App Store Connect age ratings now ask about social media capabilities (Apple Developer News)

Original source: Apple Developer News, “Age rating questionnaire now includes social media questions” (July 9, 2026)

• https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=tlur8uvi

What changed

Apple updated the age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect to include questions about whether your app has “social media capabilities.”

Apple’s definition is specific: a social media capability is the ability to redistribute, amplify, or interact with user-generated content via a social feed (or similar discovery surface).

That matters because it is not about your App Store category. It is about whether your product behaves like a feed.

Why it matters (beyond the form)

Apple ties this to Time Allowances (iOS 27 / iPadOS 27 / macOS 27+). The “Social Media” Time Allowance category is based on the presence of social media capabilities regardless of the category you selected in App Store Connect.

If your app is marked as having social media capabilities:

• your product page can display a new “Social Media” content descriptor
• your app may be included in the Time Allowances “Social Media” bucket

There is one important nuance: if you indicate the capability exists but is disabled for anyone under 13, Apple says it won’t be included in the Social Media Time Allowance category for under-13 users.

Timing: when you need to care

You can answer the new questions starting now.

Apple says that beginning September 2026, responses will be required when:

• submitting new apps or updates to the App Store, or
• submitting apps for notarization for alternative distribution

Tiny win

Make this decision explicit (in writing) before your next release:

1. List every surface in your app that qualifies as a feed-like discovery of user-generated content.
2. Decide whether each surface is available to under-13 users (and what “disabled” truly means in-product).
3. Add one pre-submit checklist line: “Age rating questionnaire updated, social media capability answers verified.”

Read the original: https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=tlur8uvi