Apple is expanding its age-making system for apps. Company on Thursday Said It has updated its age-making system to add 13+, 16+, and 18+ ratings to the existing slate of 4+ and 9+ ratings, and removed the 12+ and 17+ age limit. In addition, app developers must answer a new set of age-trading questions to help identify sensitive materials in their app. If necessary, developers will also be able to update the age rating of their apps to one of the new options.
The company says it has automatically updated all the apps and games in the app store to align with the new system, which is available in beta versions of iOS 26, iPados 26, Macos Tahoe 26, TVOS 26, Visionos 26, and Watches 26. Public Betus went live yesterday, and normal release will roll all customers on this September.
As part of the update system, developers will need to inform Apple about their in-app control and app abilities, answer questions about medical and welfare topics, and reveal whether their apps or games have violent subjects. Apple will then calculate the appropriate age rating, which the developers can view and modify the app store.
The rating aims to provide parents and father more specific guidance about apps that their children want to download, and will prevent children from installing apps that are higher than their age limit. In favor of Apple, the app store will not include some apps in areas such as editorial stories, today, games and apps if they are not age-appropriate for the child using the device.
Extended age limits are part of a broad update around Child safety initiative was announced earlier this year. For parents, Apple is making it easy to install the child’s accounts and share information about the age of your children. This data will be shared with app developers to help provide age-appropriate materials. (Some changes for child accounts were first made available in public beta of 18.4, earlier this year.)
The app store product listing will be updated to involve more information to help the guide guards’ decisions about whether the app or game is right for your child or teen. For example, parents will be informed whether the app contains user-related materials or advertisements can expose young children to adult materials. In addition, they will be informed whether an app provides the underlying parents control.
Increasing the age rating of the app may reduce its visibility and distribution, which can encourage the app developers to introduce parents control or other age-appropriate experiences.
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Changes in the app store, because legislative disputes grow in the state and both Federal Level on how children should be protected online New bills and laws App store operators will need to check the age of children to get the consent of the parents to download the apps. Apple and Google will prefer that the app manufacturers themselves handle the age-oriented process, but big technical companies like meta Pass Suit For app store to verify.
Apple’s solution is a system that will protect the child’s personal information, such as his date of birth, offering a developer API, which provides them access to the age limit information, needs to be properly adapted to their app experience. Because this information will be provided by parents during the set-up of a new device, it is more likely to be accurate whether children enter their birthday or age directly into the app, as children can lie about their age to reach the full experience of the app.
However, to work, developers must choose to integrate with the new API.
