Apps containing dating or romantic companion functionality will automatically receive an age rating of at least 18+, regardless of whether those capabilities are the application's primary purpose. This means an AI chatbot offering romantic interactions alongside other features could fall under the same classification as a traditional dating platform.
The restrictions will affect how younger users encounter these apps. Applications rated 18+ will be hidden from minors whose parents or guardians have enabled appropriate content restrictions on their devices. Underage users who can otherwise view restricted apps may be required to verify their adult status with Apple before downloading or purchasing them.
While established dating platforms generally already impose adult age requirements, the new classification is particularly relevant to AI companion services. Platforms such as Character.AI and Replika allow users to interact with customizable virtual personalities, including characters designed for friendship or romantic relationships. Apple's policy focuses on the interactions an app enables rather than how the developer markets the product.
The growing popularity of AI companions has brought additional attention to how these services handle younger audiences. According to figures cited by TechCrunch, leading AI companion applications across Apple's App Store and Google Play had accumulated 220 million downloads worldwide as of last summer. The category also includes products with more explicitly adult-oriented capabilities, such as the animated AI companions introduced by xAI for Grok last year.
Apple's changes place age classification at the App Store level rather than leaving access restrictions entirely to individual developers. The approach follows the company's broader child safety initiatives, including the global introduction of age assurance technology and additional parental control features announced earlier this year.
The second new disclosure requirement addresses apps that transmit a user's real-world location to another person or group. Unlike dating and romantic companion functionality, location sharing will not generally trigger a higher minimum age rating across most regions. However, local regulations can impose additional restrictions.
Brazil, for example, requires apps with qualifying location-sharing features to carry an A16 rating, while dating and relationship functionality falls under an A18 classification. Family-oriented applications that share locations can request an official rating from Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security rather than automatically receiving the A16 designation. Once approved, Apple can display the government-issued classification in the Brazilian App Store.
The new questionnaire fields will become available in App Store Connect on November 16. Developers submitting new applications or updating existing ones will need to answer both questions, including when modifying an app's age-rating information. Apple has set January 12, 2027, as the deadline for developers to complete the disclosures across all their applications, even those without dating or location-sharing features.
The requirements establish a more explicit distinction between general-purpose AI applications and those that enable romantic or sexual relationships. For developers offering companion chatbots, the presence of those features can determine the age classification of the entire application, making them a direct consideration in how AI products are distributed through Apple's App Store.
This analysis is based on reporting from Engadget.
Image courtesy of SQ Magazine.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
