Apple has introduced major changes to the age rating system for the App Store, allowing users to get more granular suggestions about what constitutes age-appropriate content.
Apple has added 13+, 16+, and 18+ ratings to the existing 4+ and 9+ ratings, while removing the 12+ and 17+ age ranges. These changes have been applied automatically, based on developers’ previous responses to Apple’s questionnaires. But you’ll have to wait until September for the public rollout, unless you’re running one of the beta versions of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, or watchOS 26.
The tech giant has also introduced new questions to help identify sensitive content within apps before they are added to the App Store, including questions covering the presence of medical or wellness topics, violence, and in-app controls. Apple has asked developers to complete the updated questionnaire via App Store Connect by January 31, 2026. If they fail to comply, app updates will be blocked until the new questions are answered.
Developers have also gained the ability to set a higher age rating than the one decided by the App Store, if they want to be extra safe about who their content ultimately reaches. Age ratings will continue to be specific to each country or region and may vary based on region-specific suitability standards. For example, South Korea has a different set of criteria for what constitutes an 18+ game than Australia.
Upheavals to Apple’s age rating policies could be welcome news for parents; the App Store has been subject to plenty of controversy over the years due to allegations of exposing children to potentially harmful content.
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In late 2024, nonprofit organizations ParentsTogether Action and Heat Initiative claimed they had uncovered 200 apps with inappropriate content rated as “safe” for children 12 and younger, and in some cases, as young as four. These included apps offering services like AI face rating, AI girlfriends, stranger chat, adult-themed gaming, fasting and weight loss tracking, beauty filters, drug-dealing simulators, and violent games.
Apple is also in the midst of dealing with a great deal of scrutiny from some US regulators over its parental controls. In May, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the App Store Accountability Act, which forces app store operators like Apple to verify a user’s age and get parental consent before letting minors download apps or make in-app purchases.
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About Will McCurdy
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