Apple will require an 18+ App Store rating for dating apps and romantic AI companions

Apple has told developers that apps offering dating, or AI companions that engage users in romantic or sexual content, will need an 18+ age rating on the App Store. The notice went out on Monday, November 2, according to TechCrunch and PPC Land, and it extends to apps where such features are only one part of a broader product.

Two new declarations

The change works through Apple's age-rating questionnaire in App Store Connect, which gains two new content descriptors on November 16, 2026. The first, Dating and Relationships, covers features that let real people form dating or romantic connections, as well as virtual companions that offer sexual or romantic interactions. Any app that declares it gets a minimum rating of 18+.

The second, Shared Location, applies to apps that pass a user's real-world location to another person or group. According to the reports, this declaration will not necessarily raise the minimum rating in every region, and Apple has not listed where it does. TechCrunch points out that undisclosed location sharing is a privacy concern in its own right.

From November 16, developers must answer both questions whenever they submit an update or edit their questionnaire. All apps must have the declarations in place by January 12, 2027. PPC Land notes that Apple has not said what happens to apps that miss that date.

Brazil is handled separately. Local rules there set A18 for Dating and Relationships and A16 for Shared Location, but developers of apps such as parent-and-child location trackers can ask Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security for a lower official rating, which then appears on the Brazilian store.

Why AI companions are in scope

Most large dating services already limit sign-ups to adults, so the rule matters most for companion chatbots. TechCrunch cites Character.AI and Replika as examples of apps that let people create friends or romantic partners and that are often used by younger audiences. It also recalls that xAI introduced animated companions in 2025 with unlockable NSFW modes, and that the leading companion apps had passed 220 million downloads across Apple's and Google's stores by mid-2025.

An age rating does not verify anyone's age by itself; as Tech Times explains, it mainly decides which apps minors with Screen Time or Family Sharing restrictions can see. The move follows Apple's worldwide rollout of age assurance tools and other child safety features, which TechCrunch links to. How strictly Apple will police self-declared answers, and whether apps will strip romantic features to keep younger users, remains to be seen.