App Store and Google Play age ratings: what drives them
An age rating decides who can find and buy your app as much as who it is for. It feeds parental controls, and on Google Play it can hide an app from minors in search. Both stores assign it from a questionnaire you fill in, and some answers that seem harmless, like a social feed or a built-in browser, raise it. This guide covers how ratings are set, quoted from Apple’s App Store Connect Help and Google’s Play Console Help as they read on 27 September 2026.
Age ratings side by side
From Apple’s “Set an app age rating” and “Age ratings values and definitions” and Google’s “Content rating requirements” help pages.
| App Store | Google Play | |
|---|---|---|
| Who assigns it | Apple, from your questionnaire answers; region-specific ratings where required | independent rating authorities, from your questionnaire answers (IARC in many regions) |
| Rating values | 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+, 18+ in regions without extra requirements; Australia, Brazil and Korea differ | each authority’s own rating, shown where the user is |
| Raising it yourself | Override to Higher Age Rating; required if your EULA sets a higher minimum age | not described on this page; appeals go to the rating authority |
| Kids | Made for Kids for 4+ or 9+ apps, fixed once approved | target audience declaration; apps including children follow the Families policy |
| Unrated | cannot be published on the App Store | questionnaire required for new apps, unrated active apps and content-changing updates |
How Apple sets your rating
In App Store Connect, under App Information, you answer the age rating questionnaire: first the in-app controls and capabilities your app has, then the frequency of each type of content. Apple turns the answers into a global age rating plus region-specific ratings where required, and the rating shows on the App Store in each country or region and stays the same across platforms. Apple notes that ratings can vary by OS version, with the current values applying to devices on iOS 26 and the matching releases of its other platforms. An Unrated app cannot be published on the App Store, though it may be published on alternative app marketplaces or websites.
What moves an app from 4+ to 13+ or 16+
Several product features, not just content, set the rating. Apple’s 4+ rating can still include parental controls, age assurance, user-generated content, messaging and chat, advertising and infrequent contests. Loot boxes, health and wellness topics and infrequent cartoon violence point to 9+. A social media feed, or social media disabled for users under 13, points to 13+, as do frequent contests and infrequent simulated gambling. Unrestricted web access, such as an embedded browser, points to 16+, as does frequent medical or treatment information. Real-money gambling, frequent simulated gambling and frequent realistic violence point to 18+. In Australia, social media and loot boxes lead to a 16+ regional rating, and infrequent simulated gambling to R 18+. If a feature raises your rating above your audience, that is a product decision to make before launch, not after.
Overriding the rating and Made for Kids
If your app is for a specific age category, has a EULA with age requirements, or you believe it should be rated higher, you can choose Override to Higher Age Rating; the App Store shows that rating while the content descriptions still reflect your answers, and if your EULA sets a minimum age above Apple’s calculated rating you must override to match. If your calculated rating is 4+ or 9+, you can choose Made for Kids with an age range to appear in the Kids category; that choice cannot be changed once App Review approves the app, and every later update must follow the Kids category guidelines. Marketing to children is covered in how to market a kids app. Korea: Games and Entertainment apps get a Korea-specific rating; since August 12, 2026, an app with an official GRAC rating can override it to All, 12+, 15+ or 19+ by giving its GRAC Rating Classification Number with the next version, and from October 2026 infrequent profanity or crude humor and infrequent mature or suggestive themes move from All to 12+ in Korea.
How Google Play rates apps
On Google Play you fill in the rating questionnaire under Policy > App content in Play Console, and independent rating authorities assign ratings from your answers, each with its own methodology; outside regions with their own authorities, IARC Generic Ratings apply. The questionnaire is required for new apps, for active apps that lack a rating, and for updates that change content or features in ways that would change your answers. Google says misrepresenting your app’s content may lead to removal or suspension, and rating authorities may change a rating after review. If you object to a rating, you appeal to the authority through the link in your certificate email.
How ratings affect discovery and ads
Google says ratings are used, where legally required, to block or filter content in some territories or for some users. In the European Economic Area, Australia, Brazil, Singapore, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, for users determined to be minors, Google Play blocks the purchase of mature content such as 18+ apps and filters it from search and browse pages, except through deep links. Ads shown in your app, and the offers they promote, must also be appropriate for your app’s content rating, so set your ad network’s filters to match. Google also asks you to include the assigned rating when advertising your app in each region. Apple, for its part, requires icons, screenshots and previews to fit a 4+ rating even when the app is rated higher, as covered in how to market a mobile game.
Where Censuus fits
Censuus ranks apps by the visits they draw and by sponsorship on the web. Adding your app is free on the List my app form, and it can rise on the visits it earns. Sponsorship raises placement and adds a followed link to your website; details are on the sponsor page. For the rest of launch preparation, see the app launch checklist. We do not promise downloads or store rankings, and this guide is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
What age ratings does the App Store use?
In regions without extra requirements: 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ and 18+, assigned from your questionnaire answers. Australia, Brazil and Korea have region-specific values, and Unrated apps cannot be published on the App Store.
Why is my app rated 16+ on the App Store?
In Apple’s table, unrestricted web access, such as an embedded browser, and frequent mature or suggestive themes or medical or treatment information point to 16+. In Australia, social media features and loot boxes also lead to 16+.
Can I set a higher age rating than Apple calculated?
Yes, with Override to Higher Age Rating. If your EULA sets a minimum age above the calculated rating, Apple says you must override to a rating that matches it.
Does the content rating affect Google Play search?
For users determined to be minors in the EEA, Australia, Brazil, Singapore, Switzerland and the UK, Google Play blocks purchase of mature content such as 18+ apps and filters it from search and browse pages, except through deep links.
Guides for app developers
- Time Allowances in iOS 27: how your app gets its category
- App launch checklist: iOS and Android, step by step
- How to market a mobile game: the store rules that shape it
- How to market a kids app: the store rules that shape it
- How to market an app: a stage-by-stage plan
- How to market an AI app: the store rules that shape it
Put your app in the ranking
Censuus ranks apps by the visits they draw and by sponsorship, no bots. Listing is free; sponsorship raises placement.