# Guideline 2.3.6 - Accurate Metadata: Incorrect Age Rating

**Guideline:** 2.3.6 · **Store:** Apple App Store · **Severity:** low · **Fix difficulty:** easy · **Typical turnaround:** 1-2 hours

Canonical URL: https://appstorereject.com/rejections/apple/2/guideline-236-accurate-metadata-incorrect-age-rating

## Description

Apple is rejecting your app because its age rating does not accurately reflect the app's content. The most common trigger is an app rated 4+ that contains content appropriate for 12+ or 17+ -- but the reverse also happens (overrating triggers rejection too, though this is rare). The age rating is determined by the Content Description questionnaire in App Store Connect. Many developers rush through this form without carefully considering each question, especially around 'infrequent/mild' vs. 'frequent/intense' classifications. The questionnaire covers: cartoon/realistic violence, mature/suggestive themes, profanity, drug/alcohol/tobacco references, medical/treatment information, nudity, sexual content, gambling, horror/fear themes, and contests. This rejection is often seen alongside user-generated content. If your app allows any form of UGC (comments, photos, chat), Apple considers this potential exposure to all content types, which typically requires at least a 12+ rating even with moderation in place. Apps with unrestricted web browsing capability generally require 17+.

## Common variations

- Age rating is not consistent with the content of the app
- App includes user-generated content but is rated 4+
- App contains mature themes not reflected in the age rating
- Age rating does not account for realistic violence in gameplay
- App allows unrestricted web browsing but is not rated 17+

## Example rejection email

```
Guideline 2.3.6 - Performance - Accurate Metadata

The age rating you have selected is not consistent with the content of your app. Specifically, your app includes user-generated content but is rated 4+, which does not account for the potential for mature content in user submissions.

Next Steps:
Please update the age rating for your app by revising the responses in the Age Rating section of App Store Connect to accurately reflect the content and features of your app.
```

## Resolution steps

## Quick Assessment
- **Risk level:** Low
- **Resolution path:** Update age rating in App Store Connect (no new binary needed in most cases)
- **Typical turnaround:** 1-2 hours

## The Fix

1. **Retake the Content Description questionnaire** -- In App Store Connect > App Information > Age Rating, go through every question carefully. Don't default to the lowest option.

2. **Account for UGC** -- If your app has any user-generated content (comments, photos, messages, profiles), answer 'Yes' to the relevant content categories even if your moderation is excellent. Apple rates based on potential exposure.

3. **Account for web views** -- If your app includes a web browser or loads web content, consider that users could potentially access mature content through it.

4. **Check third-party content** -- If your app displays content from APIs, feeds, or databases you don't fully control, rate based on the worst-case content that could appear.

5. **Be honest about intensity** -- 'Infrequent/mild' vs. 'frequent/intense' matters. If your game has occasional cartoon violence, that's different from constant realistic combat.

## Prevention
- Review the age rating questionnaire carefully -- it takes 5 minutes and prevents days of delay
- If your app has UGC, start at 12+ minimum
- If your app has unrestricted web browsing, expect 17+
- Re-evaluate the rating with every major feature update

## Before / after examples

**Before:** Social app with photo sharing and comments rated 4+ because 'we moderate all content within 24 hours'
**After:** Same app rated 12+ with 'Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes' and 'Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor' selected in the questionnaire
**Why it works:** Apple rates UGC apps on potential exposure, not your moderation effectiveness. Any UGC = at least 12+.

## Common questions

**How long does this typically take to fix?**

Typical turnaround is 1-2 hours (difficulty: easy). After resubmission, most re-reviews complete within 24-48 hours.

---
*Machine-readable source: https://api.appstorereject.com/api/rejections/detail?slug=guideline-236-accurate-metadata-incorrect-age-rating*