Apple to Require 18+ Ratings for Dating Apps and Romantic Virtual Companions

Apple will require a minimum 18+ App Store age rating for apps with dating features or virtual companions that engage users in romantic or sexual content. The change is part of new developer declarations arriving in App Store Connect on November 16, 2026.

The age-rating questionnaire is adding two descriptors: Dating and Relationships, which covers those interactions, and Shared Location, for apps that let users share their real-world location with another person or group. Location sharing will not necessarily raise an app's minimum age rating in every region.

Brazil has specific requirements: A16 for Shared Location and A18 for Dating and Relationships. Developers who believe an app qualifies for a lower rating can request an official classification from Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security. Apple gives parent-and-child location-sharing apps as an example; the official rating will appear on the Brazilian App Store once verified.

Developers must supply the declarations when submitting an app update or changing their age-rating questionnaire. All apps must have them completed by January 12, 2027.

The additions build on Apple's expanded App Store age-rating system, which introduced 13+, 16+, and 18+ categories alongside the existing 4+ and 9+ ratings.