Apple has tightened the App Store's terms of use to ban apps that use artificial intelligence to create intimate, nude, or sexual images of a person without their consent.
Background and recent incidents
Such applications have proliferated not only in the App Store but also in Google’s Play Store. The issue drew attention in 2024, and resurfaced earlier this year when users on X — formerly Twitter — used the platform’s AI feature Grok to generate naked images of other people, reportedly without consent and including minors. That incident prompted an investigation by the European Union.
What the new rules require
Under the App Store’s updated policy, developers must “proactively” prevent the generation of sexual content and remove any such content from their apps. According to reporting by The Verge, developers who fail to comply may be warned and, if they do not remedy the issue or commit serious violations, can be permanently removed from the App Store.
Ban on post-approval feature additions
Apple has also closed a loophole previously exploited by some developers: many would add non-consensual image-generation features only after their apps had passed Apple’s review. Going forward, that practice is explicitly prohibited — app updates and added functionality are subject to the same restrictions.
Regulatory and policy context
In the United Kingdom, authorities have considered asking mobile operating system developers to build a nudity-filter; similar functionality could later appear on other devices. Alongside the EU investigation and UK policy discussions, Apple’s move signals increased pressure from both tech platforms and regulators to curb AI abuses involving personal images.
Why this matters
The change aims to protect privacy and vulnerable individuals, including children, from harms caused by non-consensual AI-generated intimate images. Stricter App Store rules will affect developer practices and may push other app stores and platform operators to adopt comparable safeguards against unwanted AI-generated content.
