Apple is expanding its app age rating system. The company said Thursday it updated its age rating system to add 13+, 16+ and 18+ ratings to its existing 4+ and 9+ ratings, removing the 12+ and 17+ ranges. Additionally, app developers must answer new age rating questions to identify sensitive content in their apps. Developers can also update the app's age rating to one of the new options if desired.
The company says it will automatically update all apps and games across the App Store to match the new system available for beta versions of iOS 26, iPados 26, Macos Tahoe 26, TVOS 26, Visionos 26 and Watchos 26. The public beta was released yesterday, and the general release will be rolled out to all customers in September.
As part of the updated system, developers must notify Apple about in-app controls and app features, answer questions about medical and wellness topics, and disclose whether the app or game contains violent themes. Apple then calculates the appropriate age rating. This can be viewed and modified by developers in App Store Connect.
The ratings are intended to provide parents with more specific guidance on the apps their children want to download, preventing children from installing apps beyond their age range. On Apple's side, the App Store will not even post specific apps in areas such as editing stories, games, app tabs, etc., if they are not age-appropriate for the child using the device.
The expanded age range is part of a broad update on child safety initiatives announced earlier this year. For parents, Apple makes it easy to set up a child's account and share information about their child's age easily. This data is shared with app developers to provide age-appropriate content. (Some of the changes to the children's account were first made available in the public beta version of 18.4 earlier this year.)
The App Store product list has also been updated, with detailed information to help guide the Guardian's decisions about whether the app or game is suitable for children or teens. For example, if your app has user-generated content or ads, the Guardian will be notified. Additionally, if your app provides built-in parent controls, they will be notified.
Increasing the age rating for an app can reduce visibility and distribution, and may encourage app developers to introduce parental controls and other age-appropriate experiences.
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Changes to the App Store arrive as they grow up on how to protect children online at both the state and federal levels. The US state is introducing new invoices and laws that require App Store operators to check the age of a child to obtain parental consent to download the app. While Apple and Google would prefer app makers themselves to handle the ageing process, large tech companies like Meta are lobbying for app stores to do validation.
Apple's solutions are systems that protect children's personal information, such as date of birth, and provide developer APIs that allow you to access the age group information you need to properly customize your app experience. This information is provided by parents during the setup of a new device, so it is more likely that it is more accurate than if your child entered their birthday or age directly, as it is possible that their child may lie about their age to access the full experience of the app.
However, for this to work, developers must choose to integrate with the new API.