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Apple and Google both accept dating apps, but each has a set of rules that dating apps trip over more than most. On Apple, the big ones are the moderation requirements in guideline 1.2, the warning in guideline 4.3 that new dating apps must offer "a meaningfully different or improved experience", in-app account deletion and honest age ratings [1]. On Google Play, dating apps must block minors using Play Console tools, meet the Child Safety Standards policy, offer account deletion both in the app and on the web, and target Android 16 for new releases from 31 August 2026 [5][6][7].
This guide lists the rules that matter for dating apps as of 16 October 2026, with links to the official pages, how to comply and where submissions most often go wrong.
Apple's rules for dating apps
Apple's App Review Guidelines were last updated on 8 June 2026 [1]. These are the sections that matter most for a dating app.
Guideline 1.2: content posted by members. Any app with member-posted content or social features must include a way to filter objectionable material, a way to report offensive content with "timely responses to concerns", the ability to block abusive members and published contact details [1]. The same guideline says apps used mainly for pornographic content, "Chatroulette-style experiences, random or anonymous chat" or "hot-or-not" voting do not belong on the App Store [1].
Guideline 1.1.4: hookup apps. Apple treats overtly sexual material as objectionable, and the definition explicitly includes "hookup" apps that may include pornography or be used to facilitate prostitution or trafficking [1]. Mainstream dating apps are fine, but store copy, screenshots and default content need to stay clear of anything that reads as explicit.
Guideline 4.3(b): spam. Apple names dating as a category that is "well established on the App Store" and says it will not accept new submissions unless they offer "a meaningfully different or improved experience" [1]. This is the rule most likely to stop a new white label or template dating app.
Guideline 2.3.6: age ratings. Answer the age rating questions honestly, because a mis-rated app "could trigger an inquiry from government regulators" [1]. In July 2025 Apple moved to five ratings, 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ and 18+, and gave developers until 31 January 2026 to answer the new questions or have update submissions interrupted [4].
Guideline 3.1.2: subscriptions. Auto-renewing subscriptions must provide ongoing value and last at least seven days, and you must clearly describe what members get for the price before asking them to subscribe [1]. Apps that "trick users into purchasing a subscription under false pretenses" will be removed [1].
Guideline 5.1.1: privacy and accounts. You need a privacy policy linked in App Store Connect and inside the app, covering what data you collect, who you share it with and how members can delete it [1]. If members can create an account, they must be able to delete it in the app [1]. Apple's guidance says deactivation alone is not enough, deletion should cover content shared with others such as photos, and apps outside highly regulated industries should not force members to call or email to delete [2]. The requirement has applied since 30 June 2022 [3].
Guideline 4.8: login. If you offer Google, Facebook or another third-party login for the main account, you must also offer an equivalent option that limits data to name and email and lets people hide their email address [1].
Google Play's rules for dating apps
Google's current developer policy took effect on 15 July 2026 and is more explicit about dating than Apple's [5].
Blocking minors. Apps "whose core functionality is to facilitate matchmaking or dating" must use Play Console tools to block minors [5]. Apps where dating is only an incidental feature do not have to block minors from the whole app, but must age-gate the dating features [5].
Child Safety Standards. Google requires social and dating apps to comply with its Child Safety Standards policy [5]. That means publishing standards that explicitly prohibit child sexual abuse and exploitation, having an in-app way for members to give feedback, acting on abuse material, complying with child safety laws and naming a point of contact for Google [5].
Content posted by members. Google's policy requires members to accept your terms before posting, a definition of objectionable content, in-app reporting and blocking, and "robust, effective, and ongoing" moderation [8]. Apps that may contain sexual content must keep children out with an age screen [8].
Sugar dating. Google's sexual content rules ban "compensated dating or sexual arrangements" where one person is expected to provide money to another [5].
Account deletion. Apps that let members create an account must offer deletion both in the app and through a web page that loads without errors and names the app as it appears on Google Play, and must delete the associated data [5][6]. Every developer had to answer the Data safety form's data deletion questions by 7 December 2023, with extensions to 31 May 2024 [6].
Target API level. From 31 August 2026, new apps and updates must target Android 16 (API level 36) [7]. Existing apps must target Android 15 (API level 35) to stay available to new members on newer devices, and developers can request an extension to 1 November 2026 [7].
The rules side by side
| Area | Apple | Google Play | How to comply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderation | Filter, report, block, contact details (1.2) [1] | Terms acceptance, reporting, blocking, ongoing moderation [8] | Ship all four tools in version one, and document response times |
| Minors | Honest age rating; five-tier ratings since 2025 [1][4] | Dating apps must block minors with Play Console tools [5] | Rate 18+ and run your own age checks at sign-up |
| Child safety | Covered by 1.1 and 1.2 [1] | Published Child Safety Standards and a contact point [5] | Publish a child safety page and link it in both listings |
| New dating apps | Must be meaningfully different (4.3) [1] | No equivalent rule [5] | Explain what is different in review notes |
| Privacy | Privacy policy in app and listing (5.1.1) [1] | Data safety form [6] | Keep both in sync with your actual data flows |
| Account deletion | In app, full deletion, since 30 June 2022 [2][3] | In app and on the web [6] | One deletion flow used by app and web |
| Subscriptions | Clear value, at least seven days (3.1.2) [1] | Check Google's payments and subscriptions policies | Show price, period and renewal terms before purchase |
| Login | Equivalent private login if using social login (4.8) [1] | No equivalent rule | Add a private email login option |
| Technical | Declared Age Range API for new Texas accounts [9] | Target API level 36 from 31 August 2026 [7] | Plan an annual platform update |
Source: Apple [1][2][3][4][9] and Google [5][6][7][8].
Common reasons dating apps get rejected
Apple and Google do not publish rejection rates by category. From the guideline text, these are the issues that catch dating apps most often:
- No working demo account. Apple asks for an active demo account or a full demo mode for any app with a login, and for the backend to be switched on [1]. Dating apps that need a selfie check or phone verification to get in must give the reviewer a way around it.
- Missing moderation tools. A report or block button that is hard to find, or no published contact details, fails guideline 1.2 [1].
- Too close to existing apps. A template app with a new name and logo is exactly what guideline 4.3 is written to stop [1].
- Account deletion that is really deactivation. Apple and Google both say temporary deactivation does not count [2][5].
- Explicit store assets. Screenshots or copy that suggest hookups or sexual content risk guideline 1.1.4 [1].
- Unclear subscription screens. Missing renewal terms or a hidden price breaks guideline 3.1.2 [1].
- Age signals ignored. Since 4 June 2026 Apple has required apps to use its Declared Age Range API to handle new Texas accounts, with parental consent flows for minors [9]. A dating app that does not handle these signals is exposed in that state.
Questions
Why do dating apps get rejected by Apple?
The most common dating-specific issues are missing moderation tools under guideline 1.2, being too similar to existing dating apps under guideline 4.3, no in-app account deletion under 5.1.1(v), and no working demo account for the reviewer under 2.1.
Does Google Play require dating apps to block minors?
Yes. Apps whose core function is matchmaking or dating must use Play Console tools to block minors, and social and dating apps must meet Google's Child Safety Standards policy.
Do dating apps have to offer account deletion?
Yes, on both stores. Apple has required in-app account deletion for apps with account creation since 30 June 2022. Google requires deletion both in the app and through a web link.
What target API level does Google Play require in 2026?
From 31 August 2026, new apps and updates must target Android 16 (API level 36), with extensions available to 1 November 2026.
