Age rating questions (Guideline 2.3.6): the “socialMedia” value and the new 2026 questions
This can block you before review starts. One of our apps couldn't be added to a review submission until it answered a new question.
Apple's words
“Answer the age rating questions in App Store Connect honestly so that your app aligns properly with parental controls.”
“A social media capability is defined as the ability to redistribute, amplify, or interact with user-generated content through a social feed or similar discovery method.”
What it means
Apple added social media questions on 9 July 2026, and answers became required from September 2026 “when submitting new apps or updates”.
Social media puts an app at 13+ at least. User-Generated Content, Messaging and Chat, and Advertising can still be 4+; Unrestricted Web Access is listed under 16+.
From 16 November 2026 the questionnaire also asks about Shared Location, and about Dating and Relationships. The latter includes “a virtual companion that engages a user in sexual or romantic content” and means 18+. Every app must have both answered by 12 January 2027.
What caused it for us
1 blocked submission, 1 of our apps, on 6 November 2026. The error read “You must provide a value for the attribute 'socialMedia'”.
The older app had never answered the July 2026 question; answering it cleared the block. We hit it through Apple's API, so the website may word it differently.
From about 20 of our own rejections across 8 apps. A guide to what to check first, not a rate for everyone.
What to check first
- Open your age rating answers. Have you answered them since 9 July 2026?
- Do people see other users' posts in a feed or a discover list? That is social media to Apple.
- Is there posting, sharing or messaging between users? Any free web browsing inside the app, or ads?
- From 16 November 2026: does the app share location, offer dating, or have an AI companion that can turn romantic?
- Write any judgment call into your review notes.
Kept for the paid guide
These three parts are in the paid guide only:
- The exact App Store Connect clicks. Where the questions live under App Information, and what to do when Add for Review is blocked.
- The prompt to paste into your AI builder. A prompt that has your builder answer yes or no for each capability, naming the screen.
- The reply to Apple. A reply for when the rating was wrong and only the answers changed.