Apple will require App Store apps with dating and relationship features, including virtual companions that engage users in sexual or romantic content, to carry a minimum 18+ age rating. The company announced the change in a November 2 developer update introducing new age-rating disclosures in App Store Connect.
Starting November 16, developers must declare whether their apps offer real-world location sharing or dating and relationship features when completing the age-rating questionnaire. Apple says the declarations are required when submitting an app update or changing its rating questionnaire, and all apps must complete them by January 12, 2027.
The Dating and Relationships descriptor covers connections between real people as well as virtual companions that engage users in sexual or romantic content, bringing qualifying AI companion apps under the 18+ minimum. Shared Location disclosures may not change age ratings in every region. In Brazil, local rules require an A16 rating for shared-location apps and A18 for dating and relationship apps, though developers can request an official lower rating for eligible services, such as family location-sharing apps.
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