Apple Overhauls App Store Age Ratings with New Granular Tiers for Enhanced Parental Controls
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Apple is notifying developers of new policies concerning age ratings for apps and games, introducing more granular age categories to the Apple App Store in support of its forthcoming expanded family safety tools.
Previously, Apple offered 13+ and 16+ ratings—indicating suitability for users aged 13 and 16 and above, respectively. With this update, the company has added 4+, 9+, and 18+ tiers, allowing for more precise content control and improved parental oversight.
Apple notes that age ratings will be assigned according to the standards of each country or region. However, variations may occur based on local applicability, and developers are encouraged to review the rating systems relevant to their targeted markets.
Developers are not required to manually update the age ratings of existing applications. Instead, Apple will automatically assign ratings based on previous responses to its age rating questionnaire, eliminating the need for additional input.
Should a developer believe the newly assigned rating does not accurately reflect the nature of their app or game, they may manually adjust it via Apple App Store Connect. In certain cases, a revised questionnaire must be submitted to complete the process.
Notably, Apple has added new mandatory questions to the age rating survey, covering areas such as in-app controls, capabilities, medical or health-related themes, and depictions of violence within apps or games. Developers must complete these submissions by January 31, 2026, or risk having their app updates automatically blocked. Once the required information is provided, update functionality will be restored.
Apple also reiterates that all apps must comply with regulations such as COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act in the United States) and the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union). When evaluating the frequency of sensitive content, developers must consider the entirety of the app’s functionality, including AI assistants and chatbot features.
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