App Store Age Rating is the rating Apple calculates from your answers to the age rating questions in App Store Connect (4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ or 18+), and it decides who can find, see and download your app.
Apple has used five tiers since July 24, 2025: 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ and 18+. You don't pick the rating; Apple calculates it from your questionnaire answers, and since September 2026 every submission also answers questions about social media features. An app with a feed that spreads content to many users gets 13+ (16+ in Australia) and the Social Media content descriptor, while user-generated content, messaging and advertising on their own stay 4+.
The rating does ASO work. Apps above a child's content restriction drop out of the Today, Games and Apps tabs for that child, Apple Ads serves apps rated "15+ or higher" only to adults, and the rating badge sits on your product page. Creative assets such as the product page header must meet a 4+ rating even if the app is rated higher. Some US states add their own age checks and parental consent through app store laws; Texas has applied one since June 4, 2026.
Example
A habit tracker adds a public feed where anyone can see other users' streaks. On its next update, the social media answers move it from 4+ to 13+, and it leaves the browse tabs for children whose parents restrict apps to 9+.