Apple tightens App Review rules on AI nudify apps and bait-and-switch features
Apple updated its App Review Guidelines on October 16, explicitly adding nonconsensual intimate imagery to the list of harms addressed in Section 1.2 on user-generated content, and stating that developers who fail to implement appropriate safeguards or to remediate violations after notice may be considered in violation of the Developer Code of Conduct. A new Section 2.5.19 bars apps from hiding undocumented functionality during review — including through code obfuscation — with violations grounds for removal and termination of the developer account, while Section 5 extends the ban on apps facilitating human trafficking or child exploitation to alternative distribution. According to 9to5Mac, the changes follow a year of controversies over AI "nudify" apps, disguised gambling apps and xAI's Grok being used to generate sexualized deepfakes, which prompted Apple to privately warn xAI that Grok could be removed.
The App Store is the main distribution channel for mobile AI apps, so tighter review rules directly raise their compliance bar.