Apple Rates Dating Apps and Romantic AI Companions 18+
If your app has a companion that flirts, even as one feature among many, it needs a new App Store Connect declaration.
Apple told developers on November 2 that apps with dating features, or an AI companion that engages users in sexual or romantic content, get an 18+ minimum rating.
The new questions arrive in App Store Connect on November 16. Build or market an AI app with a companion mode? Then this one’s on your desk.
What Apple is asking for
Apple’s developer news post adds two content descriptors to the age rating questionnaire:
- Dating and Relationships: features that connect real people for dating or relationships, or a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content. Minimum rating: 18+.
- Shared Location: sharing a user’s real-world location with another person or group.
Apple says Shared Location may not change your minimum rating in some regions, without naming them, so you’ll want to check how it lands in each market where you sell.
You’ll answer both with your next app update, or when you change your age rating questionnaire. Every app has to complete them by January 12, 2027, update or not.
Brazil gets its own ratings
Brazil works differently. Local rules require A16 for Shared Location and A18 for Dating and Relationships.
So what if your app is a family tracker? You can ask Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) for an official rating. Once it’s verified, the App Store in Brazil shows it.
Apple’s own example of an app that might qualify: location sharing built for parents and children.
Who this hits
Most dating apps already limit themselves to adults, as TechCrunch’s report notes, so for apps that match real people the 18+ floor mostly confirms what they already do.
AI companion apps are the bigger story.
Here’s the context TechCrunch gives:
- On Character.AI, Replika and similar apps, people create friends, partners and fantasy characters, and TechCrunch says these apps are often aimed at younger people.
- Top companion apps had 220 million downloads across the App Store and Google Play, as of last summer.
- Apps where a companion is one feature of many could be affected too.
That last group is the one I’d watch closest.
Why it matters
If you build an AI app, read Apple’s wording slowly.
The trigger is a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content. So your answer depends on what your model actually says to users, whatever your landing page calls it.
Still, the line is blurry: does a role-play mode count, or a chatbot that flirts back when a user pushes it? Apple’s post doesn’t say.
So I’d answer based on what your app can produce today and keep notes on how you tested it, in case a reviewer or a parent finds a reply you didn’t expect.
Before November 16, I’d do three things:
- Test your companion or chat features for romantic or sexual replies, and write down what you find.
- Decide whether to restrict that content or accept 18+.
- Check whether your app shares a user’s location with other people, even inside a family or group feature you added as an extra.
Anyway, if you market these apps, check who your ads and creator deals actually reach. My read: an 18+ app in a campaign aimed at teens is a mismatch you don’t want to explain.
That said, this fits a wider run of child safety rules for online platforms. TechCrunch ties it to Apple’s global age assurance rollout. I’d expect more.
Common Questions
When do developers have to declare the new Apple age rating descriptors?
From November 16, 2026, App Store Connect asks for them with any app update or age rating change. Every app must complete the Dating and Relationships and Shared Location declarations by January 12, 2027.
Do all AI companion apps get an 18+ rating on the App Store?
Only some. Apps with a virtual companion that engages users in sexual or romantic content, or with dating features between real people, get Apple’s minimum age rating of 18+.
Does sharing location change an app’s age rating?
It depends on the region. Apple says the Shared Location descriptor may not affect the minimum rating in some regions, while Brazil requires A16 unless the Ministry of Justice and Public Security grants a lower official rating.
