App Store will label dating and romantic AI companion apps 18+ only, Apple says
Starting Nov. 16, app makers must say whether their apps offer dating or a romantic AI companion, which brings an adults-only label parents can block.
Apps that let people date, or that offer an AI "virtual companion" that engages users in sexual or romantic content, will be labeled for ages 18 and up on Apple's App Store, Apple told app makers Monday.
An age rating is the label shown on every App Store listing that tells parents and users who an app is meant for. Apple's ratings are 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ and 18+, and until now 18+ has covered apps with frequent sexual content or nudity, realistic violence or gambling, according to Apple's developer help pages.
What changes
Starting Nov. 16, App Store Connect, the site developers use to submit apps, will add two questions to its age-rating questionnaire. One asks whether an app has Dating and Relationships features, meaning connections between real people or a virtual companion with sexual or romantic content. Any app that says yes gets at least an 18+ rating.
The other asks whether an app has Shared Location, meaning it shares a user's real-world location with another person or group. Apple said that answer may not change an app's minimum rating in some regions.
Developers must answer when they next update an app. Every app must answer by Jan. 12, 2027.
What it means for families
The label matters because parents can use Screen Time, the iPhone's built-in parental controls, to set the highest age rating their child can download, Apple's support pages say. If a child tries to get an app rated above that limit, the child must ask a parent, who can approve or decline from their own phone. Apple says parents may have to approve an app again if it later adopts a higher age rating.
In Brazil, local rules require a 16 rating for location sharing and 18 for dating, Apple said. Apps that think they deserve a lower rating there, such as parent-and-child location apps, can ask Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
Source: Apple Developer News, "Upcoming: New age rating content descriptors in App Store Connect," Nov. 2, 2026; Apple Developer help, "Age ratings values and definitions"; Apple Support, Screen Time parental-controls pages