App Store age ratings: Apple drops 15+ in Australia

Apple told developers on Wednesday it will update App Store age ratings in Australia and Vietnam from 18 June 2026, removing the 15+ label in Australia and introducing a new local scale in Vietnam.

The change surfaced after 9to5Mac highlighted Apple’s message to developers. In the notice, Apple said the new labels on App Store product pages will be based on answers developers have already lodged in App Store Connect. For Australian publishers, that means some classifications can change next month without a fresh public rollout or a new review notice to users.

Apple set out the timing in direct terms.

“starting June 18, 2026, age ratings on the App Store will be updated in Australia and Vietnam.”
— Apple Developer

For Australian developers, that date matters because one of the existing bands disappears. Apple said apps tagged for unrestricted web access, frequent medical or treatment information, or loot boxes will move from 15+ to 16+, while its other Australian ratings stay in place. It also said the new rating will appear on each app’s product page in Australia. Developers now have a short window to check whether their questionnaire answers still match how they want an app presented locally.

Vietnam will get a broader reset. Apple said it will use four region-specific ratings there: 00+, 12+, 16+ and 18+. That is a bigger change than the Australian adjustment, which mainly removes one band and shifts a slice of apps upward.

The notice puts most of the weight on App Store Connect, where developers declare whether an app includes web access, medical information or gambling-style mechanics such as loot boxes. Apple did not describe a separate re-submission process in the update published this week. Instead, it signalled that existing answers will determine the new labels once the changes go live.

That makes the practical impact clearer for game publishers and health-related apps, two categories that overlap with the descriptors Apple singled out. For teams distributing the same app in both Australia and Vietnam, the June update also means tracking two local classification systems at once rather than one global scale.

Apple presented the move as a scheduled App Store update, not a rewrite of its wider developer rules. Still, the message for Australian developers is simple: the 15+ badge disappears on 18 June, and some apps will move to 16+ automatically if their existing disclosures trigger the new threshold.