Apple plans to ask developers more questions about an app’s content to help it better limit when young people can access select adult-focused features. The new rules apply to apps that let you share a real-world location with another person or group, as well as to apps designed for dating and relationships.
All apps with relationship features receive a minimum age rating of 18 on Apple's App Store. It defines these services as any app that facilitates “dating or relationship connections between real people and/or a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content.”
The new declaration means kids on parent-controlled Apple accounts won’t be able to download dating apps like Bumble, Hinge, or Tinder, as well as AI-powered virtual dating services like Replika or Nomi AI.
The new rules on location sharing have less direct impact on kids who live in the US. Apple says, “Apps that include Shared Location may not have an impact on their minimum age rating in some regions" noting that Brazil has laws banning anyone under 16 from accessing these services.
Most countries have yet to enact legislation similar to Brazil's, so children using Apple devices in the US will still be able to download apps with location-sharing tools. It’s unclear whether the location features will be noted in Apple’s App Store listings to help parents better determine whether an app is safe.
The new content descriptors are set to roll out to developers starting Nov. 16, and submissions will be required to include answers whenever an existing app is changed, or a new app is published.
Apple notes that it will enforce the rules across all apps by Jan. 12, 2027. It has yet to reveal what will happen to apps that fail to include answers by that point.