Apple Sets 18+ Rating For Dating And Certain AI Companion Apps
Apple is adding App Store questions that will give dating and qualifying AI companion apps an 18+ rating, with new developer requirements beginning November 16.
Apple is changing its App Store age-rating process so apps with dating and relationship content receive a minimum 18+ rating. The change covers dating between people and, according to Engadget, virtual companions that engage users in sexual or romantic content. Developers will also have to disclose whether their apps share a user’s real-world location with others.
Table of Contents
What the new rating covers
Apple will add questions to the age-rating questionnaire in App Store Connect, its platform for developers. One asks whether an app has dating features involving real people or qualifying virtual companions. The other asks whether it shares a user’s real-world location with another person or group, Engadget reported.
TechCrunch describes the dating rule as applying to all apps offering dating or romantic relationship features. Engadget cites the descriptor’s more specific wording for virtual companions: those that engage a user in sexual or romantic content. Under both accounts, apps declared to have dating and relationship content will receive at least an 18+ rating.
Engadget reports that these apps will not appear in the App Store for users under 18 when a parent or guardian has enabled app content restrictions. Underage users who can see an affected app but try to buy or download it will be asked to provide Apple with proof that they are adults, the outlet says.
Deadlines for developers
The new descriptors will appear in App Store Connect on November 16. Developers submitting a new app or updating an existing one will need to answer both questions in the age-rating questionnaire, according to Engadget. The outlet says developers must also answer them for all their apps by January 12, 2027.
The location-sharing question does not generally change an app’s age rating, Engadget reports, though local rules can differ. Both outlets point to Brazil: Engadget says location-sharing apps there are subject to a 16+ rating, while TechCrunch notes that family location-sharing apps can request an official rating from Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security instead.
Why AI apps are part of the change
TechCrunch says the requirement could affect AI companion apps, including products where companionship is one feature among many. It cites Character.AI and Replika as examples of apps that let users create virtual characters with different kinds of relationships. Which apps receive the 18+ rating will depend on the features developers disclose under Apple’s new questions.
The update follows other child-safety changes by Apple, including a global rollout of age-assurance technology and additional parental controls, according to TechCrunch. For app developers, the immediate task is to review both dating-related and location-sharing features and complete the new disclosures by the applicable deadlines.
Sources
This story was compiled by AI from the reports below. Read the originals for the full details.