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 effect on June 18, 2026
Over the past year, several countries have introduced new rules that affect how apps, features, and even entire categories of apps are made available to minors in the App Store.
This is by no means a new issue, but only more recently several countries, as well as US states, began passing laws, guidelines and restrictions aimed at addressing online safety for minors, especially around social media, mental health and potentially harmful gaming practices.
Apple, in turn, has been updating how age ratings work in the App Store to adapt to this regulatory change, even with the more granular rating system introduced last year, and new age assurance tools which may prevent users from downloading 18+ apps in certain regions unless they have been confirmed as adults.
Today, apple updated its developer blog with a notice that “starting June 18, 2026, in accordance with local regulations, age ratings in the App Store will be updated in Australia and Vietnam.”
Here’s what’s changing in the Vietnam App Store:
To align with Article 38 of Vietnam Decree 147, apps available on the App Store in Vietnam will require region-specific age rating. Based on responses to the age rating questionnaire on App Store Connect, your app will receive one of four ratings (00+ (all ages), 12+, 16+, or 18+) that will appear on your product page in Vietnam. Additional details, including age rating values, will be available on App Store Connect and Help connecting the app store on June 18.
And this is what is changing in Australia:
to comply with Australian guidelines for the classification of computer games.The 15+ rating will no longer be available on the Australian App Store. Apps currently rated 15+ with the following content descriptors will be upgraded to 16+:
- Unrestricted web access
- Medical or frequent treatment information.
- loot boxes
Apple also reminded developers that “the new rating will appear on the product page of (your) app in Australia,” adding that they should “ensure that (your) responses to the age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect accurately reflect the content of (your) app.”
For more information about these changes, follow this link.
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