Apple has implemented a major update to its App Store age rating system, introducing new classification tiers aimed at improving child safety and increasing transparency for parents and developers.
Highlights
- Refined Age Tiers: Apple replaces 12+ and 17+ with new 13+, 16+, and 18+ categories, in addition to existing 4+ and 9+ ratings.
- Rollout Timeline: New ratings are already active in iOS 26 and other beta OS versions, with full release expected in September 2025.
- Developer Deadline: All apps must update their age rating metadata by January 31, 2026, via App Store Connect to avoid disruption.
- Expanded Disclosures: Developers must now report if apps contain ads, user-generated content, violence, mature themes, or sensitive health info.
- Age-Based App Visibility: Apps that exceed a user’s age range will no longer appear in App Store’s Today, Games, or Apps tabs for younger users.
- Declared Age Range API: With parental consent, developers can access a child’s age range to better tailor content and enable safeguards.
- Privacy-First Design: Parents share only age range (not birthdate), maintaining Apple’s privacy stance while improving youth safety.
- Regulatory Pressure: Update follows criticism over unsafe content in child-rated apps and growing legislative demand for age verification.
- Impact on Developers: Higher age ratings could reduce app visibility, prompting content or moderation changes to reach intended audiences.
The update replaces the previous 12+ and 17+ age ratings with more granular options: 13+, 16+, and 18+, while retaining the existing 4+ and 9+ tiers.
This change is designed to give parents more refined control over content accessibility and offer developers a clearer framework for age-based app classification.
The updated system is now active across all apps and games on the App Store and is supported in beta versions of Apple’s upcoming OS releases: iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, and watchOS 26. A public rollout is expected in September 2025.
Expanded Rating Tiers and Launch Timeline
Apple’s new age classifications—13+, 16+, and 18+—were announced to developers on July 24, 2025, and are already visible in public betas of iOS 26.
Developers are required to comply by updating their apps’ information in App Store Connect by January 31, 2026, or risk interruptions to app updates.
The new age tiers aim to better align app content with age-appropriate experiences and reflect feedback from parents, researchers, and digital safety advocates.
Updated Developer Disclosure Requirements
To ensure ratings are accurately assigned, Apple now requires developers to answer additional questions in App Store Connect.
- Presence of user-generated content
- Use of advertising
- Inclusion of violence, mature themes, or sensitive medical/wellness content
- Details on in-app controls and moderation systems
Based on these disclosures, Apple will provide an initial age rating, which developers may review or override if higher restrictions are deemed appropriate. Ratings may also vary by region to account for differing cultural or legal standards.
Age Awareness Integrated into the User Experience
Apple has made age-awareness a more fundamental part of how the App Store operates. Apps that exceed a user’s age bracket will no longer appear in editorial sections like Today, Games, or Apps when viewed by younger users.
This means age ratings now function as invisible filters that automatically personalize app visibility based on the user’s age, reducing the need for parental intervention.
Parental Age-Range API for Safer Youth Access
As part of its broader child safety initiatives, Apple now allows parents to share their child’s age range—not the exact birthdate—during device setup. This information is shared with apps through a new Declared Age Range API, which developers can choose to adopt.
With parental consent, this system enables apps to tailor experiences to age-appropriate standards and offer enhanced parental controls. The opt-in nature of the API means its effectiveness depends on developer participation.
Regulatory Pressure
This update comes amid growing scrutiny of app safety from both advocacy groups and lawmakers. A recent study by the Heat Initiative and ParentsTogether identified around 200 apps rated as suitable for children that included features such as dieting advice, anonymous chat, or adult themes.
Some apps labeled as 4+ were found to have tracking capabilities or content not suitable for younger users.
Critics, including organizations like Protect Young Eyes, have expressed concerns that Apple’s system relies heavily on developer self-reporting and inconsistent enforcement, and have called for independent third-party rating frameworks.
Political and Legal
Apple’s update also comes at a time when several U.S. states are considering or enacting legislation requiring age verification and parental approval for app downloads. The App Store Accountability Act, for example, pushes for platform-level responsibility in verifying user age.
While Apple has traditionally emphasized privacy and preferred developers to manage verification, the new rating system and age-sharing API are seen as a middle ground—giving developers tools to meet regulatory expectations without compromising user privacy.
Reports suggest that Apple CEO Tim Cook has directly engaged with lawmakers to express concerns about data privacy risks associated with government-mandated birthdate collection.
Balancing Privacy, Developer Responsibility, and Safety
For developers, the revised rating system introduces both new responsibilities and strategic considerations.
Increasing an app’s age rating could reduce its visibility among younger users, potentially prompting developers to reconsider content choices or implement more robust parental controls.
At the same time, clearer rating guidelines provide a more structured path to reaching appropriate audiences, particularly as regulatory and consumer expectations evolve.
