Apple Tightens App Store Rules on Nonconsensual Intimate Imagery

Apple updated its App Review Guidelines on October 16 to target nonconsensual intimate imagery and apps that hide what they do from reviewers.

Under guideline 1.2, content moderation requirements now explicitly cover nonconsensual intimate imagery, "including imagery generated using AI tools," as content that apps must proactively prevent and remove. Apple said developers who fail to implement adequate safeguards, or who do not remedy violations after notice, risk violating the Developer Code of Conduct and being removed from the App Store.

A new guideline, 2.5.19, clarifies Apple's prohibition on apps that misrepresent what they do during review and change after approval, for example by adding features that were not in the version submitted to App Review. Apps caught doing this face removal from the App Store and from the Apple Developer Program. Apple also updated Section 5 to say apps that facilitate human trafficking or child exploitation will be removed from the App Store and blocked from alternative distribution.

Apple restated existing rules alongside the changes: apps that host user-generated content must filter objectionable material, give users a way to report offensive content, and let users block abusive accounts.

Why it matters: Dating apps are user-generated-content apps, and photo sharing in chat is exactly where intimate image abuse happens. The new language moves the standard from reacting to reports toward preventing the content in the first place, so operators should review their image detection, nudity filters in messages, reporting flows and response times after notice. White-label and smaller apps that rely on basic reporting alone are most exposed. Teams that switch features on remotely after review should also make sure the reviewed build fairly represents what the app does.

Sources: Apple Developer News, October 16, 2026 · Apple App Review Guidelines