Apple today alerted developers to upcoming age rating changes that will affect how apps are rated on the App Store in Australia and Vietnam. Here are the details.
The new rules come into force on June 18, 2026
Over the past year, several countries have introduced new rules affecting how apps, features, and even entire categories of apps are made available to minors on the App Store.
This is by no means a new problem, but only more recently have several countries, as well as US states, begun to pass laws, guidelines and restrictions aimed at ensuring the online safety of minors, particularly as it relates to social media, mental health and potentially harmful gaming practices.
Apple, in turn, has updated how age ratings work in the App Store to adapt to this regulatory change, notably with the more granular rating system introduced last year and new age guarantee tools that can prevent users from downloading more than 18 apps in certain regions unless they have been confirmed to be adults.
Today, Apple updated its developer blog with a notice that “starting June 18, 2026, in accordance with local regulations, age ratings on the App Store will be updated in Australia and Vietnam.”
Here’s what’s changing in the Vietnamese App Store window:
In accordance with Article 38 of Vietnam Decree 147, apps available on the App Store in Vietnam will require a region-specific age rating. Based on your responses to the age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect, your app will receive one of four ratings (00+ (all ages), 12+, 16+, or 18+) that will appear on its product page in Vietnam. Additional details, including age rating values, will be available in App Store Connect and App Store Connect Help on June 18.
And here’s what’s changing in Australia:
To comply with Australian computer game rating guidelines, the 15+ rating will no longer be available on the Australian App Store. Apps currently rated 15+ with the following content descriptors will be updated to 16+:
- Unlimited Internet access
- Frequent medical or therapeutic information
- Loot boxes
Apple also reminded developers that “the new rating will appear on the product page of (their) app in Australia,” adding that they should “ensure that (their) responses to the age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect accurately reflect the content of (their) app.”
To learn more about these changes, follow this link.
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