Apple is changing how it classifies dating applications on its App Store, according to SIC. The company will now assign an 18+ age rating to dating apps, meaning they will be recommended only to adult users.
The change goes beyond dating services. According to UOL, Apple will also apply the 18+ classification to chatbots with sexual content. Estadão reports that dating apps will be marked as suitable only for users over 18 in the App Store, while Tecnoblog describes the shift as affecting both dating apps and romance-oriented chatbots on the iPhone. TudoCelular frames the move as a restriction on minors' access to dating and AI applications.
The reports, published on Wednesday, do not detail how Apple will verify users' ages or when the new labels take effect. The coverage also does not specify which regions will be affected first. What is clear from the reporting is that the classification change covers two categories of apps: those built around meeting people, and AI chatbots that carry sexual or romantic themes.
Apple has not issued a public statement carried in these reports, and the company's reasoning behind the update has not been disclosed. The outlets present the change as a rule adjustment rather than a removal of the apps from the store.
For now, the practical effect described is a labeling one: these apps will carry an adult rating and be recommended only to users aged 18 and over.
What to watch next: whether Apple publishes formal guidance on age verification and when the new ratings begin appearing on listings.
