Architecture note · June 2026

Built safe by design.

In March 2026, Apple pulled dozens of AI app builders from the App Store under Guideline 2.5.2. Buildy was architected from day one so that this could never apply to apps you build with it.

01 — The trap

What Guideline 2.5.2 actually says.

“Apps should be self-contained in their bundles, and may not read or write data outside the designated container area, nor may they download, install, or execute code which introduces or changes features or functionality of the app, including other apps.”

— App Store Review Guideline 2.5.2

On March 30, 2026, Apple began enforcing this rule against AI-builder apps that shipped a preview engine inside themselves. The pattern was identical across the products that got pulled:

  • The end-user opens the AI-builder app on their phone.
  • The app downloads or accepts user-generated code at runtime.
  • An embedded webview or JS engine executes that code — instant 2.5.2 violation, instant removal.

Replit Mobile, Create.xyz (formerly “Anything”), and several others were removed within a 48-hour window. Some were reinstated briefly and then pulled again.

02 — How Buildy is different

The preview never ships with the app.

The Buildy editor and the apps you build with Buildy are two separate things. The editor lives at buildy.me; the apps live on your users' phones as ordinary signed binaries.

Editor & previewHOSTED

On buildy.me

When you click an element in the live preview, Buildy compiles your code on our server and renders it in an iframe sandbox. The preview engine never leaves our servers.

Static sourceEXPORTABLE

Export

You can download a .zip of plain React Native + Expo source at any time. No proprietary runtime. No Buildy-only APIs. The code is yours.

A normal binary2.5.2-SAFE

On the App Store

EAS Build compiles your source to a signed .ipa / .apk. The shipped app contains zero code execution, zero remote loaders, zero 2.5.2 surface.

In short: Buildy is a build tool, not an engine that runs inside your users' apps. There's no design decision we could change tomorrow to break this — it's how the architecture is wired.

03 — How the field looks today

Where the others stood when 2.5.2 hit.

BuilderPreview lives in…2.5.2 status
BuildyOur servers, sandboxed iframeSafe by design
Replit MobileEmbedded JS runtime inside the exported appRemoved Mar 2026
Create.xyz / AnythingEmbedded webview inside the exported appRemoved Mar 2026
RorkIn-browser bundler + Expo GoUnclear
a0.devWeb + Expo Go device previewUnclear

Sources: App Store Review Guideline 2.5.2, Apple developer communications, public reporting from MacRumors, Futurism, and The Next Web (March–June 2026). “Unclear” means the architecture isn't publicly documented and we don't want to guess.

Build mobile apps without the rejection lottery.

The code you ship is yours, the binary on the App Store is yours, and the preview engine stays where it belongs — on our servers.