Apple makes dating and AI companion apps 18+ on the App Store

Apple is tightening how dating apps — and AI "companion" apps — are rated on the App Store. The company will add two new content descriptor questions to App Store Connect, its portal for developers, reports Engadget.

The two new questions

1. Location sharing: does the app share a user's real-world location with another person or group?
2. Dating and relationships: does the app enable dating "between real people and/or a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content"?

The second question is the notable one: it explicitly covers AI companions, not just classic dating services.

What changes for users

Every app that declares dating or relationship content gets a minimum 18+ age rating. In practice:

• If a parent has set content restrictions on a child's iPhone or iPad, these apps will not appear in the App Store at all.
• If an under-18 user can still see them and tries to buy or download one, they will have to prove to Apple that they are an adult.

Location sharing on its own will not change the age rating in most regions. Some countries have their own rules, though — Brazil, for example, requires location-sharing apps to be rated 16+.

Deadlines for developers

The new descriptors appear in App Store Connect on 16 November 2026. Developers must answer both questions when submitting a new app or updating an existing one, and all apps must have answers by 12 January 2027.

Why it matters

Regulators in several countries are pushing app stores to do more on age checks, and AI chatbots that role-play relationships have become a particular concern. Folding companion apps into the same 18+ bucket as dating apps puts the responsibility on developers to declare it — and gives parents a simpler filter. For more on keeping phones safe, read our guide on how to spot fake apps on Google Play and our ChatGPT privacy settings guide.