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Apple has updated its App Store Review Guidelines to require developers to notify users directly. They also have to obtain the user's consent before sharing personal data with third-party AI services. The updated rule, which was revised on November 13, 2025, arrives just months ahead of Apple’s bold ambitions to introduce a more advanced, AI-powered Siri in 2026.
The timing is fitting. According to a report by Bloomberg, the new Siri will execute specific tasks within third-party apps using simple voice commands. As previously rumored, Google’s Gemini AI will partly power this new functionality, providing Apple with an even more integrated form of external AI models.
The iPhone maker aims to gain more control over how other apps handle user data, particularly regarding the transfer of data to external AI companies for processing without users fully understanding the implications.
Apple already requires developers to ask for permission before collecting or sharing personal data. This is in line with global privacy regimes such as the EU’s GDPR and California’s CCPA. Non-compliant apps risk being removed from the App Store.
The newest version includes an important addition: “You must clearly disclose where personal data will be shared with third parties, including with third-party AI, and obtain explicit permission before doing so.”
This shift particularly affects applications that use AI for personalization or processing of user input. But according to the developers, it is not yet clear exactly how strictly Apple will apply this rule, considering the broad and very ambiguous definition of ‘AI.’
Also Read: OpenAI Launches Group Chats in ChatGPT to Boost Collaboration Among Users
The AI disclosure rule is part of a broader set of changes that Apple announced Thursday. Others include new guidelines for its Mini Apps Program and new changes impacting creator apps, loan apps, and more. Additionally, crypto exchanges are now joining the ranks of apps required to pass enhanced compliance checks as they are a part of the heavily regulated industry.
