App Store Age Ratings Explained: 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ and 18+

Quick answer: Apple calculates your App Store age rating from your answers to the age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect. The current tiers are 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ and 18+, introduced in Apple's 2025 update. You can raise the calculated rating but not lower it, and an Unrated app cannot be published. Google Play uses a separate IARC questionnaire that produces regional ratings such as ESRB and PEGI.

Each rating tells parents which content may not suit children under that age. Here is a simplified view of Apple's definitions. The exact list is longer, so check the official reference before you answer.

Apple also lists an Unrated category for apps with graphic sexual content or prolonged graphic violence. An Unrated app cannot be published on the App Store.

Ratings can also vary by region. Apple applies region-specific ratings in places such as Australia, Brazil and South Korea, where local rules require them.

Apple's age rating system has changed more in the last two years than in the decade before. Here is the timeline, based on Apple's developer news.

1. 2025 update. Apple replaced the old 12+ and 17+ tiers with 13+, 16+ and 18+, added new questions about in-app controls, capabilities and content, and automatically updated ratings for existing apps. The new values show on devices running iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26 and the other 26 releases; earlier OS versions can show different values.
2. January 31, 2026. Deadline to answer the updated questions without interrupting app update submissions.
3. July 2026. Apple added questions about social media capabilities, meaning features that let people redistribute, amplify or interact with user-generated content through a feed. Answers have been required for new submissions since September 2026.
4. November 16, 2026. Apple announced new content descriptors, including Shared Location and Dating and Relationships, with all apps required to complete them by January 12, 2027.

If App Store Connect shows a banner about pending age rating questions, answer them before your next release so the submission is not blocked.

You need the Account Holder, Admin, App Manager or Marketing role.

1. In App Store Connect, open your app and click App Information under General.
2. Under Age Ratings, click Set Up Age Ratings, or Edit if you already have one.
3. Select the in-app controls and capabilities your app has, such as parental controls, age assurance, unrestricted web access, user-generated content, messaging or advertising.
4. Work through each content section and pick a frequency for each item: None, Infrequent or Frequent.
5. Under Age Categories and Override, choose Not Applicable, Made for Kids, or Override to Higher Age Rating.
6. Save and check the calculated rating on the App Information page.

Apple asks you to answer honestly so your app aligns with parental controls. A mis-rated app can surprise customers and, as the guidelines put it, trigger an inquiry from regulators.

This catches many developers out. Guideline 2.3.8 says icons, screenshots and previews must adhere to a 4+ age rating even if the app itself is rated higher. Apple's example: a violent game should pick images that do not show a gruesome death or a gun pointed at a character.

Practical rules for a 13+ to 18+ app:

• Show gameplay, interface and outcomes, not graphic moments.
• Keep headlines free of profanity and explicit language.
• Avoid suggestive imagery, even if it appears in the app.
• Do not use "For Kids" or "For Children" in metadata unless the app is in the Kids category.

Our guide to the App Store screenshot guidelines covers the other metadata rules that apply to screenshots.

Two options in the questionnaire deserve extra care.

Made for Kids. If your calculated rating is 4+ or 9+, you can place the app in the Kids category and choose an age range. Apple notes that you cannot change this selection after approval, and every future update must follow the Kids category guidelines, which restrict third-party analytics, advertising and links out of the app.

Override to Higher Age Rating. You can raise the rating above what Apple calculated, for example if your terms of service require users to be 16 or older. Apple says that if your EULA sets a minimum age above the calculated rating, you must override to match it. You cannot override to a lower rating.

Google Play does not use Apple's tiers. In Play Console, you complete a content rating questionnaire under App content, and your answers generate ratings from several authorities:

Retake the questionnaire whenever an update changes content or features in a way that would change your answers. Google warns that misrepresenting content can lead to removal or suspension. Keep iOS and Android answers consistent, since both stores look at the same features.

• Forgetting an in-app browser that allows unrestricted web access.
• Answering "None" for user-generated content when users can post text or images.
• Ignoring content that appears through ads or partner feeds.
• Not updating the questionnaire after adding chat, a social feed or location sharing.
• Using screenshots that only an 18+ audience should see.

Age rating is one line in a long list of launch tasks. Run through the full App Store submission checklist, and pair this step with your app privacy labels, since both describe what your app does with users.