Apple mandates 18+ ratings for dating and romantic AI apps
Apple is tightening App Store age-rating rules for dating apps and AI companions that offer sexual or romantic content. From November 16, developers must add new content descriptors so that an app’s age rating reflects those features, while apps offering dating or romantic relationship functions must carry an 18+ rating.
The policy applies to dedicated dating services as well as companion products where relationship-oriented interaction is only one part of a broader app. Apple said the changes form part of its wider effort to protect minors, alongside the global rollout of age-assurance technology, additional parental controls and other child-safety features.
Romantic AI features move into the age-rating framework
The change is especially consequential for AI companion apps. Services including Character.AI and Replika allow users to create companions presented as friends, lovers, boyfriends, girlfriends or fantasy characters. Apple’s updated policy specifically addresses companions that engage in sexual or romantic content.
xAI also launched 3D animated AI companions last year with capabilities that users could unlock for NSFW interactions. The category has substantial reach: the leading AI companion apps across the Apple App Store and Google Play had been downloaded 220 million times globally as of last summer.
Apple’s rule does not state that all AI companion apps will receive the same rating. Instead, the new descriptors are intended to make an app’s rating correspond to the functions it provides. That distinction matters for products that combine general-purpose AI interaction with features that can facilitate romantic relationships.
Location sharing requires clearer disclosure
Apple is also requiring developers to indicate whether their apps share a user’s real-world location with another person or group as part of their functionality. This applies beyond dating and companion products, but is particularly relevant where services connect users with other people. The company highlighted the privacy concern created when location information is shared without the user’s awareness.
In Brazil, family location-sharing apps may request an official rating from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, known as MJSP or Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública. Apple said this route can be used instead of listing such apps with the A16 rating required under local law.
What developers need to review
Teams distributing apps through the App Store should review relationship features, conversational content, companion-creation tools and any location-sharing flow before November 16. They should also ensure the required descriptors match the product’s actual functionality, as the practical business implication is that inaccurate ratings or incomplete location disclosures could leave an app out of step with Apple’s updated requirements.