# Apple requires dating apps to declare features and carry 18+ rating

> By Hayley Birkin | Edited by Bill Alena | Published: 2026-11-03T01:21:50.913346+00:00 | Section: Regulation | Source: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/apple-requires-dating-apps-declare-features-carry-18-plus-rating | Publisher: Dating Industry Insights (High Intent Media Inc)

Apple will make developers declare Dating and Relationships features from 16 November 2026, with a minimum 18+ rating and all declarations due by 12 January 20…

## Key points

- Apple said on 2 November 2026 that from 16 November App Store Connect will require developers to declare Dating and Relationships and Shared Location features in the age rating questionnaire.
- Apple says apps that include Dating and Relationships receive a minimum age rating of 18+, and all apps must complete the declarations by 12 January 2027.
- Apple defines Dating and Relationships to include a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content, so AI companion apps are covered alongside human dating apps.
- In Brazil, Apple says local regulations require an A18 rating for Dating and Relationships and A16 for Shared Location, with a route to request an official rating from the MJSP.

## Article

- Apple said on 2 November 2026 that from 16 November App Store Connect will ask developers whether apps include Dating and Relationships or Shared Location features.

- Apps that include Dating and Relationships receive a minimum age rating of 18+, and all apps must complete the declarations by 12 January 2027.

- Apple's definition covers a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content, so AI companion apps fall inside the category.

- In Brazil, local regulations require A18 for Dating and Relationships and A16 for Shared Location.

Apple has told developers that any app with dating or relationship features must say so in its age rating questionnaire and will carry a minimum 18+ rating. According to a developer news post dated 2 November 2026, the new content descriptors arrive in App Store Connect on 16 November, and every app must have the declarations completed by 12 January 2027.

The rule is wider than human-to-human matchmaking. Under Apple's definition, Dating and Relationships covers features that let real people make dating or relationship connections, and also virtual companions that draw a user into romantic or sexual content. For operators, that turns a quiet questionnaire update into a category definition with Apple as the arbiter.

### The DII Take

For established dating apps this looks like a labelling exercise, not a threat. The real exposure sits at the edges: AI companion products, social apps with a romantic mode, and anything that has treated its dating feature as incidental. Apple has now written down what counts, and that matters more than the 18+ number itself. DII has not verified what rating individual dating apps carry today, and Apple's post does not name any.

### AI companions are inside the definition

The inclusion of virtual companions is the sharpest part of Apple's wording. A chatbot that engages a user in romantic or sexual content is treated the same way as a dating profile for rating purposes, according to Apple's post. Any product team that has argued its AI feature is something other than a dating feature will now have to answer a direct question in the questionnaire.

Shared Location is a separate declaration. Apple describes it as sharing real-world location with another person or group, and says it may not affect the minimum age rating in some regions. The 18+ floor applies to Dating and Relationships, not to location sharing.

### Two dates, and what Apple has not said

The post sets two milestones. From 16 November, developers must provide the declarations when submitting an app update or changing their age rating questionnaire. By 12 January 2027, all apps must have them completed, including those that do not ship an update in the meantime.

Apple's notice does not say what happens to apps that miss the January deadline. That gap is worth a call to your App Review contact, because a dating app with a slow release cadence is the obvious candidate to be caught out.

Brazil is handled separately. Apple says Brazilian rules set an A16 rating for Shared Location and A18 for Dating and Relationships. Developers who believe a lower rating is justified, such as for a location feature built for parents and children, can apply to Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) for an official rating, which then appears on the Brazilian App Store once verified.

> Apple has now written down what counts, and that matters more than the 18+ number itself.

### Part of a longer run of age-rating changes

This is the latest of several moves. Apple's age rating system, updated in 2025, added 13+, 16+ and 18+ to the existing 4+ and 9+ tiers, with ratings assigned per country or region. On 9 July 2026, Apple added social media capability questions, which it linked to Time Allowances in iOS 27, and said responses become required from September 2026 for new apps and updates.

Apple's App Store Connect release notes also show region-specific changes this year: Korea ratings changed on 22 October, and Australia's region-specific 15+ became 16+ on 18 June. Apple's post says the new descriptors exist so that ratings reflect features and comply with local regulations. It cites no specific law.

AppleInsider, which credited MacRumors with first spotting the change, framed it as a response to growing global age-gating regulation. It separately reported on 3 June that new Apple Accounts in Texas would be subject to age assurance and parental consent for under-18s from 4 June, under the Texas App Store Accountability Act, and that developers must use the Declared Age Range API. Apple has not linked the November change to that law in its own post.

### What operators should do before January

Compliance and product teams should audit every feature against Apple's definition now, not in the week before the deadline. That includes anything romantic delivered by an AI persona, and any location feature that could trigger the Shared Location declaration. Portfolios with many apps, such as [Match Group](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/match-group) (MTCH), which lists Tinder, Hinge, Match, Pairs, BLK, Upward, OurTime, The League, HER and Azar in its third-quarter results, have more questionnaires to complete than most.

The timing sits alongside commercial news. Match said in its 2 November results that Tinder daily active users returned to year-over-year growth in September, as [DII reported](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/match-group-reports-tinder-dau-growth-declares-dividend), and that Hinge delivered double-digit user, revenue and payer growth. Apple's rule does not touch those numbers directly. It does add one more gate that the whole category must pass through, and one that Apple, not the operators, defines.

- Apple's definition of Dating and Relationships includes virtual companions engaging users in romantic or sexual content, which pulls AI companion apps into the same 18+ category as dating apps.

- Declarations are required with updates from 16 November 2026 and for every app by 12 January 2027; Apple has not said what happens to apps that miss the deadline.

- Watch for how Apple applies the definition to apps with incidental romantic features, and for further region-specific rating changes like those in Brazil, Korea and Australia.

**Sources:** [Upcoming: New age rating content descriptors in App Store Connect (Apple Developer News)](https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=yxkh08us); [Latest News - Apple Developer (age rating updates) (Apple Developer)](https://developer.apple.com/news/); [Age rating questionnaire now includes social media questions (Apple Developer News)](https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=tlur8uvi); [App Store Connect release notes (Apple Developer)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/release-notes/); [Match Group third quarter 2026 results (SEC 8-K Exhibit 99.1)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000891103/000089110326000161/mtch8-k20261102ex991.htm); [Apple Requiring Developers to Disclose Location Sharing and Dating Features in Apps (MacRumors)](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/11/02/apple-developer-dating-app-requirement/); [Apps with dating & location sharing features must be disclosed by January 2027 (AppleInsider)](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/11/03/apps-with-dating-location-sharing-features-must-be-disclosed-by-january-2027); [Age verification now mandatory for App Store users in Texas (AppleInsider)](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/06/03/age-verification-now-mandatory-for-app-store-users-in-texas)

## Key takeaways

- Apple's definition of Dating and Relationships includes virtual companions that engage users in romantic or sexual content, pulling AI companion apps into the same 18+ category as dating apps.
- Developers must provide Apple's new declarations with app updates from 16 November 2026 and for every app by 12 January 2027, and Apple has not said what happens to apps that miss the deadline.
- Operators with large portfolios, such as Match Group (MTCH), face more questionnaires, and all dating operators should audit incidental romantic or location features against Apple's wording before January.

## FAQ

### When must dating apps declare their features to Apple?

Apple says App Store Connect will require the declarations from 16 November 2026 when developers submit an app update or change their age rating questionnaire. All apps must have them completed by 12 January 2027.

### What age rating will dating apps get on the App Store?

Apple says apps that include Dating and Relationships features receive a minimum age rating of 18+. In Brazil, local regulations require an A18 rating for these features.

### Do AI companion apps count as Dating and Relationships on the App Store?

Yes, according to Apple's definition, which covers a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content as well as dating connections between real people.

### Does Apple's Shared Location declaration mean an 18+ rating?

Not necessarily. Apple says Shared Location may not affect the minimum age rating in some regions, while Dating and Relationships carries a minimum of 18+. In Brazil, Shared Location requires A16.

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