App Store adds dating and location age rating questions from November 16
All apps must declare Shared Location and Dating and Relationships by January 12, 2027; dating apps get 18+.
Apps · Macfolio · 3 November 2026
Apple told developers on November 2, 2026 that App Store Connect will add two new content descriptors to the age rating questionnaire starting November 16, 2026. Every app on the store will need to answer them by January 12, 2027, and apps that offer dating or romantic AI companion features will be rated 18+.
The two new questions
According to Apple's developer news post, the questionnaire will ask whether an app includes:
- Shared Location: sharing of real-world location with another person or group
- Dating and Relationships: features that enable dating or relationship connections between real people, or a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content
Apple says developers must provide these declarations when submitting an app update or changing their age rating answers, and that all apps must have them completed by January 12, 2027. Apps that declare Dating and Relationships receive a minimum age rating of 18+. Shared Location may not change an app's minimum rating in some regions.
Brazil gets its own rules. Apple says local regulation there requires an A16 rating for Shared Location and an A18 rating for Dating and Relationships. Developers who think their app deserves a lower rating in Brazil, such as a family location app built for parents and children, can request an official rating from Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security, which Apple will then display on the Brazilian App Store.
Who needs to do something
If you ship an iPhone, iPad or Mac app, plan to answer the two questions with your next update after November 16, and before January 12 even if you have no update planned. Teams that build family safety tools, team trackers, social apps or AI chat apps with companion personas should review their features carefully, because the AI companion wording is broad.
This does not mean location-sharing apps will suddenly become adults-only everywhere, and Apple has not said what happens to apps that miss the deadline.
Our take: this is a small form change with real consequences for AI chat apps that lean on romantic personas, and for any app that is popular with teenagers. Answer honestly; a mismatched rating is an easy reason for App Review to push back.
Caveats: Apple's post does not list per-country ratings beyond Brazil, and the questionnaire itself is not live until November 16.