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Apple Will Rate Dating Apps and Romance AI Companions 18+ on the App Store

By , Tech Cheat Codes Team

Published 5 min read

An iPhone showing Apple's Age-Appropriate Experiences in Apps screen, which lets parents share a child's age range with apps.
Image: Apple
On this page · 3 sections
  1. What developers have to declare
  2. What parents can do now
  3. References

On November 16, Apple adds two new content descriptors in the App Store Connect age rating questionnaire. One covers dating and romantic or sexual AI companions. The other covers apps that share a person's real-world location with someone else. For parents who already set age limits on a kid's iPhone, that first descriptor is the one that sets an 18+ minimum rating.

Apple posted the change on November 2. Dating apps, and apps with a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content, will get a minimum age rating of 18+ once developers declare those features. Parents who set an app age rating limit below 18 in Screen Time can use those ratings to limit which apps their child sees.

That is the practical point. Apple's note is about age ratings. It does not say anything about removing apps that are already installed.

What developers have to declare

Starting November 16, 2026, when a developer fills out the age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect, they must say whether the app includes either of two content descriptors.

Shared Location means the app shares a person's real-world location with another person or group. Dating and Relationships covers features that enable dating or relationship connections between real people, and/or a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content. That second definition is broad. It covers dating apps and, as The Verge describes it, AI chatbots and virtual girlfriend or boyfriend simulators with sexual or romantic interactions.

Declarations are required when a developer submits an app update or changes the age rating questionnaire. Every app on the store has to finish these declarations by January 12, 2027. Apps that include Dating and Relationships get the 18+ floor. Shared Location may not affect the minimum age rating in some regions, depending on local rules.

Brazil is the clearest example Apple called out. Local rules there require an A16 rating for Shared Location and an A18 rating for Dating and Relationships. Developers who think their app should sit lower in Brazil — for example a parent-child location sharing tool — request an official rating from Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security. Once that rating is verified, it shows on the App Store in Brazil.

The Verge reports that the change aims to keep minors away from AI chatbots with sexual or romantic interactions and from virtual girlfriend or boyfriend simulators. Apple already has an 18+ category, which The Verge says has largely applied to apps with gambling, violence, references to drugs, alcohol or tobacco, and nudity or sexual content. Most dating platforms are already adult-only, The Verge adds, but the new descriptors are an effort to keep minors from slipping through the cracks.

What parents can do now

If you already use Family Sharing and Screen Time for a child's account, the path that matters is Content & Privacy Restrictions. On your iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap Family, tap your child's name, then tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. Enter the Screen Time passcode if asked. Under Content Restrictions, pick the content type you want to limit — including apps — and choose an age rating that matches what you allow.

Once developers declare Dating and Relationships and Apple applies the 18+ rating, apps in that bucket sit behind that limit. A teen whose app age limit is set under 18 should see only apps rated within that limit while the restriction is on. Ask to Buy is a separate layer: Settings → Family → child's name → Apps & Websites → Restrictions → Ask to Buy, then Require Purchase Approval. That sends you a request before a download or purchase goes through, which is useful while ratings are still rolling out between November 16 and the January 12 deadline.

You can also block a specific app by name under Apps & Websites. Blocking dims the app on the Home Screen. It does not delete it. Apple's note does not say installed apps get removed when a rating changes. If a dating app or a romanceable AI companion is already on a kid's phone, check that phone yourself.

Regular iPhone users who are not managing a kid's account will mostly see the change as a store label. Dating apps and romanceable AI companion apps that declare those features will carry 18+. Location-sharing apps keep their current floor in some regions and pick up a higher one in others, depending on local rules. Either way, an app's App Store page is where to look for its age rating once the developer has filed.

Between November 16 and January 12, expect a messy middle. Some apps may update early. Others may wait until the deadline. A parent who checks a teen's App Store this week could still see an older rating on a dating or AI companion app that has not filed yet. Check again after mid-November, and again before mid-January, if that matters in your house.

January 12, 2027 is the deadline. By then every app in App Store Connect is supposed to have answered the Shared Location and Dating and Relationships questions. After that, the 18+ floor for dating and romanceable companions is the normal store rule.

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References