How to fill in the App Store age rating
You set an App Store age rating in App Store Connect under Apps > your app > App Information > Age Ratings > Set Up Age Ratings, by declaring your in-app controls and capabilities and how often each type of content appears; Apple turns the answers into a rating of 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ or 18+, plus regional ratings where required, and an Unrated app cannot be published on the App Store.
How do you set an age rating in App Store Connect?
The age rating is a required app information property, set once per app and edited when content changes. The steps from App Store Connect Help:
- In Apps, select the app.
- In the sidebar, under General, click App Information.
- Below Age Ratings, click Set Up Age Ratings.
- Select the in-app controls and capabilities your app includes, then click Next.
- Go through each section of the progress bar, answer the questions and pick a frequency for each content description, then click Next.
- Under Age Categories and Override, choose Not Applicable, Made for Kids or Override to Higher Age Rating.
- Optionally add an Age Suitability URL if a page on your site explains age suitability.
- Click Save. The App Information page then shows your global rating and the region-specific ones.
The Account Holder, Admin, App Manager and Marketing roles can do this. To edit later, click App Information in the sidebar, then Edit at the top of the page.
What does the questionnaire ask?
It asks about features that limit or open up content, then about content and how often it appears. Apple's definitions page groups it like this:
| Section | What it covers |
|---|---|
| In-app controls | Parental controls; age assurance such as the declared age range API, age estimation or ID checks |
| Capabilities | Unrestricted web access; user-generated content; social media; social media disabled for users under 13; messaging and chat; advertising |
| Mature themes | Profanity or crude humor; horror or fear themes; alcohol, tobacco or drug use or references |
| Medical or wellness | Medical or treatment information; health or wellness topics such as calorie tracking or exercise advice |
| Sexuality or nudity | Mature or suggestive themes; sexual content or nudity; graphic sexual content and nudity |
| Violence | Cartoon or fantasy violence; realistic violence; prolonged graphic or sadistic realistic violence; guns or other weapons |
| Chance-based activities | Gambling; simulated gambling; contests; loot boxes |
For content, the frequency matters as much as the type: infrequent and frequent profanity lead to different ratings. A banner ad, a chat feature or a leaderboard contest are content decisions too.
What leads to each age rating?
These are Apple's values for devices running iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26 and watchOS 26 or later, for regions without extra requirements. Each rating lists what the app "may contain".
| Rating | What can lead to it |
|---|---|
| 4+ | No objectionable material. May have parental controls, age assurance, user-generated content, messaging and chat, advertising, infrequent contests. |
| 9+ | Infrequent profanity and crude humor; infrequent horror or fear themes; health and wellness topics; infrequent mature or suggestive themes; infrequent cartoon or fantasy violence; infrequent guns or other weapons; loot boxes. |
| 13+ | Social media (including social media disabled for under 13); frequent profanity or horror; infrequent alcohol, tobacco or drug references; infrequent medical or treatment information; infrequent sexual content or nudity; frequent cartoon violence; infrequent realistic violence; frequent guns or weapons; infrequent simulated gambling; frequent contests. |
| 16+ | Unrestricted web access; frequent medical or treatment information; frequent mature or suggestive themes. |
| 18+ | Frequent alcohol, tobacco or drug references; frequent sexual content or nudity; frequent realistic violence; gambling; frequent simulated gambling. |
| Unrated | Graphic sexual content and nudity, or prolonged graphic or sadistic realistic violence, at any frequency. Can't be published on the App Store; it may be published on alternative app marketplaces or websites. |
Two capability answers move many apps: an in-app browser that can open any page means unrestricted web access (16+), and a public feed people can like and share means social media (13+). Devices on earlier OS versions show the older scale, 4+, 9+, 12+ and 17+, in a separate section of App Store Connect.
Some regions add their own values. Australia, Brazil and the Republic of Korea have region-specific ratings, and the definitions page also lists Vietnam. In Korea, App Review may contact you if the Games Rating and Administration Committee issues a different rating; you then add the Rating Classification Number (RCN) under Age Ratings and submit a new version. Brazil requires a valid fixed-odds betting license for betting features.
When should you choose Made for Kids or an override?
Made for Kids is for apps whose calculated rating is 4+ or 9+ that should also appear in the Kids category. You pick an age range, and Apple warns: "You can't change this selection once your app is approved by App Review." The app and all later updates must then follow the Kids category guidelines. It is not available for visionOS apps.
Override to Higher Age Rating raises the rating above Apple's calculation; the content descriptions still reflect your answers. If your app has a EULA with a minimum age higher than the calculated rating, you must override to a rating that matches it. The override applies in all regions and may map to a different value per region.
How can the age rating cause a rejection?
Through four guidelines.
2.3.6: "Answer the age rating questions in App Store Connect honestly so that your app aligns properly with parental controls. If your app is mis-rated, customers might be surprised by what they get, or it could trigger an inquiry from government regulators."
2.3.8: "Metadata should be appropriate for all audiences, so make sure your app and in-app purchase icons, screenshots, and previews adhere to a 4+ age rating even if your app is rated higher."
2.3.8 also reserves "For Kids" and "For Children" in metadata for the Kids category. 2.5.18 says ads shown in an app "must be appropriate for the app's age rating." And an app that offers mini apps, games or chatbots must, under 4.7.5, let users identify software that exceeds the app's age rating and restrict access by verified or declared age.
So check three things before you submit: your answers match what a reviewer will see, your icon and screenshots would suit a 4+ audience, and your ad network settings fit the rating. The rejection reasons hub covers the other guidelines, and the Guideline 2.1 guide shows how to describe sensitive features in review notes.
How is Google Play's content rating different?
Google Play uses the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) instead of Apple's own scale. Its Content Ratings policy says you fill out a questionnaire in Play Console, your app is assigned ratings from multiple rating authorities based on your answers, apps without a rating are removed from the Play Store, and you must submit a new questionnaire when content changes in a way that affects the answers. Misrepresenting content can lead to removal or suspension. Two more differences: the Play rating covers the app's content and not features like ads or consumer agreements, though ads must not be significantly more mature than the app; and if you disagree with a rating, you appeal to the IARC rating authority through the link in your certificate email. On the App Store, ads and capabilities such as chat or web access feed directly into the questionnaire.
Where Uptika fits
Uptika does not set or check your age rating. It helps with the metadata half of the rules: the free Metadata Linter flags risky wording in your name, subtitle and keyword field before you submit, and the panel's Sayfa denetimi (page audit) runs a rejection-risk check on your live listing's most visible text. Start on the free plan.
Questions
How do I set an app age rating in App Store Connect?
In Apps, select the app, click App Information under General in the sidebar, then Set Up Age Ratings below Age Ratings. Select your in-app controls and capabilities, answer each content section with a frequency, choose Made for Kids or an override if needed, and click Save.
What do App Store age ratings mean?
On devices with iOS 26 and the other version 26 systems the values are 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ and 18+; each means the app may contain content not suitable for children under that age. Unrated content, such as graphic sexual content or prolonged graphic violence, cannot be published on the App Store.
Can I change my app's age rating?
Yes. Click App Information in the sidebar, then Edit at the top of the page, and update your answers. The exception is Made for Kids: once App Review approves the app in a Kids category age range, you can't change that selection.
Why was my app rejected for age rating?
Usually because answers did not match the content (Guideline 2.3.6 asks for honest answers), because icons or screenshots are not suitable for a 4+ audience (2.3.8), because ads do not fit the rating (2.5.18), or because a EULA demands a higher minimum age than the calculated rating without an override.