Source-linked Apple submission checklist
Apple age rating social media questions: September 2026 checklist.
A practical review for app teams preparing to answer Apple’s new social media capability questions before a covered submission.
- Official Apple source
- Review required
- Customer-confirmed app facts
- No code or store access
What Apple currently says
The questions are available now. The requirement begins in September.
In a July 9, 2026 Developer News post, Apple says the age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect now includes questions about an app’s social media capabilities.
Apple says teams can review and answer the questions now. Beginning in September 2026, responses will be required when submitting new apps or updates to the App Store, or when submitting apps for notarization for alternative distribution.
Apple defines a social media capability in the source as the ability to redistribute, amplify or interact with user-generated content through a social feed or similar discovery method. The source does not publish a specific day in September. Do not substitute an assumed date.
Official Apple Developer News announcement ↗
Source checked August 6, 2026 UTC. Apple’s live announcement is the authority if it changes after that check.
Portfolio operating checklist
Five facts to establish before the next covered submission.
- 01
Approved app inventory
Record up to the customer-approved App Store URLs or bundle identifiers in scope. Keep customer approval separate from public-source evidence.
- 02
Submission path and timing
Have the release owner confirm whether a new app, update or alternative-distribution notarization is planned beginning in September 2026. A public store page cannot establish a private release plan.
- 03
Capability answer owner
Name the product or technical owner who can confirm whether the app redistributes, amplifies or enables interaction with user-generated content through a social feed or similar discovery method.
- 04
Evidence and review date
Set a date for the owner to review Apple’s wording, verify the current product behavior and preserve the basis for the proposed questionnaire response.
- 05
App Store Connect completion
Assign the authorized account user who will enter or verify the response. Deadline Beam does not access App Store Connect or submit the answer.
Per-app review worksheet
Use the same bounded questions for every app in the release queue.
Apple’s published definition is the starting point—not an app-specific answer. Record customer-confirmed product behavior, a responsible owner and the evidence they reviewed.
| Review field | Question to resolve | Record as |
|---|---|---|
| Submission path | Is a new app, App Store update or alternative-distribution notarization planned beginning in September 2026? | Customer-confirmed path and month |
| Redistribution | Can the app redistribute user-generated content through a social feed or similar discovery method? | Yes / No / Unknown + evidence |
| Amplification | Can the app amplify user-generated content through a social feed or similar discovery method? | Yes / No / Unknown + evidence |
| Interaction | Can people interact with user-generated content through a social feed or similar discovery method? | Yes / No / Unknown + evidence |
| Customer owner and evidence | Who can confirm current behavior, and what product evidence did they review? | Name, role, evidence and review date |
| Console owner | Who is authorized to review or enter the response in App Store Connect? | Name and completion status |
Stop condition: if any behavior, submission path or owner is unknown, keep the row Review required. Do not infer an answer from an App Store listing.
Questions teams are asking
What Apple’s announcement establishes—and what it does not.
What changes if an app has social media capabilities?
Apple says apps with these capabilities will display a new Social Media content descriptor on their App Store product page. Apple also says its Time Allowance category for Social Media is based on whether the app or game offers these capabilities, regardless of the app category selected in App Store Connect.
Does the under-13 setting change Apple’s stated treatment?
Apple says that if a team indicates the app or game has social media capabilities but those capabilities are disabled for anyone under 13, the app will not be included in the Time Allowance category for Social Media for users under 13. The customer’s product owner must confirm the app’s actual behavior; Deadline Beam does not infer it.
Does Apple publish a specific September deadline day?
No. In this announcement, Apple does not publish a specific day in September. It says responses will be required beginning in September 2026 for the covered submission paths. Plan against the official wording rather than inventing September 1 or another date.
Do unchanged existing apps have a standalone September response deadline?
Apple’s announcement ties the requirement to submitting a new app or update to the App Store, or submitting an app for notarization for alternative distribution. It does not state a separate September deadline for an existing app with no covered submission. Confirm the app’s actual submission plan and check the live official source before relying on that distinction.
Does the selected App Store category answer the capability question?
No. Apple’s announcement says the Social Media Time Allowance category is based on the stated capabilities regardless of the selected App Store Connect category. A responsible customer owner still needs to review current app behavior and the live questionnaire.
Check the official Apple source ↗. The official Apple source controls if its wording changes or differs from this checklist.
Suggested register fields
Separate published facts from private app facts.
Source fact: official URL, retrieval date, Apple’s displayed publication date, verbatim timing and submission paths.
Customer-confirmed fact: approved app, planned submission, relevant product behavior, answer owner and authorized App Store Connect owner.
Status: use “Review required” until the responsible customer owner confirms the private facts and proposed response.
Free three-app deadline check
Send three approved app URLs. Get a bounded owner-and-evidence starter.
We will map the official Apple requirement to missing-fact questions for up to three customer-approved apps. We will not decide an app’s questionnaire answer from public pages.
$0
Initial three-app check
- Up to three customer-approved public app URLs
- Official source, displayed date and retrieval date
- Submission-path, capability-owner and evidence questions
- No code, repository, credential or App Store Connect access
- No legal advice, certification or outcome guarantee
This opens your email app with a request template. Review it, then press send. You can also email hello@deadlinebeam.com directly.
Important limits
A planning aid, not an App Store determination.
Every app-specific conclusion remains review required. Deadline Beam does not inspect source code, access App Store Connect, answer the questionnaire for the customer, provide legal advice, certify compliance or guarantee approval or distribution outcomes.
Deadline Beam is not affiliated with Apple and is not endorsed by Apple. Apple’s official documentation controls if this page and the source differ.