Apple will introduce new App Store Connect age rating declarations on November 16, 2026, with an 18+ minimum for apps that include features covered by Dating and Relationships. Developers will also have to disclose Shared Location features, and every app must have both declarations completed by January 12, 2027. Apple says the additions are intended to make app ratings reflect the features people encounter and meet requirements under local regulations.
The requirement applies when developers submit an update to an app or revise its age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect. The January deadline covers all apps, while the obligation to supply the declarations during an update or questionnaire revision begins with the November change. Developers completing that questionnaire will need to identify whether their apps offer either of the two newly specified categories of content.
Dating and Relationships covers features through which real people can form dating or relationship connections with one another. It also encompasses a virtual companion whose interactions with a user involve romantic or sexual content, extending the declaration beyond connections between human users. Apple assigns apps containing Dating and Relationships a minimum rating of 18+.
Shared Location concerns features that let a person share their physical whereabouts with other people, whether an individual or a group. Unlike Dating and Relationships, Shared Location does not necessarily raise an app's minimum age rating in every region, according to Apple. Brazil imposes a specific requirement: apps with Shared Location need an A16 rating under local rules.
Brazil also requires an A18 rating for apps containing Dating and Relationships, giving each of the new declarations an explicit local rating consequence. Developers who believe their app warrants a lower Brazilian age rating can seek a rating directly from the country's Ministry of Justice and Public Security, identified by Apple as MJSP.
Apple gives location sharing designed specifically for children and parents as an example of an app that might qualify for a lower rating in Brazil. After verification, the official rating obtained through that process will appear on the Brazilian App Store.
