Apple expands App Store review, violating AI deepfake applications will be removed

Apple Inc. announced the expansion of App Store review rules to include the regulation of AI-generated non-consensual intimate images. The platform had previously banned pornographic content, and the new rules require developers to proactively prevent and remove AI-generated deepfake content. If effective action is not taken, applications containing such violations will be forcibly removed from the store.

The updated Clause 1.2 specifically mentions applications that create AI content and names controversial products such as Grok. Previously, users complained that Grok, a product of xAI, was used to create nude and sexually suggestive deepfake images. Earlier this year, Apple warned xAI that if such content continued to spread, Grok would be removed from the App Store; subsequently, xAI implemented safety measures, and the updated version was approved.

The newly added Clause 2.5.19 targets so-called "bait-and-switch" tactics, stating that if developers hide new features or modules outside of the submitted review version, especially harmful features like "de-clothing" that are activated only after approval, they may be removed from both the App Store and the Apple Developer Program. Updates to Section 5 will also extend the ban on applications promoting human trafficking or child exploitation to alternative application distribution channels. Apple stated that when developers violate these guidelines, the related applications will be removed, and the developer's eligibility will be terminated.