Apple will require developers to provide more information about dating and location-sharing features in apps distributed through its App Store. The changes add questions to the age-rating process, according to The Verge.
Developers will have to declare whether an app lets users share their real-world location with others, or includes features enabling dating, relationships or sexual behaviour between real people or virtual companions. Apps with dating or relationship features will receive a minimum age rating of 18. Location-sharing features may also affect an app’s minimum rating in some regions, depending on local regulations.
The new content descriptors will appear in the App Store Connect age-rating questionnaire starting November 16. Apple says all apps must complete the declarations by January 12, 2027.
The App Store already has an 18+ rating category, which has largely covered apps featuring gambling, violence, references to drugs, alcohol or tobacco, and nudity or sexual content. The Verge reports that the expanded requirements are intended to help prevent minors from accessing dating services and apps that offer romantic or sexual interactions with AI chatbots or virtual companions, including “girlfriend/boyfriend” simulators. The source describes those simulators as potentially posing mental health risks.
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