Apple to require 18+ ratings for dating and AI companion apps
Apple will require apps with dating or romantic features, including AI companions, to carry an 18+ rating and new content descriptors from November 16.
The story in focus
Apple will require all apps offering dating or romantic relationship features to carry an 18+ rating starting November 16, TechCrunch reported. Developers must add content descriptors reflecting app features. The policy could affect AI companion apps like Character.AI and Replika, and apps must disclose real-world location sharing.
- Apple announced the policy change to developers on Monday.
- Apps offering dating or romantic relationship features must carry an 18+ rating from November 16.
- Developers must include new content descriptors so age ratings reflect app features.
- AI companion apps such as Character.AI and Replika could be affected.
- Apps must indicate when they share a user's real-world location with another person or group.
What Apple is changing
Apple is adjusting App Store policies to make it harder for minors to use online dating apps or AI companions that engage in sexual or romantic content, the company said in an announcement to developers on Monday. Under the new rules, all apps offering dating or romantic relationship features will need an 18+ rating. Starting November 16, developers must include new content descriptors so an app's age rating reflects its features.
TechCrunch reports that the change follows other Apple measures to protect minors, including a global rollout of age assurance technology and additional parental controls and child safety features.
AI companions and location sharing
The rule could affect AI companion apps, or apps where companion functionality is one of several features. Character.AI, Replika and other AI apps let people create companions including friends, lovers and fantasy characters, and are often targeted at younger people. As of last summer, top AI companion apps across the Apple App Store and Google Play had been downloaded 220 million times globally, according to TechCrunch.
Apps will also need to indicate if they share a user's real-world location with another person or group as part of their functionality. TechCrunch notes such sharing raises privacy concerns, especially if the user was unaware. In Brazil, apps providing family location-sharing features can request an official rating from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security instead of listing the A16 rating required by local law.
When do Apple's new 18+ rating rules take effect?
Apple's requirement for an 18+ rating on apps offering dating or romantic relationship features, including new content descriptors, starts November 16, following the company's announcement to developers on Monday.
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