In force since
The number of days is calculated in your browser from today’s date.
Apple gives the month, not the day. The count runs to the first day of the month, the earliest possible date.
App Store
Who is concerned
Every app and game that is submitted in App Store Connect, because the response is required whatever the answer is.
Apps with social media capabilities receive a minimum age rating of 13+ and a Social Media content descriptor on their product page.
What changes
- The age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect has included questions about social media capabilities since July 9, 2026.
- Time Allowances in iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 or later give parents flexible ways to manage time in categories including Entertainment, Games and Social Media.
- The Social Media Time Allowance category depends on whether the app offers social media capabilities, regardless of the category chosen in App Store Connect.
- If the capabilities are disabled for users under 13, the app is not in the Social Media category for those users. You must also use the Declared Age Range API, at a minimum, to check users’ age ranges, and the overall questionnaire answers set the rating, which may be lower than 13+.
What to do
- In App Store Connect, open the app, App Information, Age Ratings, and answer the social media questions.
- Decide with care: does a feed or similar discovery method visibly spread user content to many users?
- If you disable social media for users under 13, implement the Declared Age Range check before you enable the features.
- Repeat for every app, because Apple says the response is required to submit new apps or updates.
What happens after the date
From September 2026 the response is required for submissions. Apple’s posts give the month only.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a social media capability?
Apple defines it as the ability to redistribute, amplify or interact with user-generated content through a social feed or similar discovery method that visibly spreads content to many users, for example feeds with views, likes, comments and shares.
Is messaging the same as social media?
Apple lists Messaging and Chat as a separate capability in its age rating categories: users can directly communicate with one another through features within the app.
What if social media is disabled for under 13?
You can say so in the questionnaire. The app is then not in the Social Media Time Allowance category for users under 13, and you must at least use the Declared Age Range API to check age ranges.
Which OS versions get Time Allowances?
iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27, or later.
Official sources
Every date and rule on this page comes from the official pages below, read on 2026-11-02. We do not estimate dates or predict enforcement.