Apple will require age checks for dating apps, including AI companions

How the new rules work

Apple is adding two new questions to its age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect, the web platform where developers manage their apps ². The first asks whether an app shares a user's real-world location with other people or groups. The second asks whether the app has features that enable dating or romantic connections between real people, or between a real person and a virtual companion that engages in sexual or romantic content ¹.

The new questions appear in the developer portal starting November 16, 2026 ². When developers submit a new app or update an existing one, they must answer both questions . By January 12, 2027, every app already on the store must have those answers on file .

What 18+ means for users

Apps that include dating or relationship features receive a minimum age rating of 18+ ². That means they will not appear in the App Store for children under 18 whose parents or guardians have turned on content restrictions ¹. If a younger user somehow sees such an app in the store, they will be asked to provide Apple with proof that they are an adult before they can purchase or download it .

Apps that share location are treated differently. In most regions, location sharing does not change the minimum age rating ². There are exceptions, though: in Brazil, local law requires apps that share locations to carry an A16 rating . Brazilian regulations also mandate an A18 rating for dating and relationship apps . Developers who believe their app should receive a lower rating in Brazil — for example, a location-sharing app designed specifically for parents and children — can ask Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security for an official rating, which will then appear in the Brazilian App Store .

Why AI companions are included

Engadget reported that the dating descriptor covers not only apps that connect real people but also apps featuring virtual companions engaged in romantic or sexual content ¹. That means AI companion apps — programs where users chat with a simulated character — will fall under the same 18+ rule when they include those features . "Apps that allow AI companion relationships" fall under the same rule, according to Engadget .

For now, the change mainly affects how apps are rated and who can find them. Apple has not announced new enforcement tools or penalties beyond the age rating itself.

What happens next

Developers have roughly six weeks from mid-November to add the new declarations when they next update an app, and about two months after that to go back and fill them in for every existing app ¹². Until January 12, 2027, apps without the answers may face issues when developers try to submit changes .

This story reports on a trend for information only. It is not advice or encouragement to do any of it.

Key facts

• Apps with dating or romantic AI companion features will get a minimum 18+ rating on the App Store.
• The two new developer questions appear November 16, 2026; all apps must answer by January 12, 2027.
• Location-sharing apps are mostly unaffected except in Brazil, where they need an A16 rating.

Sources

1. Apple will start mandating age requirements for dating apps - Engadget — engadget.com
2. Upcoming: New age rating content descriptors in App Store Connect - Latest News - Apple Developer