14 DAY TRIAL // Registered Apple developers today received an email from the mother-ship informing them of several recent changes that impact the content rating of their apps, in an effort to “give users more information about your apps and help ensure legal compliance.”
Apple enumerates App Content Descriptions like Medical/Treatment Information, Gambling and Contests, and Unrestricted Web Access. The last example is “for apps that permit navigating and viewing web pages, for example with an embedded browser,” according to the memo. The company encourages developers to use these content descriptions.
An update to territory-specific restrictions based on rating is also announced. The iPhone maker points to territory-specific restrictions in countries like Korea, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, where the App Store will display the current rating and territory restrictions. These can be managed in iTunes Connect.
The Brazil App Store in particular now uses a specific rating for games to comply with local laws.
“The Brazil-specific rating is automatically generated from your existing content description on iTunes Connect and will appear next to the existing rating information displayed on your app’s page in the App Store,” Apple explains.
Developers looking to learn more about app ratings are directed to the iTunes Connect Developer Guide.