On November 2, Apple announced two new content descriptors for the App Store Connect age ratings questionnaire, which will appear from November 16. Developers will need to declare whether their app includes Shared Locationthat is, sharing your real location with another person or a group, e Dating and Relationships. According to Apple, descriptors help ensure ratings accurately reflect app features and comply with local regulations. Apps that fall into the second category will receive a minimum rating of 18+.
The definition of Dating and Relationships is broad. Includes features that enable romantic or dating connections between real people and/or a virtual companion that engages the user in sexual or romantic content. The classification does not distinguish between the two cases: a chatbot with romantic or sexual functions is treated as a dating app.
Statements must be provided when submitting an app update or changing the age rating questionnaire. The expiration of January 12, 2027 applies to all apps. From the opening of the new fields, the developers therefore have just under two months to comply.
Shared location and local rules
The weight of Shared Location on the classification depends on the region. In some areas the declaration may not change the minimum age of the app, because local regulations decide. However, sharing your real location raises obvious privacy issues, especially when the user doesn’t know that their location is being shared.
In Brazil local regulations require classification A16 for Shared Location e A18 for Dating and Relationships. Anyone who believes their app deserves a lower rating, for example because location sharing is designed for parents and children, can request an official rating directly from the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety (MJSP). Once verified, the official classification appears on the Brazilian App Store, instead of the A16 required by law.
Virtual companions and chatbots
The novelty mainly affects companion apps based on artificial intelligence. Character.AI, Reply and other services allow you to create friends, romantic partners, and other fictional characters, often targeting young audiences. In 2025 xAI launched 3D animated companions with which users could unlock NSFW features. Major such apps on the App Store and Google Play were estimated to have reached summer 2026 220 million downloads globally.
The perimeter could extend to generalist chatbots. Apple talks about a virtual companion that engages the user in sexual or romantic content, and some assistants allow sexual conversations: Grokfor example, has a “spicy” mode with fewer limits. OpenAI was working on an adult mode of ChatGPT, but postponed its launch in 2026 to focus on higher priority tasks. Apple doesn’t make clear in its announcement how it will evaluate apps where this feature is one among many.
The 18+ age group already exists on the App Store, but so far it has mainly concerned apps with gambling, violence, references to drugs, alcohol or tobacco, nudity or sexual content. Most dating platforms are already reserved for adults, so the new rule appears to help prevent minors from slipping through the filters, including in the case of virtual boyfriend or girlfriend simulators, which could pose mental health risks. Apple has already taken other steps to protect minors: Requiring self-reporting of age rating details began in 2025, and the company has rolled out age verification technology globally and expanded parental controls. Ratings help parents limit access to apps through features like Ask to Buy and Screen Time.
