Starting November 16, Apple’s new App Store rule bars minors from certain apps

Apple is introducing a new App Store rule for apps that enable dating or relationship connections. Any app with these features receives a minimum age rating of 18+. The rule covers connections between real people and virtual companions that engage users in sexual or romantic content. It matters because it is designed to restrict minors’ access to those experiences.

Starting November 16, 2026, App Store Connect will add a Dating and Relationships content descriptor. Developers must use it when completing the age-rating questionnaire or changing an app’s rating. The declaration must identify relevant dating or relationship features, including virtual companions.

The policy could affect more than traditional dating services. Apps such as Character.AI and Replika offer virtual friends, romantic partners and fantasy characters, while Vector introduced companions with unlockable sexually explicit capabilities. All required declarations must be completed by January 12, 2027.

The 18+ minimum applies to apps with Dating and Relationships features. Apple defines these as features that enable dating or relationship connections between real people, or between users and virtual companions engaging in sexual or romantic content. The policy therefore reaches beyond ordinary matchmaking apps.

Most major dating services already restrict access to adults, according to the article. The broader change concerns AI companion apps. Character.AI and Replika let users interact with virtual friends, romantic partners and fantasy characters. Vector also introduced animated 3D companions with unlockable sexually explicit capabilities.

Developers must disclose these features in App Store Connect. Once an app includes the relevant descriptor, its minimum rating becomes 18+. The change may have wider consequences for AI companion services, whose features can include virtual relationships even when dating is not their primary purpose.

Apple is adding two content descriptors to the App Store Connect age-rating questionnaire. Developers must declare whether an app includes Dating and Relationships, or Shared Location. Shared Location means sharing a user’s real-world location with another person or group. Dating and Relationships covers real-person connections and virtual companions engaging in sexual or romantic content.

The new declarations apply when developers submit an app update or change their age-rating questionnaire. Apps with Dating and Relationships receive a minimum 18+ rating. Shared Location may not change the minimum rating in some regions, but it can affect ratings elsewhere. Brazil requires A16 for Shared Location and A18 for Dating and Relationships.

The descriptors become available on November 16, 2026. All apps must have the declarations completed by January 12, 2027. In Brazil, developers seeking a lower rating for location sharing can request official review from MJSP.

Leading AI companion apps had collectively recorded 220 million downloads worldwide across Apple’s App Store and Google Play as of last summer. The figure measures downloads, not necessarily unique people or active users. Still, it shows that virtual companion services have reached a substantial global audience.

The article names Character.AI and Replika as platforms where users can create or interact with virtual companions. These may be friends, romantic partners or fantasy characters. Vector also introduced animated 3D companions with unlockable sexually explicit capabilities. Such features are especially relevant to Apple’s new Dating and Relationships descriptor.

The download total helps explain why the policy could matter beyond traditional dating apps. If an AI companion app offers covered romantic or sexual features, it must receive an 18+ minimum rating. That could change access for younger users and create broader implications for these widely downloaded services.

When an AI companion app includes virtual relationships involving sexual or romantic content, Apple’s policy treats those features as Dating and Relationships. The app must then carry a minimum 18+ age rating. The core consequence is clearer age-based restriction for minors using the App Store.

Character.AI and Replika allow users to interact with virtual friends, romantic partners and fantasy characters. Vector introduced animated 3D companions with unlockable sexually explicit capabilities. If an app’s features fit Apple’s definition, its developer must declare them in App Store Connect, and the rating cannot be below 18+.

The article does not state exactly how each affected app will change, or how users will be screened. It does indicate that the policy may have broader implications for AI companion services. With 220 million combined downloads reported for leading apps, the effect could extend across a large global audience.

Apple is requiring a Shared Location declaration because apps may share a user’s real-world location with another person or group. The company says these features can create privacy concerns, particularly when users are unaware that their location is being shared. The disclosure makes that feature visible in the app’s age-rating information.

Starting November 16, 2026, developers must answer whether their apps include Shared Location in App Store Connect. They make the declaration when submitting an app update or changing the age-rating questionnaire. Apple defines the feature as sharing real-world location with another person or group.

Shared Location does not always change an app’s minimum age rating. In some regions, it may have no impact. Brazil requires an A16 rating for Shared Location, though developers can seek an official lower rating for qualifying uses, such as location sharing designed for parents and children.

These measures address children’s access at different points. Age ratings describe whether an app includes features unsuitable for younger users. Age-assurance technology supports checking a user’s age, while parental controls let parents apply additional restrictions. Together, they create overlapping safeguards rather than relying on one label alone.

Apple’s new policy gives dating and relationship apps a minimum 18+ rating. It also adds declarations for Dating and Relationships and Shared Location. The company is rolling out age-assurance technology globally and expanding parental controls. These measures are intended to support the ratings and provide extra protection for younger users.

The article does not explain the technical operation of Apple’s age-assurance system or parental controls. It does show the direction of the policy: identify sensitive features, reflect them in ratings, and add broader child-safety tools. Developers must complete the new declarations for all apps by January 12, 2027.