App Store Time Allowances: What Devs Must Do by September
iOS 27 Time Allowances sort apps into Entertainment, Games, and Social Media. The age-rating questionnaire now asks about social capabilities — and from September 2026 you cannot submit an update until you answer.
Quick answer
What are App Store Time Allowances and what must developers do by September 2026?
Time Allowances in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 let parents set daily limits by category: Entertainment, Games, and Social Media. Entertainment and Games come from your App Store Connect categories. Social Media is based on whether the app has social capabilities, not on its category. The questionnaire has asked this since July 2026. Starting September 2026 you must answer it to submit a new version, an update, or notarization for alternative marketplaces.
- Answer the social-media questions in App Store Connect before September 2026
- Social capabilities = a feed that redistributes, amplifies, or interacts with UGC
- Declaring social capabilities sets a 13+ floor and a Social Media Time Allowance
- Disable social features for under-13s and use the Declared Age Range API to avoid that floor
- Time Allowance categories are not the same as App Store discovery categories
On this page
The September 2026 App Store deadline is not another SDK bump. It is a questionnaire. If your app can show a social feed — likes, comments, shares, a discovery surface that spreads user-generated content — Apple now wants that declared, and from September you cannot submit an update until you answer.
This sits inside a larger iOS 27 change: Time Allowances . Parents get category-based daily limits for Entertainment, Games, and Social Media, plus schedules for when apps are available. Your answers in App Store Connect decide which bucket the app lands in. Get it wrong and kids either cannot open a harmless app, or a social product slips past a parent who thought they blocked Social Media.
What Time Allowances actually do
Time Allowances ship in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. They are built on top of Screen Time, with starting limits based on a child’s age that parents can change. They are not a new App Store tab and they are not your listing category. A puzzle game can be Games for discovery and Games for Time Allowances. A photo app with a public remix feed can be Photo & Video on the store and Social Media for Time Allowances.
| Category | What Apple uses | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Entertainment | Primary or secondary App Store category is Entertainment | Parents can cap “entertainment” time as a group |
| Games | Primary or secondary category is Games | Same, for play time |
| Social Media | You declare social capabilities — category is ignored | 13+ floor unless social features are off for under-13s |
| Other | No Entertainment/Games category and no social capabilities | Not in those three Time Allowance buckets |
Entertainment and Games follow the categories you already set. Social Media is a capability flag. That is why a non-social game stays in Games, and why a “utility” with a public feed can still be treated as Social Media.
What counts as social media capabilities
Apple’s test is functional, not branding. Social capabilities include the ability to redistribute, amplify, or interact with user-generated content through a social feed or a similar discovery surface that visibly spreads that content to many people — views, likes, comments, shares. A private 1:1 chat is not automatically the same thing as a public feed. A “community” tab that ranks other people’s posts is.
- Public or semi-public feeds of other people’s content.
- Like, comment, share, or remix controls that amplify UGC.
- Discovery, For You, or Explore surfaces whose job is to spread posts.
- Not, on their own: account login, cloud sync, or sending a file to one person.
The July questions and the September hard stop
Apple updated the age-rating questionnaire in July 2026 (the App Store Connect release notes call out July 9). You can already open App Information and answer whether the app includes social media capabilities. Starting September 2026, that answer is required to submit a new version or update to the App Store, and to notarize a build for alternative marketplaces.
| Your answer | Age rating | Time Allowance |
|---|---|---|
| Has social capabilities | Minimum 13+ | Social Media for everyone |
| Has social capabilities, disabled for anyone under 13 | Other questionnaire answers decide; can be below 13+ | Not Social Media for under-13s; still Social Media at 13+ |
| No social capabilities | Unchanged by this question | Entertainment, Games, or Other from your categories |
Declaring social features without an under-13 off-switch locks a 13+ rating and a Social Media Time Allowance. The under-13 off-switch is only valid if you actually gate those features and check age with the Declared Age Range API at minimum.
Apps that declare social capabilities also get a new Social Media content descriptor on the product page age-rating section. That is customer-facing. Treat it like any other listing fact: screenshots, subtitle, and first-run flow should not pretend the product is a private notebook if the store page now says Social Media.
What to do this week
- Open the app in App Store Connect → App Information → age rating questions. Answer the social-media items even if you are not submitting this week.
- Inventory actual surfaces: feeds, comments, shares, Explore, public profiles. Write down what a new user can reach before any paywall.
- If you have social features and want kids under 13: ship the off-switch, implement Declared Age Range, and re-test the first session as a declared under-13.
- If you have social features and do not want that work: accept 13+ and the Social Media Time Allowance. Update the listing so parents are not surprised.
- If you do not have social features: answer no, and double-check Entertainment/Games categories so Time Allowances land where you expect.
Then look at the product page. Age rating, the new descriptor, and the first screenshots have to tell one story. Recapture UI from the build you will submit, and keep screenshot best practices in mind: store art itself must stay appropriate for a 4+ public surface even when the app is 13+. Use the launch checklist if this is landing next to a version you already planned to ship.
Clear the September Time Allowance checklist
Three days is enough if you already know whether the app has a public feed. It is not enough if you still need to build age gating.
Answer the questionnaire
In App Store Connect, complete the social-media questions for every app you still update. Save even if you are not submitting today.
Pick a path
No social features, social + 13+, or social disabled under 13 with Declared Age Range. Do not mix a 4+ story on the listing with a public feed in the binary.
Implement the age path you claimed
If you chose the under-13 off-switch, add Declared Age Range, hide or disable the feed for that range, and QA a clean install as that age.
Align the product page
Update screenshots and copy so the store matches the declared experience. AppGrowthKit can rebuild the set from the current UI at every required size.
Submit a quiet update if needed
If September is close and you are not otherwise shipping, submit a small update so the answers are on file before a real deadline lands on a Friday.
What to remember
- Time Allowances are iOS 27 parent limits by Entertainment, Games, and Social Media.
- Social Media is a capability, not a category. A feed can put a “utility” in that bucket.
- The questionnaire is live now; answering it becomes mandatory in September 2026.
- Social + no under-13 gate = 13+ and a Social Media Time Allowance.
- The under-13 path requires Declared Age Range and a real off-switch, not a promise.
Frequently asked questions
What are Time Allowances on iOS 27?
They are parent-managed daily time limits, grouped by Entertainment, Games, and Social Media, shipping in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. Starting values follow a child’s age; parents can change them and add schedules for when apps are allowed.
When do developers have to answer the social media questions?
The questions appeared in the App Store Connect age-rating questionnaire in July 2026. Starting September 2026 you must answer them to submit a new app version or update, or to notarize a build for alternative app marketplaces.
Does declaring social media capabilities change my age rating?
Yes if you declare social capabilities without disabling them for people under 13: Apple applies a minimum 13+ rating. If those features are disabled for under-13s and you use the Declared Age Range API, the rest of the questionnaire decides the rating and it can be lower than 13+.
Will changing my App Store category change my Time Allowance?
Only for Entertainment and Games, which follow your primary or secondary category. Social Media is based on declared social capabilities, regardless of category.
What is the Social Media content descriptor?
Apps that declare social capabilities show a new Social Media descriptor in the age-ratings section of the App Store product page. It is visible to customers, so listing screenshots and copy should match.
Do I need the Declared Age Range API?
You need it (at minimum) if you claim social features exist but are turned off for anyone under 13. If you have no social features, or you accept a 13+ rating, this Time Allowance path does not by itself require that API.
Sources, verified 2026-08-17:
Free tools that help here
ASO Character Counter
Count characters for every App Store and Google Play metadata field against exact store limits. Live counts and over-limit warnings - nothing gets truncated at submission.
Screenshot Beautifier
Add polished backgrounds, padding, shadows, and rounded corners to any screenshot in seconds. Perfect for social posts, docs, and portfolios.
A listing that matches the experience parents will allow
If your age rating, screenshots, or first-run flow disagree, review will catch it. AppGrowthKit helps you ship honest, on-size screenshot sets that match the product you declared.
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