Apple to require 18+ ratings for dating apps and romantic AI companions

Apple tightens age limits on dating and AI companion apps

Apple is updating its App Store rules to keep minors away from dating apps and AI companions built around romantic or sexual interaction, according to TechCrunch. The company informed developers of the change in an announcement on Monday, extending a child-safety effort that already includes a global rollout of age assurance technology plus expanded parental controls.

What developers must do

Starting November 16, every app that provides dating or romantic relationship features must carry an 18+ rating, and developers will need to add new content descriptors so that an app's rating matches what the app actually does.

As TechCrunch points out, most major dating platforms already bar minors voluntarily, so the requirement largely codifies existing practice in that category. The more consequential question is how it lands on apps where romantic features sit alongside other functionality.

AI companions are the bigger story

The change sweeps in AI companion apps such as Character.AI and Replika, which let users build characters ranging from casual friends to romantic partners. These products are frequently aimed at younger audiences, making the new adults-only requirement especially relevant to them.

The category is also huge. TechCrunch reports that top AI companion apps across the Apple App Store and Google Play had been downloaded 220 million times globally as of last summer. xAI, meanwhile, launched 3D animated AI companions last year that let users unlock explicit capabilities.

For developers whose apps include optional companion features, the choice becomes stark: strip out the romantic functionality or accept an 18+ rating that excludes the under-18 audience entirely.

Location sharing must be disclosed

The update also requires apps to indicate whether they share a user's physical location with other people or groups as part of how they function. TechCrunch highlights the privacy dimension here: users may have no idea their whereabouts are being passed to others, and the disclosure is meant to surface that.

One regional exception exists. In Brazil, apps offering family-oriented location sharing can request an official rating from the country's Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) instead of labeling the feature with the A16 rating required under local law.

Why it matters

Apple is drawing a hard boundary around one of the fastest-growing app categories at a moment when AI companion products are booming and, as TechCrunch notes, often appeal to young users. The 18+ requirement turns what has so far been a self-imposed industry norm into a platform mandate with a fixed compliance date.

For developers, the November 16 deadline means auditing features, updating content descriptors and possibly reworking products that mix companion chat with general-purpose tools. For the broader market, it signals that Apple is prepared to use age ratings as a regulatory instrument — a precedent that could extend to other categories the company judges risky for minors, and one that arrives alongside its wider push into age verification across the App Store.