Apple Tightens App Store Rules on AI Nudification and Bait-and-Switch Apps

On October 16, 2026, Apple published a revised version of its App Review Guidelines. The changes target harmful content and apps that hide what they really do during the review process. Guideline 1.2, which covers user-generated content, now explicitly says apps must proactively prevent and remove nonconsensual intimate imagery, including imagery created with AI tools. Developers who fail to put adequate safeguards in place, or who do not fix violations after notice, may be found in breach of the Developer Code of Conduct. A new guideline, 2.5.19, addresses so-called bait-and-switch apps that look harmless during review and only reveal capabilities such as nudification after approval. Hiding undocumented features, for example through code obfuscation, can now lead to removal from the App Store and termination of the developer account. Apple also updated Section 5 to make clear that apps facilitating human trafficking or child exploitation will be removed from the App Store and blocked from alternative distribution. Translations of the updated guidelines are expected within a month.