Overview
- App Store Connect will add new content descriptors on November 16, and developers must submit Shared Location and Dating and Relationships declarations by January 12, 2027 when they update an app or change the age-rating questionnaire.
- Any app that includes Dating and Relationships features will receive a minimum 18+ age rating, and that rule covers both real-person interactions and virtual companions or AI that engage in sexual or romantic content.
- Shared Location features will get ratings based on each jurisdiction’s rules, and in some regions the new descriptor may not change an app’s current minimum age.
- In Brazil, Apple says Shared Location requires an A16 rating and Dating and Relationships requires an A18 rating, and developers can request a lower official rating from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security if they can show a different use case such as parent-child location sharing.
- The change continues Apple’s 2025 move to enforce developer self-reporting for age ratings and is likely to push developers to revise app settings, privacy disclosures, or feature access to avoid higher age gates.