App Store age rating: Apple sets an 18+ minimum for dating apps
Apple will give every App Store app with dating features or a romantic virtual companion a minimum age rating of 18+, under new App Store Connect rules announced Monday, November 2. That puts those apps behind the age limits parents set in Screen Time, and every app must complete the new declarations by January 12, 2027.
What Apple is changing
Starting November 16, 2026, the age rating questionnaire developers fill out in App Store Connect gets 2 new content descriptors. Apple says they are meant to make ratings reflect what an app actually does and to keep them in line with local regulations.
- Dating and Relationships: features that connect real people for dating or relationships, or a virtual companion that engages users in sexual or romantic content.
- Shared Location: sharing a person's real-world location with another person or group.
Any app that declares Dating and Relationships gets a minimum rating of 18+. Apple says Shared Location may not change an app's minimum rating in some regions.
Deadlines for developers
Developers must answer the new questions the next time they submit an app update or change their age rating questionnaire after November 16. All apps must have the declarations completed by January 12, 2027.
Stricter rules in Brazil
Brazil gets tighter ratings because of local regulations. There, Shared Location means an A16 rating and Dating and Relationships means A18. Apple says developers who think their app deserves a lower Brazilian rating, such as a location-sharing app built for parents and children, can ask Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security for an official rating. Once verified, that rating appears on the App Store in Brazil.
What it means for you
For parents, the change matters most where Screen Time is already set up. Apple's parental controls let you choose age-appropriate ratings for apps and block apps with specific ratings, so a child's iPhone or iPad set to block apps rated above their age will also block dating and romantic virtual companion apps once they carry the 18+ rating.
Developers of social, chat or virtual companion apps should check whether their features count as Dating and Relationships before their next update, since that answer sets the 18+ minimum.