apple-developer-news-2026-05-23
Swift · · 16 min read · developer.apple.com ↗
Title: Latest News - Apple Developer
URL Source: http://developer.apple.com/news
Published Time: Sat, 23 May 2026 08:03:15 GMT
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Upcoming changes to age ratings in Australia and Vietnam
May 21, 2026
Starting June 18, 2026, age ratings on the App Store will be updated in Australia and Vietnam.
Australia
The 15+ age rating will no longer be available on the App Store in Australia. Apps currently rated 15+ with the following content descriptors will be updated to 16+:
- Unrestricted web access
- Frequent medical or treatment information
- Loot boxes
The new rating will appear on your app’s product page in Australia. Please ensure your responses to the age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect accurately reflect your app’s content.
Vietnam
To align with Article 38 of Vietnam Decree 147, apps available on the App Store in Vietnam will require a region-specific age rating. Based on your age rating questionnaire responses in App Store Connect, your app will receive one of four ratings (00+(all ages), 12+, 16+, or 18+) which will appear on its product page in Vietnam. Additional details, including age rating values, will be available in App Store Connect and App Store Connect Help on June 18.
Introducing the 2026 Apple Design Award finalists
May 18, 2026
Every year, the Apple Design Awards recognize innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement in app and game design. But they’ve also become something more: A moment to step back and celebrate the work of Apple developers across the community.
Coming bright up
May 18, 2026
Get ready for a week of technology, creativity, and community — all online and free. Here’s what WWDC26 has in store.
Tax and price updates for apps, In-App Purchases, and subscriptions
May 11, 2026
The App Store is designed to make it easy to sell your digital goods and services globally, with support for 43 currencies across 175 storefronts. From time to time, we may need to adjust prices or your proceeds due to changes in tax regulations or foreign exchange rates. These adjustments are made using publicly available exchange rate information from reputable financial media (e.g., The Wall Street Journal) or financial companies (e.g., Bloomberg) to help make sure prices for apps and In-App Purchases stay consistent across all storefronts.
Brazilian betting license requirement for App Store availability
May 8, 2026
Following changes to Brazil’s fixed-odds betting regulation, apps with fixed-odds betting (gambling) features can now be distributed on the App Store in Brazil with a valid fixed-odds betting license from the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA). If any of your apps include these features (indicated by selecting “Yes” to the gambling question in the age rating questionnaire in App Store Connect), you’ll need to provide this license. Keep in mind that answering “Yes” to the gambling question in the age rating questionnaire will set your Brazil age rating to A18.
A new app version must be submitted to initiate the license verification process. Updating the App Review Information section in App Store Connect alone won’t start a review. When submitting a new version of your app for review:
- Include your license information in the App Review Information section in App Store Connect.
- Enter your license details in the Notes field.
- Attach any supporting documents using the file attachment field.
Please ensure that your app complies with all disclosures and warnings requirements, including but not limited to age restrictions and gambling risks, as required under the law. For questions regarding your legal obligations, please contact your legal counsel.
Learn more about Brazil age ratings
Learn more about Brazil’s fixed-odds betting regulation
Now Available: Monthly Subscriptions with a 12-Month Commitment
April 27, 2026
Today, we’re introducing a new way that people can pay for your auto-renewable subscriptions on the App Store: monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment. This new payment option allows you to offer subscribers more affordable options. People can cancel their subscription at any time, which will prevent the subscription from renewing after they’ve completed their agreed-to payments to fulfill their commitment.
To provide transparency, people can easily view the number of completed and remaining payments for the subscription in their Apple Account. Apple will also send email and, if opted in, push notifications ahead of their renewal date to remind them of their upcoming purchase.
You can now configure this type of subscription in App Store Connect and test it in Xcode. With the exception of the United States and Singapore, monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment will be available worldwide to people on iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, macOS Tahoe 26.4, tvOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4, or later, with the release of iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, and visionOS 26.5 in May.
Learn about configuring subscriptions
Learn about auto-renewable subscriptions
App Store expands support to 11 new languages
March 31, 2026
To help your apps and games reach more people worldwide — especially in India — App Store Connect now supports localized metadata for 11 new languages, bringing the total number of supported localizations to 50. The new languages include Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Slovenian, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
You can now provide localized metadata — such as your app name, description, screenshots, and more — in App Store Connect. When you localize your metadata, it helps make your app relevant to potential users across languages and cultures, and provides an opportunity to grow your business. You can add localized metadata with your next version submission for each platform you support and use new localized App Store badges in your marketing communications.
Learn how to localize your app information
Learn about expanding your app to new markets
Download the new localized App Store badges
Updated Apple Developer Program License Agreement now available
March 30, 2026
The Apple Developer Program License Agreement has been revised to support new features, updated policies, and clarifications. Please review the changes and sign in to your account to accept the updated terms.
- Definitions, Section 3.3.3(B), Section 3.3.7(K): Specified requirements for use of the Foveated Streaming framework and clarified data privacy requirements.
- Definitions, Section 3.3.3(Q): Specified requirements for use of the Family Controls framework.
- Definitions, Section 3.3.7(J): Specified requirements for use of the Accessory Notifications framework and Accessory Live Activities framework.
Translations of the updated agreement will be available on the Apple Developer website within one month.
Get ready with the latest beta releases
March 30, 2026
The beta versions of iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and watchOS 26.5 are now available. Get your apps ready by confirming they work as expected on these releases. And make sure to build and test with Xcode 26.5 beta to take advantage of the advancements in the latest SDKs.
View downloads and release notes
Update on regulated medical device apps in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and United States
March 26, 2026
To provide additional transparency to customers, the App Store will now display whether an app is a regulated medical device on its product page in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or United States. Regulated medical device apps are those that function on their own or as part of a system for a range of medical purposes, including diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, and treatment of diseases and physiological conditions. These apps may require registration or authorization from regulatory bodies, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
If you distribute in the EEA, UK, or U.S. and your app meets either of the following criteria, you’ll need to provide a regulated medical device status in App Store Connect, along with relevant regulatory information, such as contact details and safety information:
- Its primary or secondary category is Health & Fitness or Medical
- It’s marked as containing frequent references to Medical or Treatment Information in the Age Rating questionnaire in App Store Connect
Starting today, this status is required for new apps that meet either of the criteria above in order to distribute in these regions. Existing apps distributed in these regions that meet either of the criteria above must provide a status by early 2027. However, if you haven’t declared your app’s status by early 2027, you’ll no longer be able to submit app updates. If your app is not a regulated medical device, you can select No.
Learn about providing a regulated medical device status
New In-App Purchase and subscription data now available in Analytics
March 25, 2026
Analytics in App Store Connect receives its biggest update since its launch, including a refreshed user experience that makes it easier to measure the performance of your apps and games. Updates include:
- More than 100 new metrics. Now you can access monetization and subscription data in Analytics to better understand the performance of your In-App Purchases and offers.
- New cohort capabilities. Analyze user behavior based on common attributes — such as download date, download source, offer start date, and more — to measure how a particular group of users performs over time. For example, if you’ve expanded your app to a new region, you can monitor how long it takes users in that region to make a purchase compared to other more established regions. Cohort data is aggregated to ensure user privacy.
- New peer group benchmarks. Discover how you stack up to peers with two new monetization benchmarks: download-to-paid conversion and proceeds per download. Benchmarks incorporate differential privacy techniques to protect individual developer performance while also providing meaningful and actionable insights.
- Two new subscription reports. Export these via the Analytics Reports API to perform offline analysis and integrate Analytics into your own data systems.
- Additional filters. Apply up to seven filters to your selected metrics at once allowing you to drill down further and uncover additional insights.
- App Store Analytics Guide. This new guide in App Store Connect Help enables you to develop a data-driven strategy and understand App Store tools and features you can use to grow your business.
Learn about measuring performance with Analytics
WWDC26: June 8-12, 2026
March 23, 2026
Join the worldwide developer community online for a week of technology, creativity, and community.
Be there for the reveal of the latest Apple tools, frameworks, and features. Learn to elevate your apps and games through video sessions hosted by Apple engineers and designers. Engage with Apple experts in labs and connect with the worldwide developer community. All online and free.
Apple Developer is now on bilibili and LinkedIn
March 17, 2026
Check out Apple Developer on bilibili and LinkedIn to learn about the latest news, announcements, videos, and events — including the Worldwide Developers Conference and Meet with Apple activities — for the developer community.
Adjustments to the China storefront of the App Store on iOS and iPadOS
March 12, 2026
Apple is making changes to the App Store in China following discussions with the Chinese regulator.
As of March 15, 2026, changes will be made to the commission rates that apply to the China mainland storefront of the App Store on iOS and iPadOS.
The commission rate for standard Apple In-App Purchase and paid app transactions will be 25%. Currently, the rate is 30%. The commission rate for qualifying Apple In-App Purchase transactions under the App Store Small Business Program and Mini Apps Partner Program, and for auto-renewals of Apple In-App Purchase subscriptions after the first year, will be 12%. Currently, the rate is 15%.
Signing the updated terms by March 15 is not required to receive the benefit of these commission rate changes starting that date.
We strive for iOS and iPadOS to be the best app ecosystem and a great business opportunity for developers in China. We are committed to terms that remain fair and transparent to all developers, and to always offering competitive App Store rates to developers distributing apps in China that are no higher than overall rates in other markets.
The Apple Developer Program License Agreement has been revised to support updated policies. You can sign in to your account to accept the updated terms.
Translations of the updated agreement will be available on Apple Developer website within one month.
Age requirements for apps distributed in Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Utah, and Louisiana
February 24, 2026
Today we’re providing an update on the tools available for developers to meet their age assurance obligations under upcoming U.S. and regional laws, including in Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Utah, and Louisiana. Updates to the Declared Age Range API are now available in beta for testing.
Get ready with the latest beta releases
February 16, 2026
The beta versions of iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, macOS 26.4, tvOS 26.4, visionOS 26.4, and watchOS 26.4 are now available. Get your apps ready by confirming they work as expected on these releases. And make sure to build and test with Xcode 26.4 beta to take advantage of the advancements in the latest SDKs.
View downloads and release notes
Updated App Review Guidelines now available
February 6, 2026
The App Review Guidelines have been revised to clarify that apps with random or anonymous chat are subject to the 1.2 User-Generated Content guideline.
Translations of the guidelines will be available on Apple Developer website within one month.
Swift Student Challenge submissions are now open
February 6, 2026
The Swift Student Challenge is here! Submissions are now open through February 28, and students from all over the world are invited to submit their app playgrounds.
Learn more about the Challenge
Key things to know
- No prior experience is needed. The Challenge is open to students of all levels who meet the eligibility requirements.
- The Challenge is free to enter — all you need is access to a Mac or iPad with Xcode or Swift Playground.
- Your app playground can be on any topic of your choice. The best app ideas come from subjects or experiences that you're passionate about.
- Your app playground should be experienced within 3 minutes or less.
- The Swift Student Challenge is a great opportunity for students to build their skills and create something great.
Learn more
- Watch a new video to learn from past winners and Apple experts.
- Explore learning resources.
Upcoming SDK minimum requirements
February 3, 2026
Starting April 28, 2026, apps and games uploaded to App Store Connect need to meet the following minimum requirements:
- iOS and iPadOS apps must be built with the iOS 26& iPadOS 26 SDK or later
- tvOS apps must be built with the tvOS 26 SDK or later
- visionOS apps must be built with the visionOS 26 SDK or later
- watchOS apps must be built with the watchOS 26 SDK or later
Price updates for apps, In-App Purchases, and subscriptions
January 29, 2026
The App Store is designed to make it easy to sell your digital goods and services globally, with support for 43 currencies across 175 storefronts.
From time to time, we need to adjust prices or your proceeds due to changes in tax regulations or foreign exchange rates. These adjustments are made using publicly available exchange rate information from financial data providers to help make sure prices for apps and In-App Purchases stay consistent across all storefronts.
As of January 29:
Your proceeds from the sale of eligible apps and In‑App Purchases have been modified in:
- Bhutan: Goods and Services Tax (GST) introduction of 5%
- Finland: Reduced value‑added tax (VAT) rate decrease from 14% to 13.5% for news, magazines, books, and audiobooks
- Ghana: Removal of 2019 COVID-19 Health Recovery Levy
- Kazakhstan: VAT rate increase from 12% to 16%
- Lithuania: Reduced VAT rate decrease from 9% to 5% for news, magazines, books, and audiobooks
- Mauritius: VAT introduction of 15%
- Russia: VAT rate increase from 20% to 22%
- Türkiye: Digital sales tax (DST) rate decrease from 7.5% to 5%
- Zimbabwe: VAT rate increase from 15% to 15.5%
Exhibit B of the Paid Applications Agreement will be updated to indicate that Apple collects and remits applicable taxes in Bhutan and Mauritius.¹
Beginning February 16:
Pricing for apps and In-App Purchases will be updated for Mauritius if you haven’t selected Mauritius as the base storefront for your app or In‑App Purchase.² This update considers the VAT introduction listed in the tax updates section above.
If you’ve selected Mauritius as the base storefront for your app or In-App Purchase, prices won’t change. On other storefronts, prices will be updated to maintain equalization with your chosen base price.
Prices won’t change in any region if your In‑App Purchase is an auto‑renewable subscription. Prices also won’t change on the storefronts where you manually manage prices instead of using the automated equalized prices.
The Pricing and Availability section of Apps has been updated in App Store Connect to display these upcoming price changes. As always, you can change the prices of your apps, In‑App Purchases, and auto‑renewable subscriptions at any time.
Learn more about managing your prices
View or edit upcoming price changes
Edit your app’s base country or region
Pricing and availability start times by country or region
Set a price for an In-App Purchase
Learn more about your proceeds
¹ Translations of the updated agreement will be available on the Apple Developer website within one month.
² Excludes auto-renewable subscriptions.
Update on age requirements for apps distributed in Texas
December 23, 2025
A recent injunction issued by a district court suspended enforcement of Texas state law SB2420, which introduced age assurance requirements for app marketplaces and developers. In light of this ruling, Apple will pause previously announced implementation plans and monitor the ongoing legal process.
The tools we previously announced to help developers meet their compliance obligations will remain available for sandbox testing, including:
- Declared Age Range API
- Significant Change API under PermissionKit
- New age rating property type in StoreKit
- App Store Server Notifications
These tools can also be used to help developers with their obligations under laws coming into effect in Utah and Louisiana in 2026. The Declared Age Range API remains available worldwide for users on iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26, or later.
Changes to iOS in Japan
December 17, 2025
To comply with the Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA), Apple is introducing changes to iOS that create new options for developers' apps in Japan. Beginning with iOS 26.2, developers can distribute apps on alternative app marketplaces, operate alternative app marketplaces, process app payments for digital goods and services outside of Apple In-App Purchase in iOS, and more.
The new options for downloading apps from alternative app marketplaces and making app payments open new avenues for malware, fraud, scams, and privacy and security risks. Apple has worked with Japanese regulators to introduce protections from these new threats — with a special emphasis on the safety of younger users. Those protections include Notarization for iOS apps, an authorization process for app marketplaces, and requirements that help protect children from inappropriate content and scams.
By March 17, 2026, all current members of the Apple Developer Program will need to agree to the latest update to the Apple Developer Program License Agreement, which includes new terms that allow for these options in Japan.
You can also request a 30-minute online appointment to ask questions about these changes.
Updated Apple Developer Program License Agreement now available
December 17, 2025
The Apple Developer Program License Agreement has been revised to support new features, updated policies, and to provide clarification. Please review the changes and sign in to your account to accept the updated terms.
- Section 3.3.3(A): Specified requirement on recordings and privacy.
- Section 3.3.3(J): Specified requirements for launching voice-based conversational apps via the side button on iPhone.
- Definitions, section 3.3.3(P): Specified terms for use of the Declared Age
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