Apple is adding two App Store Connect age-rating declarations for apps that share real-world location or support dating and relationship connections. The requirement affects future submissions and gives developers a fixed deadline to complete the declarations.
| Requirement | Confirmed detail | Developer impact |
|---|---|---|
| New descriptors | Shared Location; Dating and Relationships | Review relevant app capabilities |
| Rollout | November 16, 2026 | Declarations appear in App Store Connect |
| Completion deadline | January 12, 2027 | Complete declarations for every app |
| Minimum rating | Dating and Relationships receives 18+ | Expect an adult rating for that declaration |
What Apple announced about App Store publishing 2026
In its November 2, 2026 announcement, Apple said App Store Connect will add the declarations on November 16, 2026. Developers must complete them when submitting an app update or changing the app’s age-rating questionnaire.
Apple’s deadline is January 12, 2027. That date applies to all apps, so teams should assign ownership before the next release cycle. Developers managing app updates can also review their broader delivery responsibilities through application development services, but the declarations themselves must be completed in App Store Connect.
The change expands Apple’s existing questionnaire-based rating process. Apple’s age-rating workflow guide says ratings come from questionnaire responses, vary by region, and can differ by operating-system version. Unrated apps cannot be published on the App Store.
What the two new age-rating descriptors cover
The first declaration, Shared Location, applies when an app lets users share their real-world location with another person or group. Developers should therefore review both permanent location-sharing tools and features that make a user’s live or current location visible to selected contacts. The declaration describes a capability; it does not automatically establish one global minimum rating for every region.
The second declaration, Dating and Relationships, covers connections between real people for dating or relationships. Apple also includes a virtual companion when it engages users in sexual or romantic content. That scope means teams should assess conversational companions, matchmaking flows, profile discovery, messaging and relationship-oriented interactions—not only apps that use the word “dating” in their product description.
Apple states that an app declaring Dating and Relationships receives a minimum 18+ age rating. The consequence is tied to the declaration, so product owners should confirm whether the feature is central to the app, optional, or available only to a defined user group before completing the questionnaire. Teams building or maintaining custom application development projects should include this review alongside their release-readiness checks.
Why Brazil requires a separate rating review
Brazil applies local treatment to these descriptors: Shared Location receives an A16 rating, while Dating and Relationships receives an A18 rating under the applicable rules. Apple also says developers may request an official Brazilian rating from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security when they believe a lower rating is appropriate, such as for parent-child location sharing. That route does not remove the need to complete the App Store Connect declaration.
The practical distinction is important: a location feature used for family safety may be assessed differently from open-ended location sharing, while romantic or sexual virtual-companion behavior falls within the second descriptor’s stated scope. Developers should document the actual user journey and audience access before submitting their responses.
How developers should update App Store Connect
Apple’s age-rating process starts with a questionnaire in App Store Connect. The responses generate ratings for different regions, and Apple notes that results can also differ by operating-system version. Before changing an answer, assign the review to a team member with the required App Store Connect access. Apple’s age-rating workflow guide explains where that questionnaire is managed.
Review capabilities before answering
Start with the current product experience, not its marketing language. Check whether users can share real-world location with another person or group. Then inspect dating, matchmaking, relationship, messaging and companion features for the scope covered by Apple’s declarations. A feature may be optional, restricted to a user group, or available only after an account flow. Record those access conditions before selecting an answer.
For release teams, this review belongs beside product ownership, testing and submission checks. A documented responsibility map can prevent the person preparing binary uploads from assuming that another team owns metadata. Teams coordinating broader delivery work can use an approved project consultation service as a separate planning resource, while the rating declaration remains an App Store Connect task.
Submit the declaration with the right release event
Apple requires developers to complete the new declarations when submitting an app update or changing the age-rating questionnaire. Therefore, open the questionnaire during the next relevant submission and verify every response before sending the update for review. If the app has not been updated recently, the January 12, 2027 completion deadline still applies to every app.
After saving the answers, inspect the generated regional ratings. Do not assume that one displayed rating represents every storefront or operating-system version. Keep a dated record of the reviewed feature set and questionnaire response, so future product changes trigger another check.
Map declarations to actual user journeys
Review each capability through the user journey it enables. A location feature may qualify when one user shares a current position with selected contacts, even if location sharing is only one part of a larger app. Record who receives the location, whether sharing is one-to-one or group-based, and whether users can stop access. These details help the questionnaire owner answer for the product’s real behavior.
Dating and relationship functionality needs the same feature-level review. Check discovery, matching, messaging, relationship prompts and companion conversations. Apple’s definition includes a virtual companion that engages users in sexual or romantic content, so teams should assess generated conversations and scripted flows, not only human-to-human matching. The Apple announcement defines both descriptors and confirms the minimum 18+ rating for apps declaring Dating and Relationships.
Mixed-purpose apps need a complete inventory. A social, safety, wellness or communication product can still contain a covered capability. Do not rely on the app category, store description or feature name. Trace the action from account access to the resulting interaction, then attach the finding to the App Store Connect questionnaire review.
Keep regional results in the release record
After submitting responses, preserve the generated ratings for the regions where the app is distributed. Apple says ratings can vary by region and operating-system version. Its age-rating definitions also describe regional differences, including Brazil’s treatment of the two descriptors. This record gives release teams a clear comparison point when product behavior changes.
For Brazil, separate the declaration from any request for a different official rating. Apple identifies the Ministry of Justice and Public Security as the authority for developers who believe a lower rating fits a use case such as parent-child location sharing. Keep evidence for that use case with the release record. A delivery owner can track this review within broader project consultation planning, but App Store Connect remains the system where the declaration must be completed.
The release decision for App Store publishing 2026
Use one release rule: if an app includes Shared Location or Dating and Relationships, assign an owner to review the feature and complete the matching App Store Connect declaration before the next app update or January 12, 2027, whichever comes first. This rule applies even when the capability is optional, limited to selected users, embedded in a broader social or communication product, or delivered through a virtual companion.
The owner’s first step is to open the app’s age-rating questionnaire in App Store Connect and audit the actual user journey. Record where the covered capability appears, who can access it, and which release or metadata change will carry the declaration. For teams preparing a new product, place this responsibility inside the application development workflow rather than leaving it to the person who uploads the final build.
After the declaration is saved, preserve the resulting regional ratings with the release record. This creates a clear decision point for future feature changes: a new location-sharing path, matchmaking flow, relationship feature or romantic virtual-companion interaction should reopen the review before submission. It also gives the team evidence for investigating a regional result that differs from its expectation.
Make the deadline visible in the release calendar, then name one accountable reviewer. That owner should confirm the declaration status, attach the feature audit and verify the generated ratings before the app moves through its next submission gate. This is the practical control that turns App Store publishing 2026 from a metadata reminder into a tracked release requirement.
Turn the metadata deadline into ownership
Use one decision rule for App Store publishing 2026: treat a covered capability as a release requirement whenever the product includes either Shared Location or Dating and Relationships. The rule applies regardless of whether the feature is central, optional, restricted to a small audience, or bundled inside another user journey.
A declaration is complete only when the responsible owner has reviewed the capability in App Store Connect and confirmed the resulting age-rating information. Apple’s announcement sets January 12, 2027 as the final completion date for all apps and requires the declarations during an applicable update or questionnaire change.
This rule removes a common ownership gap. Product teams know how a feature works, engineering teams know how it is implemented, and release teams control submission. Age-rating declarations sit between those responsibilities. Without one named owner, each team can assume another team will answer the questionnaire. The result is a metadata task discovered late, after feature scope and release timing have already been fixed.
Make one next step now: assign a single reviewer to audit the app’s actual user journeys in App Store Connect. Give that person authority to consult product, engineering and legal stakeholders, but keep accountability with one role. The reviewer should record the covered capability, confirm the declaration status, and attach the generated rating result to the release record. That record becomes the handoff point for future changes, such as a new sharing flow, matchmaking path or romantic virtual-companion interaction.
If the reviewer cannot map the product behavior to a clear declaration answer, pause the release decision and resolve that classification before submission. This creates a practical control: feature ownership determines questionnaire ownership, and questionnaire ownership determines whether the app is ready to move forward.
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