Apple to require 18+ rating for romantic AI companion and dating apps from November 16

Apple will require dating apps and virtual companions that offer romantic or sexual content to carry a minimum 18+ age rating starting November 16. Developers must declare those features by January 12, 2027. Apple described the rule in a Developer news post dated November 2, 2026. TechCrunch reported it on November 3, a day after Apple shared it with developers.

The mechanism is a set of new content descriptors in App Store Connect. When developers complete the age rating questionnaire, they must say whether their app includes "Dating and Relationships" features, defined as features that enable dating or relationship connections between real people, or "a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content." Any app with that descriptor receives a minimum age rating of 18+. Developers must also make these declarations whenever they submit an app update or change their questionnaire answers. All apps must have them completed by January 12, 2027, so existing apps need checking as well as new ones.

The second descriptor, Shared Location, covers sharing a user's real-world location with another person or group. Apple's post says apps with that descriptor may not affect their minimum age rating in some regions. In Brazil, local law requires an A16 rating for Shared Location and an A18 rating for Dating and Relationships. An app that qualifies for a lower rating there, such as a family location-sharing app, can request an official rating from Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP/Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública). Once verified, that rating will display on the App Store.

TechCrunch's Sarah Perez framed the change as one of several steps Apple has taken to protect minors, following its global rollout of age assurance technology and more parental controls. She noted that most major dating services already restrict their platforms to adults. The more interesting question, she wrote, is AI companions. Character.AI, Replika and other AI apps let people create companions that can be friends, lovers or fantasy characters, and these apps are often aimed at younger people. She also pointed to xAI's 3D animated companions, which allowed users to unlock NSFW capabilities. She cited a figure of 220 million global downloads for top AI companion apps across the Apple App Store and Google Play as of last summer.