Apple has introduced new content descriptors in App Store Connect due to which apps hat facilitate dating or romantic connections between people or provide virtual companions engaging in romantic or sexual interactions with users, will have to disclose these features. This new rule establishes a minimum age rating of 18+ for apps that include dating and relationship features.
The company announced the updated rules on Monday, stating that these changes would help ensure that app age ratings accurately reflect their features and comply with local regulations. The new policy covers dating and relationship features involving real people as well as virtual companions that engage users in sexual or romantic content. Developers are required to complete the new declarations for all apps by January 12, 2027.
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Apple's revised age-rating questionnaire will include two new content descriptors, "Shared Location" and "Dating and Relationships," the company stated in its developer announcement. The Shared Location descriptor applies to apps that allow users to share their real world location with another person or group, while Dating and Relationships covers features which facilitate romantic connections between real people and AI companions.
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How 18+ Age-Rating Requirement Could Affect AI
The 18+ age-rating requirement could affect AI companion apps that allow users to interact with virtual romantic partners, including AI generated girlfriends, boyfriends and other characters, even if such interactions are only one of several features offered by the app. Technology publication TechCrunch reported that applications such as Character.AI and Replika could be affected as they allow users to create and interact with AI companions that can be designed as friends or romantic partners.
The move comes as AI companion applications gain popularity, with developers offering increasingly personalised interactions through virtual characters. Leading AI companion applications across Apple's App Store and Google Play had accumulated approximately 220 million downloads globally by the summer of 2025, TechCrunch reported. The publication also noted that these apps allow users to create AI companions, including virtual lovers, friends and fictional characters.
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Implications Of New Policy
The new policy could have implications for platforms or apps offering romantic AI interactions to younger users, particularly where such functionality is embedded within the apps that are primarily marketed for entertainment or social interactions. Apple's announcement, however, does not name individual apps or state that specific services are to be removed.
This new age classification feature could make it easier for parents and guardians to identify apps that offer dating or romantic AI interactions and restrict access through Apple's parental controls.
Apple's new updated questionnaire will become available in App Store Connect from November 16, and developers will have to declare whether their apps include Shared Location or Dating and Relationships features. Apps that include Dating and Relationships will receive a minimum age rating of 18+, while the impact of Location Sharing features on age ratings will depend on regional regulations.
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