Apple to update App Store age ratings in Australia and Vietnam next month

Source: 9to5Mac

Apple alerted developers today to upcoming age‑rating changes that will affect how apps are classified on the App Store in Australia and Vietnam. Here are the details.

New rules take effect June 18, 2026

Over the past year, several countries have introduced new rules affecting how apps, features, and even entire app categories are made available to minors on the App Store.

This is by no means a new issue, but only more recently have several countries, as well as U.S. states started to pass 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 across the App Store to accommodate this regulatory shift, including with the more granular rating system introduced last year, and new age‑assurance tools that can block users from downloading 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.”

Changes for the Vietnam storefront

To align 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 age‑rating questionnaire responses in App Store Connect, your app will receive one of four ratings (00+ (all ages), 12+, 16+, or 18+) which will appear on its product page in Vietnam. Additional details, including age‑rating values, will be available in App Store Connect and the App Store Connect Help page on June 18.

Changes for the Australia storefront

To comply with Australia’s guidelines for the classification of computer games, the 15+ age rating will no longer be available on the Australia App Store. Apps currently rated 15+ with the following content descriptors will be updated to 16+:

• Unrestricted web access
• Frequent medical or treatment information
• Loot boxes

Apple also reminded developers that “the new rating will appear on [their] app’s product page in Australia,” adding that they should “ensure [their] responses to the age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect accurately reflect [their] app’s content.”

To learn more about these changes, follow this link.