Apple Limits Dating Apps and AI Companions to Users 18 and Over

Will AI companions disappear from teenage phones? Apple told developers it is tightening App Store rules so minors have a harder time reaching dating apps and AI companions offering sexual or romantic content. Any app with dating or romantic-relationship features will now need an 18 plus age rating. The change is significant.

From 16 November, developers must add new content descriptors so age ratings reflect what their apps actually do. Apps that share a user's real-world location with another person or group must also disclose this. The rules could affect services such as Character.AI and Replika, as well as apps where companion features are only one of many.

In Brazil, family location-sharing apps can seek an official rating from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security instead of receiving the A16 rating local law would otherwise require. The move arrives as regulators and parents worry about young users forming relationships with chatbots, putting pressure on developers to review how their products are classified.