Apple is adjusting its App Store rules to make it harder for minors to use online dating apps or AI companions that engage in sexual or romantic content. Under the new policy, any app offering dating or romantic relationship features must carry an 18+ rating, and developers have until November 16 to add content descriptors that ensure age ratings reflect the app’s features. Apple frames the change as part of a broader child-safety effort that already includes the global rollout of its age assurance technology and more parental controls and child safety features.

The policy is likely to have the largest impact on AI companion apps, which are often targeted at younger users. The article names Character.AI, Replika, and similar apps that let people create friends, lovers, boyfriends, girlfriends, and fantasy characters, and notes that xAI launched 3D animated AI companions with optional NSFW capabilities last year. As of last summer, the top AI companion apps across the Apple App Store and Google Play had been downloaded 220 million times globally.

Apple is also requiring apps to indicate whether they share a user’s real-world location with another person or group, citing obvious privacy concerns, especially when users are unaware of the sharing. In Brazil, apps that provide location-sharing features for families can request an official rating from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) instead of being listed with the A16 rating required by local law.