Apple will require an 18+ age rating for apps with dating or romantic AI companions

Apple's developer news post, dated 2 November 2026, says that starting 16 November 2026 App Store Connect will include new content descriptors so an app's age rating reflects its features and local regulations. Developers will need to declare whether an app includes Shared Location, which the post defines as sharing a real-world location with another person or group, or Dating and Relationships. The post defines that second descriptor as features that enable dating or relationship connections between real people and/or a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content.

The post says developers must provide these declarations when submitting an app update or changing the age-rating questionnaire, and that all apps must have the declarations completed by 12 January 2027. It says apps that include Dating and Relationships receive a minimum age rating of 18+. It says apps that include Shared Location may not have an impact on their minimum age rating in some regions.

The post says that in Brazil, local regulations require an A16 rating for Shared Location and an A18 rating for Dating and Relationships. It says a developer who believes an app qualifies for a lower age rating in Brazil, for example location sharing designed for parents and children, can request an official rating from Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security, and that once verified that rating will display on the App Store in Brazil.

What it means for business: from 16 November 2026, an app update or an age-rating change needs these declarations, and every app needs them by 12 January 2027. An app that declares dating or a virtual companion with sexual or romantic content gets a minimum 18+ rating. A location-sharing app is not given that 18+ minimum in the post, except for the Brazil rating the post describes. This describes Apple's post. It is not advice on a particular app.