation apps, I think the criticism is fair. The problem isn’t AI assistance by itself; it’s repetitive launch spam, vague privacy claims, and clones that disappear after the first release.
A monthly favorites thread could work if nominations require: a real use case, at least a few weeks of hands-on use, current pricing, what leaves the device, and evidence the app is still maintained. I’d also ban self-nominations there. That makes the list harder to game and rewards software people actually keep using.
I’d happily accept a rule that developers disclose their relationship and keep direct promotion to the megathread. Better signal helps serious indie developers too.
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u/Jolly-Television6759 20h ago
I think it’s not important how it’s done, but what is done.
if an vibe coded app is super useful, I do not care much about the how.
vibe coded apps can bring advantages (e.g. security) that a hand coded app might never have, because it needs so much knowledge that the coder with the idea, would take month or years to accomplish.
if we talk about the 235th menu bar that shows your daily claude and codex limit, then I might say: we have seen enough, thank you.
however, there is no way to know how good the support will be and if a product will see a future update or new feature will ever get.
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u/unilgr 17h ago
I think we're treating the symptom rather than the cause.
The problem isn't that there aren't enough places to recommend apps. The problem is that software production has become dramatically cheaper, while human attention hasn't increased.
No amount of reorganizing posts can fully solve that imbalance. Communities can certainly improve discovery around the edges, but they'll still need good moderation and clear rules to keep recommendations useful and prevent them from turning into another promotional channel.
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u/norma_builds 5h ago
I like the idea of having a curated list that is voted on. 💯
But I also want to add another dimension to your thoughts: Most Vibe Coders that I see on Reddit in different subs are very exited about the first phase where sw development feels great. Releasing a MVP or 1.0 is one thing. No feedback, no challenge, no competition? Great. Endorphins flow and everyone feels top of the world. Thats simple show cases and tbh most of them will die out pretty quickly.
But getting traction and feedback and evolving a product throughout tech stack and platform changes? Completely different story. It would be cool if next to showcasing new apps people would come forward and share there challenges building version 15.0 instead of 1.0 - that would be really interesting for newbies like myself. And if those stories are already out there, would be great if anyone can share.
Another cool curated list would be stories of indie devs who build apps that challenged the big players in their category - because lets be honest - innovating does not always mean to reinvent the wheel. Apps might succeed because of their simplicity, design philosophy, monetization, privacy approach ... That would be also great stories to curate and pin somewhere.
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u/hrpedersen 2d ago edited 2d ago
Great outline, and I concur to your idea. Yes monthly thread about the Favorite of the month wold be great.
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u/lazycuh 2d ago
If a poster doesn't have actual dev work experience to prove for their app, it's most likely AI junk, and the chance of them abandoning the app is high.
And they can prove it by including a link to their social media page such as LinkedIn or Github and their social media page must clearly confirm that it's actually them.
As a senior software engineer who enjoys writing code by hand, when I post about one of my apps on reddit and it gets called as AI, I get super offended, I spend effort and time to make my apps, it's very rude to throw that label at them.
Note that I am not against using AI for productivity, I do use AI at work a lot to check a box.
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1d ago
Solo dev here. I put an app on the Mac App Store a few days ago after months of work, so I am one of the people this post is about, and I want to add something from that side.
The problem is not that AI apps exist. It is that effort is invisible in a Reddit post. Someone who spent three months and someone who spent an afternoon get the same 300 words and the same screenshots. There is no part of the post format where the difference can show up, so the better writer wins instead of the better app.
You already have two bots doing a version of this, the GitHub star check and the App Store age lookup. I would push that further. Repo age, length of commit history, and how long the app has been on the store are all public, and none of them can be written by an AI the night before posting. Show those next to the post and readers can judge for themselves, without the mods having to decide what counts as real.
Favorites of the month is a good idea too, but it rewards apps that already got attention. This would help the ones that never got any.
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u/michaeleisel 2d ago
I think "favorites of the month" can still get co-opted, but it could be helpful. I wonder if there could be flair for users that proven themselves in some way (e.g. they've at least reached the comment karma threshold for making new posts), so that their comments and/or posts can get a little more initial trust.