Apple Tightens App Store Age Ratings for Dating and Location Apps

For developers, this means checking existing apps against the new questions before the deadline. An app that previously carried a lower rating could be moved up if it turns out to contain one of the flagged features.

Why it matters

Dating functions and location sharing are areas where parents and regulators tend to see particular risks for younger users, since they involve contact with strangers and information about where a person is. Clearer labelling gives families a more reliable basis for deciding which apps are suitable for a child, and it is intended to make age ratings in the store more meaningful.

Users may notice the effect in the App Store, where some apps could appear with a higher age badge. Where Apple's parental controls filter apps by age rating, such apps may become less accessible to younger users' accounts.

What comes next

The obligation applies from 16 November. Developers who do not update their declarations risk having their classification set or questioned by Apple, so teams with dating, social or location-based apps have little time to review their listings. Apple has not detailed further consequences in the material available so far.