Apple Tightens App Store Rules to Ban Nonconsensual 'Nudify' AI Apps
Apple has revised its App Store Review Guidelines to more explicitly ban so-called "nudify" applications that use artificial intelligence to create synthetic intimate images of individuals without their consent.
The policy update comes after months of mounting pressure. Earlier this year, users on the X platform (formerly Twitter) exploited Grok, an AI assistant, to generate nonconsensual sexualized deepfakes, including images of minors. While Apple indicated it threatened to remove Grok from the App Store, it ultimately did not do so.
Protesters at Apple's WWDC developer conference in June called on the company to remove Grok, X, and all nudify technology from the App Store. In July, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu issued a formal demand for Apple to remove 13 specific nudify apps, citing them as products facilitating harassment and abuse.
The updated rules now make clear that apps designed to create nonconsensual intimate imagery—whether using AI or other methods—violate App Store policies. Apple has not disclosed how many apps were removed as a result of these rule changes or whether they apply retroactively to existing apps.