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On October 16, 2026, Apple updated the App Store Review Guidelines, targeting AI-generated non-consensual intimate imagery and apps that conceal harmful features during review. The revised Guideline 1.2 requires apps hosting user-generated content to take measures to prevent and remove intimate images created without consent, and to provide reporting and blocking channels; Guideline 2.5.19 explicitly states that developers must not misrepresent an app's purpose during review or add undisclosed features after launch, and violations may result in removal of both the app and the developer account. Reports say the adjustment stemmed from investigations finding that such undressing apps were still listed, with cumulative downloads of 483 million and revenue exceeding $122 million for the apps involved, and Apple has removed 15 of them. On October 22, the Tech Transparency Project published an investigation stating that, using four test accounts for 13-year-old boys, it found that even with parental controls enabled, 135 AI apps capable of generating nude images could still be accessed on the Apple and Google app stores; both platforms rely on developer questionnaires to self-report age ratings. As of September 28, Apple had removed 25 apps and Google 6, but all the removed apps remained fully usable on the test phones.
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Oct 22
MediaNamaSelected
TTP investigation: teen accounts with parental controls enabled can still download undressing AI apps from Google and Apple stores
A Tech Transparency Project investigation using four test accounts for 13-year-old boys found that even with parental controls enabled, 135 AI apps capable of generating nude images could still be accessed on the Apple and Google app stores. Both platforms rely on developers' self-reported questionnaires to determine age ratings, causing apps with sexually explicit features to receive ratings suitable for children; as of September 28, Apple had removed 25 apps and Google had removed 6, but all the removed apps remained fully usable on the test phones.
Oct 21
heise online
Apple tightens App Store rules, explicitly banning Nudify apps and bait-and-switch apps
Apple has revised its App Store Review Guidelines, requiring under Rule 1.2 that developers proactively prevent AI-generated pornographic deepfake content within their apps and remove such content, or Apple may remove the app. The new Rule 2.5.19 targets bait-and-switch apps, meaning programs whose actual functionality does not match their promotion and that only unlock features later; Apple may immediately delete them and revoke developer eligibility. The report notes that the Grok app had previously allowed the generation of problematic deepfake content, and that SpaceXAI responded only after Apple threatened to remove it.