Apple has updated its App Store Review Guidelines to strengthen protections against nonconsensual intimate imagery and apps that hide their true purpose. The changes, published on October 16, explicitly target applications that generate sexually explicit images of real individuals without their consent, commonly referred to as nudification apps.
Stricter Content Moderation
Under the updated Guideline 1.2, content moderation requirements now explicitly mandate that apps proactively prevent and remove nonconsensual intimate imagery from their platforms, including content generated using AI tools. Apple notes that apps hosting user-generated content are already required to filter objectionable material, provide reporting mechanisms, and allow users to block abusive accounts. Developers who fail to implement adequate safeguards or ignore violation notices risk breaching the Developer Code of Conduct and facing removal from the App Store.
Additionally, Apple has revised Section 5 of the guidelines, which has historically prohibited apps that facilitate human trafficking or child exploitation, including child sexual abuse material. The updated section clarifies that any app found containing such content will not only be removed from the App Store but will also be blocked from alternative distribution methods.
Cracking Down on Bait-and-Switch Tactics
The update also addresses malicious developers who conceal harmful capabilities during the review process. Guideline 2.5.19 clarifies Apple's longstanding ban on apps that misrepresent their functionality when submitted for App Review, only to change their behavior or add undocumented features after approval. Apple states that this bait-and-switch tactic is often used to introduce harmful features like nudification once the app is live.
According to the company, these violations are frequently linked to malicious actors and coordinated fraud operations designed to bypass safety checks. As these tactics evolve, Apple says it continues to adapt its tools to catch such behavior faster.
Enforcement and Developer Consequences
Apple states that it will not hesitate to remove apps and terminate the developers behind them for violating these rules. Apps caught engaging in bait-and-switch conduct are subject to removal from both the App Store and the Apple Developer Program. Highlighting its ongoing enforcement efforts, Apple reported that last year it prevented over 150,000 apps with safety issues from reaching users and terminated more than 193,000 developer accounts for fraud and abuse.
This article was written by AI from reporting by daringfireball.net.
