Apple sets an 18+ minimum for dating apps and romantic or sexual AI companions

The new content descriptors

On Nov. 2, Apple told developers that two new content descriptors will join the age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect starting Nov. 16, 2026. The Dating and Relationships descriptor covers features that connect real people for dating or relationships and virtual companions that engage a user in sexual or romantic content. Apps that declare it receive a minimum rating of 18+. The second descriptor, Shared Location, covers sharing a real-world location with another person or group, and may not change the minimum rating in some regions.

Declarations are made when submitting an app update or changing the age rating questionnaire. Apple says all apps must complete them by Jan. 12, 2027. In Brazil, local rules require an A16 rating for Shared Location and A18 for Dating and Relationships. For cases such as location sharing designed for parents and children, a developer can request an official rating from Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

AI companion apps

According to TechCrunch, the rule also reaches AI companion apps such as Character.AI and Replika. It does not cover every companion app, only those that engage a user in sexual or romantic content. TechCrunch reports that as of last summer, leading companion apps on the App Store and Google Play had been downloaded 220 million times worldwide. Apple did not say in the announcement how ages will be verified.

Audio Intelligence on Apple Watch

Apple’s Audio Intelligence features, introduced in September with Apple Watch Series 12, entered the iOS 27.3 developer beta on Nov. 3. All four features, for Series 12 and Ultra 4, are opt-in. With Live Rewind, a double press of the Digital Crown turns the last 15 seconds of a conversation into text on the watch face. Unsaved text is deleted after 30 seconds, and a chime plus a full-screen animation signals to people nearby that the feature was used. Siri Recaps produces a title and bullet points from a conversation. Apple says it does not identify speakers, store raw audio or produce word-for-word transcripts, and that unsaved recaps are deleted within seven days. Raw audio is processed in a hardware-isolated compartment on the S11 chip and deleted immediately. The condensed text is encrypted and sent to Private Cloud Compute, where it is deleted once the recap is produced.