A multinational technology corporation that develops consumer electronics, computer software, and online services, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac computers, and the App Store digital marketplace. Operates as a major platform gatekeeper through its control of iOS app distribution and in-app payment systems, with policies that directly affect developers' ability to reach consumers and compete in mobile markets. The company's terms of service, privacy policies, and app review guidelines significantly impact user privacy rights, developer access to markets, and digital commerce practices globally.

1 Documents
28 All provisions 10 High severity 18 Medium severity 0 Low severity
1 Changes · 12 mo
Jun 9, 2026 Last change

High, provisions that significantly limit your legal rights, authorize broad data collection, or create material financial exposure. Medium, provisions worth knowing about but with partial protections or limited scope. Low, standard terms with minimal consumer impact.

Governance Coverage
Acceptable Use
47 provisions · 23 high · 24 med
Restricted Content
44 provisions · 33 high · 11 med
Disclosure Requirements
25 provisions · 14 high · 8 med
Enforcement Actions
17 provisions · 16 high · 1 med
Data Collection
14 provisions · 13 high · 1 med
Payment Fees
13 provisions · 8 high · 4 med
Intellectual Property
11 provisions · 8 high · 3 med
Data Sharing
10 provisions · 8 high · 2 med
Data Usage
10 provisions · 10 high
Contract Terms
7 provisions · 1 high · 6 med
Quick Facts
Data Retention: Specified
Key Governance Provisions
High Developer responsible for all third-party SDK compliance

This rule means a developer cannot disclaim responsibility for a guideline violation caused by a third-party component; Apple holds the developer accountable regardless of the component's origin.

High Real money gaming apps require licensing and geo-restriction

This rule imposes three simultaneous requirements on real money gaming apps—legal authorization, geographic restriction, and free distribution—each of which independently gates access to the App Stor…

High Apps supporting account creation must offer account deletion

This requirement ensures that any app enabling account creation cannot omit a corresponding deletion mechanism, giving users an in-app path to remove their account entirely.

High All apps must include a privacy policy link

This requirement ensures that users can locate an app's privacy policy at two distinct points—before downloading and while using the app—making privacy disclosures universally available.

High Prohibition on monetizing built-in hardware and OS capabilities

This prohibition prevents developers from placing paywalls on device capabilities and Apple services that users already have access to by virtue of owning their device or subscribing to Apple service…

Document Coverage
Platformpolicy
Last change detected: Jun 9, 2026 Changes (12 months): 1 Documents monitored: 1 Provisions tracked: 28
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Documents

Apple App Store Review Guidelines

High

These guidelines set the rules every app on the App Store must follow. For ordinary users, the most important protections are: any app that lets you create an account must …

Last updated May 5, 2026 · Platform policy
10 provisions 3 versions captured 1 significant change Version history →

Recent Changes

June 9, 2026 · Apple App Store Review Guidelines Medium

Apple updated its App Store Review Guidelines to broaden language about alternative app distribution from EU and Japan specifically to a more generalized statement about 'some markets and certain platforms'. …

View change record →
📈 Policy Drift Analysis View all changes →

High Severity Provisions (10)

View all high severity provisions → Compare Apple with other platforms →

Applicable Regulations

EU AI Act
European Union
View official text ↗
BIPA
Illinois, USA
View official text ↗
CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
View official text ↗
COPPA
United States Federal
View official text ↗
Colorado AI Act
US-CO
View official text ↗
CFAA
United States Federal
View official text ↗
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
View official text ↗
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
View official text ↗
DMA
European Union
View official text ↗
DMCA
United States Federal
View official text ↗
DSA
European Union
View official text ↗
ePrivacy Directive
European Union
View official text ↗
FCRA
United States Federal
View official text ↗
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
View official text ↗
GDPR
European Union
View official text ↗
GLBA
United States Federal
View official text ↗
HIPAA
United States Federal
View official text ↗
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
View official text ↗
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
View official text ↗
TCPA
United States Federal
View official text ↗
Texas AI Act
Texas, USA
View official text ↗
UK GDPR
United Kingdom
View official text ↗
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US
View official text ↗
VPPA
United States Federal
View official text ↗

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Apple documents does ConductAtlas track?

ConductAtlas tracks 1 Apple documents including terms of service, privacy policy, and other governance documents. Every document is captured daily with cryptographic verification.

How many policy changes has Apple made in the past year?

Apple has made 1 policy changes in the past 12 months across the documents ConductAtlas tracks.

How many provisions has ConductAtlas classified for Apple?

ConductAtlas has classified 28 provisions across Apple's tracked documents. 10 are rated high severity, 18 medium, and 0 low.

Can I get alerts when Apple changes their policies?

Yes. Monitor subscribers ($4.99/month) can add Apple to their watchlist and receive same-day email alerts whenever any tracked document changes.