What Apple announced on 2 November
The notice, titled “Upcoming: New age rating content descriptors in App Store Connect,” was posted on Apple’s developer news page. Its stated aim is to make sure age ratings “accurately reflect” an app’s features and follow local regulations. It adds two declarations to the age rating questionnaire that developers already fill in for every app.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 2 November 2026 | Apple publishes the notice to developers |
| 16 November 2026 | The two new descriptors appear in App Store Connect |
| From 16 November | Developers must answer them when submitting an app update or changing their age rating answers |
| 12 January 2027 | All apps must have the declarations completed |
What counts as “Dating and Relationships”
Apple defines the descriptor in one line: “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 consequence is stated just as plainly: “Apps that include Dating and Relationships receive a minimum age rating of 18+.”
The “and/or” matters. An app qualifies by connecting real people, by offering a romantic or sexual virtual companion, or by doing both. That covers both kinds of product we review: character roleplay platforms where users can run romantic storylines with a character, and personalised companion apps built around an ongoing relationship. As PPC Land notes in its reading of the text, a general-purpose chatbot that does not engage users romantically is not, on the face of the definition, inside it.
The other descriptor, Shared Location, covers “sharing of real-world location with another person or group.” Apple says it may not affect an app’s minimum rating in some regions, without naming which.
Where 18+ sits in Apple’s rating scale
Apple’s age rating reference currently uses five tiers for most regions: 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ and 18+. Some content cannot be published on the App Store at all. The rows below are the ones most relevant to companion and roleplay apps.
| Rating | Relevant content in Apple’s definitions |
|---|---|
| 13+ | Infrequent sexual content or nudity; social media |
| 16+ | Frequent mature or suggestive themes; unrestricted web access |
| 18+ | Frequent sexual content or nudity; gambling. From 16 November, also Dating and Relationships |
| Unrated | Graphic sexual content and nudity. Cannot be published on the App Store |
Until now, an app’s rating depended on how often mature content appears. The new descriptor works differently: it is triggered by a feature, a romantic or sexual companion, regardless of frequency.
Brazil gets its own rule
Brazil is the only market the notice names. There, local regulations require an A16 rating for Shared Location and an A18 rating for Dating and Relationships. The “A” marks a self-rated app. Developers who believe their app qualifies for a lower rating, such as a location-sharing app built for parents and children, can request an official rating from Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
What the notice leaves open
- Penalty for missing the date. The notice does not say what happens to an app without declarations after 12 January 2027. When Apple rebuilt its rating tiers in 2025, it said incomplete answers would interrupt app update submissions after 31 January 2026; this notice has no equivalent sentence.
- Legal basis. Apart from Brazil, it does not name a law or regulator behind the change.
- Checking answers. It does not say how Apple will verify that a developer answered correctly.
- Scope. It is an App Store rule. Companions used in a web browser, or downloaded from other stores, are outside it.
What this means for companion and roleplay users
For adults, the change mostly affects labels: an app with romantic characters should show 18+ in the App Store by mid-January. For families, it matters more, because a device set to restrict apps above a given age will treat these apps as adult apps. Developers who want a lower rating would need to show their app does not engage users in romantic or sexual content, for example by removing romance features from the iOS version.
A store label is still only one signal. A July 2026 study we covered in AI companion app store age ratings found that 60% of 4,346 companion apps carried a rating that let minors download them. When you compare apps, check:
- Does the iOS rating match what the app offers on its website and other platforms?
- Is romantic or mature roleplay behind an age check, or only a birthday field?
- Does the app explain what changes for under-18 accounts?
- After 12 January 2027, does an app with romantic characters still show a rating below 18+?
Apple’s move follows other age rules aimed at companions, including Australia’s app store age checks and New York’s AI companion law for minors.
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Does Apple require AI companion apps to be rated 18+?
Yes, if the companion engages users in sexual or romantic content. Apple's new Dating and Relationships descriptor sets a minimum age rating of 18+ for those apps.
When does Apple's new age rating rule take effect?
The new descriptors appear in App Store Connect on 16 November 2026, and all apps must complete the declarations by 12 January 2027.
Are all AI chatbots affected?
No. The definition covers virtual companions that engage users in sexual or romantic content, and apps that connect real people for dating. A chatbot without romantic features is not inside it on a plain reading.
Does the rule apply outside Apple's App Store?
No. It is an App Store age rating rule. Companions used in a web browser or downloaded from other app stores are not covered by this notice.