Apple Tightens App Store Rules to Ban AI Offensive Content and Bait-and-Switch Apps

Apple updated its App Store developer guidelines over the weekend, tightening rules on AI-generated content and apps that disguise their real purpose. According to a report from IT之家 on October 20, the new rules target two categories: apps that use AI to generate offensive content, and apps that pass review as ordinary tools but later unlock stripping features or otherwise foreground such capabilities. In a blog post, Apple said apps hosting user-generated content must filter objectionable material, give users a way to report inappropriate content, and let them block abusive accounts. The App Store also prohibits apps with hidden or undocumented features, including those that conceal their true purpose during review and only unlock harmful capabilities such as "undressing" after approval — a practice Apple described as bait-and-switch. Apple added that apps which introduce features not present in the version submitted for review will be removed.

A 蓝点网 report on October 19 noted that Apple had already banned pornographic content and that apps capable of generating sexual or explicit images of real people do not comply with store rules. The update, that report said, writes AI-generated non-consensual intimate imagery into content moderation responsibilities. It also said apps that launch as ordinary tools and later activate other functions through special methods will have their developer accounts banned if discovered.

Both reports cited Apple's review figures: the company said last year that its review process stopped more than 150,000 apps from reaching users, and IT之家 added that Apple banned 193,000 developer accounts for fraud and violations. IT之家 also said Apple revised wording in the legal terms section to further emphasize banning apps tied to human trafficking and child exploitation. The public record currently stops at the guideline update and these statements; no specific enforcement timeline or penalty details have been announced.