Apple enforces 18+ rating for dating, AI companion apps
apple restricts dating and ai companion apps to users 18 and up, affecting character.ai, replika, and others. this change impacts app developers and users.
apple is changing its app store policies to make it harder for minors to access online dating apps and ai companions with sexual or romantic content. starting november 16, developers must ensure their apps have an 18+ rating and include new content descriptors. this affects apps like character.ai, replika, and xai's 3d animated ai companions, which have been downloaded 220 million times globally. the change aims to better protect minors and follows other efforts by apple to enhance parental controls and child safety features.