Apple will give a minimum age rating of 18+ to App Store apps that offer dating, relationship connections or a virtual companion that engages users in sexual or romantic content. In a developer news post dated November 2, 2026, Apple said: "Apps that include Dating and Relationships receive a minimum age rating of 18+."

The rule comes with two new content descriptors in App Store Connect, the tool developers use to submit apps. "Starting November 16, 2026, App Store Connect will include new content descriptors to help ensure your app’s age ratings accurately reflect its features and are in accordance with local regulations," Apple wrote. The same text appears in Apple's developer news feed, dated November 2, 2026 at 09:30 PST (11:00 PM IST).

#What are the new descriptors?

Apple says developers will need to declare, in the age rating questionnaire, whether their app includes either of these:

  • Shared Location. "Sharing of real-world location with another person or group."
  • Dating and Relationships. "Features that enable dating or relationship connections between real people and/or a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content."

In Apple's post, only Dating and Relationships comes with the 18+ minimum. For Shared Location, Apple says: "Apps that include Shared Location may not have an impact on their minimum age rating in some regions."

#Does this cover AI companion apps?

Apple's wording is "virtual companion", and only one "that engages a user in sexual or romantic content". The post does not use the word "AI" and names no apps. A companion app without sexual or romantic content is not clearly covered by Apple's definition.

TechCrunch framed the change around AI companions. Sarah Perez wrote: "It’s perhaps more interesting how this rule could impact AI companion apps, or those where such functionality is one of many features." TechCrunch named Character.AI and Replika as apps that "let people create AI companions, including friends, lovers, boyfriends and girlfriends, and other fantasy characters." TechCrunch also reported: "As of last summer, top AI companion apps across the Apple App Store and Google Play had been downloaded 220 million times globally," citing its own earlier reporting.

TechCrunch summarized the rule as requiring "all apps offering dating or romantic relationship features to carry an 18+ rating." Apple's own definition is narrower for virtual companions, as set out above.

#When do developers have to declare?

Apple gives a staged timeline:

  1. November 16, 2026. The new descriptors appear in App Store Connect.
  2. Next update. "You must provide these declarations when submitting an app update or making changes to your age rating questionnaire."
  3. January 12, 2027. "All apps must have these declarations completed by January 12, 2027."

TechCrunch's report does not mention the January 12, 2027 deadline. Apple's post does not say what happens to apps that miss it.

#What changes in Brazil?

Apple says: "In Brazil, local regulations require an A16 rating for Shared Location and an A18 rating for Dating and Relationships."

Developers who believe their app qualifies for a lower rating in Brazil can request an official rating from Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Apple says. Its example is an app that "provides location sharing specifically designed for parents and children". Apple adds that "Once verified, the official rating will display on the App Store in Brazil." Apple's age ratings help page says: "If a rating or descriptor has been issued to your app by the MJSP, Apple will update your regional rating and/or descriptors on your behalf and it'll display on the App Store in Brazil."

TechCrunch called out the privacy side of location sharing: "Any app doing so raises obvious privacy concerns, especially if the user wasn’t aware that their location was being shared."

#Is this a block on under-18s?

No. Apple describes a minimum age rating, not a ban or an age check. The post says nothing about blocking downloads or verifying ages. TechCrunch's headline says Apple "restricts dating apps and AI companions to users 18 and up", but Apple's post does not use that framing.

Ratings matter because of how they connect to Apple's parental controls. App Review Guideline 2.3.6 in Apple's App Review Guidelines says: "Answer the age rating questions in App Store Connect honestly so that your app aligns properly with parental controls. If your app is mis-rated, customers might be surprised by what they get, or it could trigger an inquiry from government regulators."

Apple's June 8, 2026 child safety announcement explains the parent side. A child account enables safeguards "like limiting adult websites, only allowing age-appropriate media, and setting age-based restrictions in the App Store." Apple says a child account is "required for children under age 13 and available for children up to 18". Apple also said "Developers can also integrate the Declared Age Range API, which allows them to request a child’s age range and tailor their app experience accordingly."

Apple's current age ratings help page defines the 18+ tier as content "that may not be suitable for children under the age of 18". As of November 3, 2026, that page does not list the two new descriptors, which start on November 16, 2026.

For other ways AI products handle younger users, see our report on ChatGPT's violence safeguards and teen limits. For Apple's app-level AI controls, see iOS 27.2's Siri AI and Excluded Apps.

Our analysis: The key word in Apple's definition is "and/or". Dating between real people is covered outright, while virtual companions are covered only when they engage in sexual or romantic content. That leaves developers of general chat or companion apps to judge for themselves whether their features cross that line, with guideline 2.3.6 as the reminder that a wrong answer has consequences. Because the change works through ratings, its effect on younger users depends on parents using child accounts and App Store restrictions.

#What is unclear?

  • Enforcement. Apple does not say whether it will review apps' declarations or what happens after January 12, 2027 if an app has not declared.
  • Which apps change. Apple names none. Character.AI and Replika are TechCrunch's examples.
  • Other stores. The sources say nothing about Google Play's policy.