Apple to require 18+ for dating apps and AI companions on the App Store

Apple announced on November 2, 2026, on its developer news blog, two new mandatory declarations in the App Store Connect age rating questionnaire: Shared Location and Dating and Relationships. Classification: CONFIRMED — the information comes from Apple's official announcement, reported by 9to5Mac and MacRumors.

Starting November 16, 2026, developers will have to declare whether their app shares real-world location with another person or group and whether it offers dating or relationship connections — between real people or with a virtual companion that engages the user in sexual or romantic content. It is this second case that sets the age floor: apps with Dating and Relationships receive a minimum age rating of 18+.

What changes in practice

The declarations must be provided when submitting an app update or changing the age rating questionnaire, and all apps must have them completed by January 12, 2027. For shared location, Apple says the new descriptor may not change the minimum age rating in some regions — the rule varies with local law.

In Brazil, the announcement has its own paragraph: local regulations require an A16 rating for apps with shared location and an A18 rating for apps with dating and relationships. Developers who consider the rating too high for their case — for example, a location app designed for parents and children — can request a lower official rating from Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP); once verified, it will be displayed on the App Store in Brazil.

What the rule does not do

It is worth separating the announcement from exaggeration: the measure concerns declaration and age rating, not bans. It does not automatically turn every social network into 18+, nor does it ban location apps — what it does is require developers to declare the feature and accept the corresponding age floor when the feature is dating or relationships, including AI virtual companions with romantic or sexual content.

For developers of AI companions, the message is direct: positioning a virtual character as a romantic partner now means, on the App Store, an 18+ rating — and, in Brazil, A18.

Image credit: 9to5Mac. The image shows the App Store Connect interface, where developers fill in the age rating questionnaire.

Fontes

Transparency: this article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence, cross-checking public posts and internet sources, including Apple's official announcement. Consult the original sources before treating any detail as official.

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