Key takeaways
- From November 16, developers must tell Apple if their app has dating features or a virtual companion that gets romantic or sexual. Those apps get a minimum 18+ rating, and every app must answer by January 12, 2027.
- In July, a study of 2,882 AI companion apps on the App Store found that 51% were rated 12+ or lower, and 1,058 of them were rated 4+.
- My view: the rule is right, and late. Developers rate their own apps, the same system that let 400 deepfake apps through, and the rule only works if parents turned on Screen Time.
On November 2, Apple told developers that from November 16 the age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect has two new questions. One asks whether the app shares a real location with other people. The other asks about “Dating and Relationships”: features that connect real people for dating, or a virtual companion that engages the user in sexual or romantic content. Apps that answer yes to the second question get a minimum rating of 18+, even if romance is only one feature. Existing apps have until January 12, 2027.
Nothing gets banned. The 18+ apps are only hidden for kids whose parents set limits in Screen Time or Family Sharing, and only Brazil, Australia and Singapore make you prove you are an adult before you download an 18+ app. In Brazil, location sharing also means a 16+ rating; in most other countries it changes nothing.
| What the app does | New rule |
|---|---|
| Dating between real people | Minimum 18+ |
| AI companion with romantic or sexual content | Minimum 18+, even if it is only one feature |
| Sharing real location with others | Must be declared; 16+ only in Brazil |
| Deadline for existing apps | January 12, 2027 |
| Who fills in the answers | The developer |
In this article: Finally. And I mean it · Where were you until now, Apple? · The developer fills in the form. And who checks it? · A lock that works only if you turn the key · And what about the big ones? · Location for strangers? No problem · My prediction · FAQ
Finally. And I mean it
I will start with something I don’t say often about Apple lately: good. A child should not have an AI girlfriend in their pocket. For me, that’s simple.
When I read that in the conversations kids have with AI companions, 36% is sexual or romantic roleplay and only 13% is homework, I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry. So yes, Apple did the right thing here, and I want to say it out loud.
But now the other side.
Where were you until now, Apple?
In July, the company Deepsee looked at 2,882 AI companion apps on the App Store. 1,469 of them were rated 12+ or lower. 1,058 were rated 4+. Four plus. That is the rating Apple gives to apps with “no objectionable material.” An AI girlfriend for a four-year-old. Bravo.
And these apps don’t live from love. They live from subscriptions, and Apple takes its cut from every one of them. So how many years did Apple earn on AI girlfriends rated for children before it decided it’s a problem? Apple didn’t say, and I’m sure it won’t.
Even John Ternus said on French TV in September that Siri AI is “not designed to be your friend.” So Apple knows very well what a fake AI friend can do to a person. It knew it for its own Siri. For the apps it sells in its store, it needed until November 2026.
The developer fills in the form. And who checks it?
This bothers me the most. The 18+ rating comes from a questionnaire that the developer fills in himself. Apple trusts him.
Last week we learned that more than 400 deepfake apps sat in the App Store for about a year, because they were clean during review and changed later. Same system. Same trust. So why should I believe it will work better for AI girlfriends?
A developer who wants teenagers as customers will simply not tick the box. Or he will tick it, pass the review, and change what his chatbot does a month later. Apple didn’t tell us who will check it, how often, or what happens to an app that lies. Nothing.
A lock that works only if you turn the key
The second weak point: the 18+ rating only hides the app if a parent set up Screen Time or Family Sharing. Be honest, how many parents did that? Imagine a 13-year-old with an iPhone his parents bought and set up in five minutes in the store. No limits. For him, November 16 is just another day.
Real age checks exist only in three countries. Everywhere else, the 18+ label is a sticker on a door that nobody locked.
And the websites? Many AI girlfriend services don’t even have their own app in the App Store. They run in Safari, and this rule doesn’t touch them at all.
And what about the big ones?
Apple says that even a general chatbot with a romantic mode falls under the rule. Fine. So what happens with Grok, which launched a flirting “companion” in July 2025 while the Grok app was rated 12+? What happens with ChatGPT or Meta AI if they let you play romance? Nobody wrote it, and Apple didn’t say.
My guess: the small developers will get their 18+ quickly, and the big names will get “special handling.” I would be happy to be wrong.
Location for strangers? No problem
One more thing almost nobody noticed. Apps that share a child’s real location with other people must now declare it, but in most countries it changes nothing on the rating. Only in Brazil it becomes 16+.
So a chatbot that flirts gets 18+, and an app that shows strangers where a kid is right now can stay 4+. Let’s turn our brains on. Which one is more dangerous?
My prediction
Developers have two months until January 12. I’m about 90% sure that many of them will quietly rename “AI girlfriend” to “AI friend” or “AI coach” in the description, keep the same chatbot inside, and stay at 13+. And Apple will find out from journalists again, like with the deepfake apps.
AI should help people, not replace living people, and for sure not for children. The rule is right. Now, Apple, show us that you will really check it, and not only collect the money.
Now I ask every parent who reads this for one thing: open Settings, go to Screen Time, and set the age limit for apps today. Don’t wait for Apple.
Also on Evolt News: 400 deepfake apps in the App Store · Apple’s spyware warning in 99 countries · Siri AI agents and the security excuse
Featured image: Helena Lopes / Unsplash.
This article is opinion.
Apple 18+ rule for AI companions: FAQ
What is Apple’s new 18+ rule for dating apps and AI companions?
From November 16, 2026, developers must declare in the App Store Connect age rating questionnaire whether their app includes dating between real people or a virtual companion that engages users in sexual or romantic content. Apps that do receive a minimum 18+ rating.
When do developers have to comply?
Developers must answer the new questions when they submit an app update after November 16, 2026. All apps must complete the declarations by January 12, 2027.
Does the rule ban AI girlfriend apps?
No. The apps stay in the App Store for adults. The 18+ rating hides them only on devices where a parent set age limits in Screen Time or Family Sharing.
Does Apple verify the user’s age?
Only in some places. In Brazil, Australia and Singapore, Apple blocks 18+ downloads until it confirms the user is an adult. Elsewhere, the rating works through parental controls.
Does the rule apply to AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Grok?
Apple says the descriptor covers any app with a virtual companion that engages users in sexual or romantic content, even if it is only one feature. Apple has not said how it will classify specific apps such as ChatGPT, Grok or Meta AI.
How can parents block AI companion apps on iPhone?
Open Settings, then Screen Time, then Content and Privacy Restrictions, then App Store, Media, Web and Games, and set an app age limit such as 13+ or 16+. For a child account in Family Sharing, also turn on Ask to Buy.
Sources: Apple Developer News, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider, Deepsee, Tech Times, Help Net Security.
Our Take
Apple’s 18+ rule for AI girlfriends and dating apps is the right move, and a late one, after years of earning from companion apps rated for kids. In my opinion, it will work only if Apple really checks the apps, because the same self-rating system let 400 deepfake apps through.
Until then, the only real protection is a parent who turns on Screen Time. AI should help people, not replace them, and certainly not for children.
