Apple is adding questions to its developer platform, App Store Connect, to help ensure that apps receive age ratings appropriate to their content. Developers will be asked whether an app supports dating between real people or interactions with a virtual companion involving sexual or romantic content.
Apps that declare dating or relationship features will receive a minimum age rating of 18+. They will be hidden from children when parental or guardian content restrictions are enabled. If underage users can still view such an app in the store, they will need to provide Apple with proof that they are adults to purchase or download it.
Apple will also ask developers whether their apps share a user’s real-world location with another person or group. Location sharing will not affect age ratings in most regions, though some countries have specific requirements. The source cites Brazil, where apps that share location must be rated for users aged 16 and older.
The new questions will appear in App Store Connect on November 16. Developers must answer both as part of the age-rating questionnaire when submitting an app or updating an existing one, and complete the questions for all their apps by January 12, 2027.
Sources: Engadget.