Apple is setting an 18+ minimum App Store rating for apps that help people date or form relationships. The same rule covers virtual companions, such as chatbots that play the part of a partner, if they engage users in romantic or sexual content. The rating applies to the whole app, even if the companion is one feature among several.
When Apple introduced the 18+ label in 2025, it already asked developers to consider how often a chatbot might bring up sensitive material. The new questionnaire asks about dating and relationships directly, and explicitly includes virtual companions in that question.
Developers adding a romantic chatbot still have to get the app through App Store review. The review rules restrict what can go in the store, including a ban on overtly sexual or pornographic material. Once Apple approves the app, users see the rating on its store page.
What developers must declare
Starting on 16th November 2026, developers submitting an update or editing their age rating questionnaire must answer two new questions in App Store Connect, the dashboard they use to manage their listings and send updates to Apple. Apple uses their answers to calculate the app’s rating. Every app needs answers by 12th January 2027, even if the developer has no update planned. If a developer sends Apple an update in December, the answers go in with that submission. January is the deadline for the apps that still haven’t answered.
The other question is about apps that let you share your real-world location with another person or a group. Whether that changes the rating depends on the market. Apple says Brazil’s rules require A16 for location sharing and A18 for dating and relationships. If a developer thinks its app qualifies for a lower rating, for example because it lets parents and children share their location with each other, it can ask Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security to classify the app. Apple displays the official rating on the Brazilian store once it has verified the classification.
What the rating means for iPhone users in Kenya
Tinder already shows an 18+ rating in Kenya’s App Store. It’s the same storefront we checked when Apple Sports arrived in Kenya earlier this year. This time, the listings to watch are for apps that have a lower rating today and include a dating feature or a virtual companion that engages users in romantic or sexual content.
Parents can set an age rating limit in Screen Time, Apple’s parental controls. Compare the rating on the store page with the limit you’ve set on the device. Apple lists a different set of global rating labels for iPhones running software earlier than iOS 26, so the label on an older iPhone may differ from the one you see on a newer device. Apple also checks that someone is an adult before letting them download an 18+ app in Australia, Brazil and Singapore.
The November announcement gives no equivalent download requirement for Kenya. It also leaves open what happens to an app already on a child’s iPhone if its rating goes up, and what Apple will do if a developer misses the January deadline.
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