Apple is adding two new questions to the App Store Connect age rating questionnaire on November 16, 2026. Every app on the App Store must have both answered by January 12, 2027, whether or not you plan an update. If your business has an iOS app, someone needs to log in and complete them.
What changed
Apple announced on November 2 that App Store Connect will add two new content descriptors. When you fill in the age rating questionnaire, you will declare whether your app includes:
- Shared Location: sharing of real-world location with another person or group.
- Dating and Relationships: features that connect real people for dating or relationships, or a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content.
You will be asked for these answers when you submit an app update or change your age rating questionnaire. Apple's deadline for everything else is firm: all apps need the declarations completed by January 12, 2027.
Apps that include Dating and Relationships get a minimum age rating of 18+. For Shared Location, Apple says the minimum rating may not change in some regions. Brazil is the exception Apple names: local rules there call for a 16+ rating for Shared Location and an 18+ rating for Dating and Relationships. Apple notes that an app built for a narrower use, such as location sharing designed for parents and children, can request an official rating from Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
What it means for your business
Most small business apps will answer "no" to both questions: a booking app, a loyalty app or a store app does not share location between users or run a dating feature. But "no" still has to be entered. If you do nothing and your app is not updated before the deadline, Apple's announcement says all apps must have the declarations in place by January 12, 2027, and it does not spell out what happens to apps that miss it. Treat it as a deadline you cannot miss.
The answer is less obvious in a few cases:
- A delivery or field-service app that lets customers see a driver or technician on a map may count as sharing real-world location with another person.
- A community or members app with chat and profiles may fall under the dating question if members use it to meet one another.
- An app built by a freelancer or agency you no longer work with is easy to forget, because nobody is watching the App Store Connect inbox.
What to do now
- Find out who owns your App Store Connect account and confirm you can still log in.
- List every app under that account, including old ones you have stopped updating.
- Check each app's features against the two new descriptions and note any that might apply.
- After November 16, open each app's age rating questionnaire and answer the new questions, or answer them when you ship your next update.
- If an app is rated higher after you answer, check that your listing and your target audience still match.
- If you are not sure whether a feature counts, read Apple's announcement first, and ask whoever built the app.
The details
Apple posted the notice in its Developer News under Upcoming Requirements on November 2, 2026. It applies to all apps, not only new ones. We have not seen Apple publish more detail on how the ratings interact with parental controls or search, so check App Store Connect Help when the questionnaire changes on November 16.
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