Apple Enhances App Review Guidelines to Regulate Personal Data Sharing with AI
In a significant update, Apple has unveiled a new set of App Review Guidelines that mandates developers to inform users and secure their consent before sharing personal data with third-party AI services. This change, announced on Thursday, aligns with Apple’s initiative to introduce an AI-enhanced version of Siri expected in 2026.
The forthcoming update promises to enable users to execute app-related tasks through Siri commands, leveraging Google’s Gemini technology, as per a recent Bloomberg report. This move also reflects Apple’s commitment to preventing unauthorized access to users’ personal data by AI providers.
Notably, this revision directly emphasizes the need for compliance from AI companies, marking a clear stance on data privacy. Prior guidelines under rule 5.1.2(i) included general requirements for user consent related to data sharing, aiming to comply with global data privacy regulations, such as the EU’s GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act. Apps failing to adhere to this policy risk removal from the App Store.
The revised guidelines state: “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 requirement could significantly impact apps utilizing AI technologies to gather or process user data for customization or functionality enhancement.
Although Apple has revised this rule, the level of enforcement regarding the term “AI” remains ambiguous, covering a spectrum of technologies beyond just large language models.
This guideline update is part of a broader series of revisions introduced on the same day, which also includes provisions for Apple’s new Mini Apps Program and changes affecting creator and loan applications, among others. Furthermore, crypto exchanges are now recognized as apps operating in highly regulated sectors.
