# Apple to rate apps featuring dating or virtual companions 18+

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/apple-will-start-mandating-age-requirements-for-dating-apps/
- Published: 2026-11-03T10:32:28+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-03T10:53:21+00:00
- Original publisher: Engadget
- Original article: https://www.engadget.com/2305017/apple-start-mandating-age-requirements-dating-apps/
- Topics: AI, Art, Business, Celebrity, Companies, Culture, Entertainment, Software, Technology

## Key points

- Dating and relationship apps will be rated 18+.
- Virtual companion relationships are included.
- Developers must complete the questions by 12 January 2027.

## Summary

Apple will require developers to disclose whether their apps support dating or romantic and sexual interactions with virtual companions, as part of changes to its App Store age-rating questionnaire. Apps identified as containing dating or relationship content will receive an 18+ rating, which matters for young users whose devices have parental content restrictions.

The questionnaire will also ask whether an app shares a user’s real-world location with other people or groups; this will not usually affect its rating, though some countries, including Brazil, require a minimum age of 16. The new questions appear in App Store Connect on 16 November, and developers must answer them for all their apps by 12 January 2027, including when submitting new apps or updating existing ones.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.