1.2 User-Generated Content

Overview

1.2 User-Generated Content Apps with user-generated content present particular challenges, ranging from intellectual property infringement to anonymous bullying. To prevent abuse, apps with user-generated content or social networking services must include:

• A method for filtering objectionable material from being posted to the app

• A mechanism to report offensive content and timely responses to concerns

• The ability to block abusive users from the service

• Published contact information so users can easily reach you

Apps with user-generated content or services that end up being used primarily for pornographic content, Chatroulette-style experiences, random or anonymous chat, objectification of real people (e.g. “hot-or-not” voting), making physical threats, or bullying do not belong on the App Store and may be removed without notice. If your app includes user-generated content from a web-based service, it may display incidental mature “NSFW” content, provided that the content is hidden by default and only displayed when the user turns it on via your website.

It is your responsibility to remove content that violates this guideline, your terms of service, or your community standards. If we find such content, we will ask you to remove it, and provide a plan to improve your compliance with this guideline. Based on your response, your app may be removed from the App Store until you can demonstrate improvements that bring your app into compliance. Egregious or repeated behavior is grounds for immediate removal of your app from the App Store, and from the Apple Developer Program.

1.2.1 Creator Content Apps which feature content from a specific community of users called “creators” are a great opportunity if properly moderated. These apps present a singular, unified experience for customers to interact with various kinds of creator content. They offer tools and programs to help this community of non-developer creators to author, share, and monetize user-generated experiences. These experiences must not change the core features and functionality of the native app—rather, they add content to those structured experiences. These experiences are not native “apps” coded by developers—they are content within the app itself and are treated as user-generated content by App Review. Such creator content may include video, articles, audio, and even casual games. The App Store supports apps offering such user-generated content so long as they follow all Guidelines, including Guideline 1.2 for moderating user-generated content and Guideline 3.1.1 for payments and in-app purchases. You should communicate to users which content requires additional purchases.

(a) Creator apps must provide a way for users to identify content that exceeds the app’s age rating, and use an age restriction mechanism based on verified or declared age to limit access by underage users.