Apple has updated its App Store guidelines to prohibit AI-generated nonconsensual intimate imagery and applications that conceal harmful features during the review process. The revised policies, announced on October 16, require developers to implement stronger content moderation measures and prohibit apps that introduce undisclosed features after approval.
The changes target applications that use artificial intelligence to generate sexually explicit images of real people without consent, commonly known as nudify apps. Apple clarified that such content was already prohibited under its existing restrictions on pornography.
Apple Tightens Content Moderation and App Review Requirements
Under the updated App Review Guidelines, applications hosting user-generated content must actively prevent and remove objectionable material, including AI-generated intimate imagery. Developers must also provide users with options to report offensive content and block abusive accounts.
Apple has also strengthened its restrictions against bait-and-switch practices, where developers submit applications with ordinary features for approval before activating prohibited capabilities. Applications found introducing hidden or undocumented features, including nudification tools, may be removed from the App Store.
Developers who fail to implement adequate safeguards or address violations after receiving notice also risk removal from the Apple Developer Program. These requirements are covered under guidelines 1.2 and 2.5.19, which address content moderation and undisclosed functionality.
Apple also revised the legal section of its guidelines to clarify restrictions against applications facilitating human trafficking or child exploitation, including child sexual abuse material. Violating applications will be removed from the App Store and blocked from alternative distribution.
According to Apple, its review procedures prevented more than 150,000 applications with safety issues from reaching users last year. The company also terminated over 193,000 developer accounts associated with fraud and abuse.
Apple Faces Pressure Over AI Nudification Apps
The policy updates follow regulatory scrutiny of AI-powered nudification applications available through Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. In July 2026, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu ordered both companies to remove applications capable of generating nonconsensual intimate images.
Chiu accused the companies of profiting from these applications through fees collected on their respective platforms. The enforcement action followed concerns about the availability of tools that could generate sexually explicit images without the subjects’ consent.
An April investigation by the Tech Transparency Project found that both companies hosted multiple AI nudification applications, including some classified as suitable for minors. The investigation also found that app store search suggestions and advertisements directed users toward such applications.
The organization identified 31 nudification applications rated as suitable for minors, while the applications examined had accumulated approximately 483 million downloads and generated more than $122 million in lifetime revenue. Its findings also indicated that roughly 40% of applications appearing in selected nudification-related searches could generate nude or partially undressed images.
Apple stated in its developer policy announcement that applications violating these restrictions could face removal, alongside termination of the responsible developer accounts.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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