Quick answer: Apple now requires developers to declare whether an app or game has social media capabilities when submitting a new app, an update, or an app for notarization for alternative distribution. Apple says the requirement begins in September 2026, but its public notices do not name a day-level cutoff. Complete the questionnaire before your next submission rather than waiting for a more precise date.[5][9]
Five-minute action checklist
- Open App Store Connect → Apps → your app → General → App Information.
- Scroll to Age Ratings and choose Set Up Age Ratings or Edit.
- Audit whether people can redistribute, amplify, or interact with user-generated content through a feed or a similar discovery surface.
- Answer the social media questions based on the app users can actually access—not its App Store category or marketing label.
- If social features are unavailable to everyone under 13, confirm that the app checks age ranges with Apple’s Declared Age Range API, at minimum, before enabling those features.[9]
- Review the calculated global and region-specific ratings, add an override only when justified, and save.
- Capture an internal record of the answers, owner, review date, and evidence from the current build.
What changed in September 2026?
Apple added social media questions to the App Store Connect age-rating questionnaire in July 2026. It defines a social media capability as the ability to redistribute, amplify, or interact with user-generated content through a social feed or a similar discovery method. Apps that report these capabilities receive a Social Media content descriptor on their App Store product page.[5]
The declaration is separate from the category you selected for App Store discovery. An app can be listed as Education, Productivity, Games, or another category and still be treated as Social Media for Apple’s Time Allowances if its features meet the definition.[5][9]
Apple says responses are required beginning in September 2026 for:
- new apps submitted to the App Store;
- updates or new versions of existing apps; and
- apps submitted for notarization for alternative distribution.[5][9]
This does not mean every existing app is immediately removed. The official wording ties the requirement to the next submission or notarization event. The safe operational choice is to complete the declaration now so it does not block a time-sensitive release.[5]
Does your app have “social media capabilities”?
Use this practical test against the current production build.
Usually answer yes when users can
- publish user-generated posts into a feed;
- repost or otherwise redistribute another user’s content;
- like, react to, comment on, or rank user-generated content in a way that amplifies it;
- discover user-generated posts through community, feed, search, or similar surfaces; or
- interact with user-generated content through a discovery mechanism that spreads it to other users.
These examples follow Apple’s published definition and its detailed age-rating descriptions, which mention reposting, liking, commenting, reacting, and making user-generated content more visible through feeds, communities, search, or other sharing and discovery tools.[5][8]
Do not decide from the app’s label alone
A private utility can contain a social feed. A game can have a community layer. A learning app can let students publish and amplify user-generated content. Conversely, an app named “social” may not expose the feed or discovery behavior covered by Apple’s definition.
Decision rule: inspect user-visible behavior, not the primary category, product name, or internal feature name. If the feature is behind a flag, subscription, region, or account type, document where it is enabled and answer according to the functionality present in the submitted app.
Features that need a careful review
The following are not automatic answers by themselves:
- Sign in with Apple or another social login;
- one-to-one customer support chat;
- a private note shared with a specifically chosen collaborator;
- editorial content published only by your company; or
- a static comments archive with no current ability to post, react, redistribute, or discover content.
Apple’s social-media definition focuses on interaction with user-generated content through a feed or similar discovery method.[5] Review the complete questionnaire because messaging, chat, unrestricted web access, and other capabilities may be covered by separate age-rating questions even when the social-media answer is no.
How to update the questionnaire in App Store Connect
Apple’s current workflow is:
- Sign in to App Store Connect and select Apps.
- Select the app.
- Under General, open App Information.
- In Age Ratings, choose Set Up Age Ratings. If a rating already exists, use Edit.
- Review the controls and capabilities included in the app.
- Work through every questionnaire section, selecting the accurate frequency for each content description.
- Review the calculated rating under Additional Information.
- If relevant, choose Made for Kids or Override to Higher Age Rating. Do not lower the calculated rating.
- Optionally add an Age Suitability URL that explains your app’s age-appropriate design.
- Save and review the global and region-specific results.[6]
Apple lists Account Holder, Admin, App Manager, and Marketing among the roles that can perform the age-rating workflow.[6]
What happens if you answer yes?
If an app includes social media capabilities, Apple says it will be placed in the Social Media Time Allowance category and receive a minimum age rating of 13+. The classification is based on the capability declaration, not the app’s discovery category.[9]
The calculated result can also be affected by the rest of the questionnaire. Review content controls, messaging and chat, user-generated content, web access, violence, mature themes, medical information, and chance-based activities as applicable. Apple’s current global system includes 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+, 18+, and Unrated values on newer operating systems, while ratings can differ on earlier OS versions and in specific regions.[8]
Do not choose “no” merely to avoid a descriptor or a higher minimum rating. A release checklist should require the product owner and the person responsible for App Store submissions to sign off on the declaration against the shipped feature set.
The under-13 option has a technical requirement
Apple provides a separate path when an app has social media capabilities but disables them for everyone under 13. Under that declaration:
- users under 13 are not placed in the Social Media Time Allowance category;
- the overall questionnaire can produce a rating below 13+;
- the app remains in the Social Media category for users aged 13 and above; and
- the app must use the Declared Age Range API, at minimum, to check users’ age ranges before enabling the social features.[9]
Do not select the under-13-disabled answer based only on a date-of-birth text field, an unchecked profile setting, or policy language. Confirm the gating behavior in a test account and retain evidence showing that an under-13 user cannot access the social feature.
Suggested QA cases
| Test case | Expected result |
|---|---|
| User is under 13 | Social feed, discovery, posting, reactions, and redistribution remain unavailable |
| User is 13 or older | Only the age-appropriate features allowed by your product policy become available |
| Age range is unavailable or cannot be verified | Fail closed; do not silently expose the restricted social capability |
| User signs out or switches account | Social access is recalculated for the active account |
| Feature flag changes remotely | The age gate still runs before the social surface is enabled |
| Cached feed or notification opens directly | Deep links cannot bypass the age restriction |
The fail-closed and test recommendations above are implementation safeguards, not claims that Apple prescribes a particular interface.
Release-manager evidence checklist
Store this with each submission:
App name:
Bundle ID:
Version/build:
Questionnaire reviewed on:
Reviewed by:
UGC can be created: Yes / No
UGC appears in a feed or discovery surface: Yes / No
Users can repost/share UGC: Yes / No
Users can like/react/comment in ways that amplify UGC: Yes / No
Social capability declared: Yes / No
Social capability disabled for under-13 users: Yes / No / Not applicable
Declared Age Range API gate tested: Yes / No / Not applicable
Test-account evidence location:
Calculated global rating:
Region-specific ratings reviewed: Yes / No
Age Suitability URL:
Approval owner:
Repeat the review whenever a release adds feeds, comments, reactions, community search, reposting, public profiles, discovery ranking, chat, web browsing, or age-gating changes.
Common mistakes to avoid
1. Checking only the App Store category
Apple explicitly says Social Media Time Allowance classification is based on capabilities regardless of the App Store Connect category.[5]
2. Treating all UGC as identical
The official definition combines UGC with redistribution, amplification, interaction, a social feed, or a similar discovery method. Map the actual user journey before answering.[5][8]
3. Selecting “disabled under 13” without an age-range gate
Apple states that this option requires use of the Declared Age Range API at minimum.[9]
4. Assuming one global label tells the whole story
Apple displays global and region-specific ratings, and values can vary by OS generation and regional requirements. Review each panel after saving.[6][8]
5. Waiting until submission day
The questions can affect the product-page descriptor, Time Allowance category, and minimum rating. Review them before release freeze so legal, product, safety, and engineering teams have time to resolve disagreements.[5][9]
Frequently asked questions
What is Apple’s September 2026 social media requirement?
Developers must indicate whether an app or game includes social media capabilities when submitting a new app, an update, or an app for notarization for alternative distribution.[5][9]
Did Apple publish an exact September cutoff date?
The official public notices retrieved for this guide say “beginning in September 2026” or “starting September 2026”; they do not provide a day-level cutoff. Complete the declaration before the next submission.[5][9]
Is an app classified by its App Store category?
Not for this Social Media Time Allowance decision. Apple bases it on whether the app offers the covered capabilities, regardless of the selected App Store category.[5][9]
Does answering yes force a 13+ minimum age rating?
Apple says an app that includes social media capabilities will receive a minimum 13+ rating. A separate declaration exists for social capabilities disabled for users under 13, subject to age-range checks and the rest of the questionnaire.[9]
Where do I change the answer?
Open the app in App Store Connect, go to General → App Information → Age Ratings, and choose Set Up Age Ratings or Edit.[6]
Can an Unrated app be published on the App Store?
No. Apple says an Unrated app cannot be published on the App Store, though it may be published through alternative marketplaces or websites.[6]