Apple updates App Store rules
XORit Editorial · Sources, AI assistance and corrections
On October 16, 2026, Apple announced updates to the App Store App Review Guidelines. The new wording concerns content moderation, hidden features, and apps containing material related to human trafficking or child exploitation.
Moderation requirements now explicitly cover intimate images shared without the consent of the people depicted, including images created with AI. Apps must prevent this content from appearing and remove it. If a developer fails to provide adequate safeguards or does not address a violation after being notified, this may constitute a violation of the Developer Code of Conduct and lead to the app’s removal from the App Store.
Apple also clarified its ban on apps that misrepresent their capabilities during review and add features that were not present in the reviewed version after approval. For this conduct, an app may be removed from the App Store and its developer may be removed from the Apple Developer Program.
In its section on prohibited content, Apple separately stated that apps containing material related to human trafficking or child exploitation will be removed from the App Store and blocked from alternative distribution.
Image: Arne Müseler CC BY-SA 3.0 de · License
Translation editors: Соловьев В., Пеков А.
Source: developer.apple.com ↗