--- title: "Apple Imposes Direct Ban on AI Apps That 'Undress' People: What Changed in App Store Rules" description: "Apple has expanded App Store guidelines to ban apps using AI to generate nude images of real people without consent. Developers face program expulsion for hidden feature activations." date: 2026-10-18T10:34:12.281Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/apple-bans-ai-undressing-photo-apps tags: [apple, app-store, ai, deepfake, privacy, regulation] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Apple Imposes Direct Ban on AI Apps That 'Undress' People: What Changed in App Store Rules ![Smartphone with a red prohibition sign on screen and glasses on a wooden desk in an office](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/18/apple-zapretila-ii-prilozenia-razdevaiushhie-foto/apple-zapretila-ii-prilozenia-razdevaiushhie-foto-1.webp) ## Key Points - Apple introduced guideline 2.5.19, banning apps that use AI to create 'undressing' images of real people without their consent. - Developers are required to actively prevent and remove such content, otherwise the app will be removed from the App Store. - Hidden activation of the feature after approval risks expulsion from the App Store and the Apple Developer Program. - The ban on apps facilitating human trafficking and child exploitation has been extended to alternative app stores. Apple has expanded its App Store guidelines, imposing a direct ban on applications that use artificial intelligence to create so-called 'undressing' images — realistic nude photographs of real people without their consent. Under the updated guidelines, developers are required not only to exclude such functionality but also to actively prevent the appearance of such materials within their services and delete them upon discovery. Non-compliance will result in the app being removed from the store. Formally, the new rule is codified in App Store guideline 2.5.19, which now directly targets the AI generation of non-consensual nude content. ### Combating Deceptive Developer Tactics A separate emphasis in the new guidelines is placed on workaround schemes. Apple explicitly points to the practice where developers hide the 'undressing' feature during the moderation stage and activate it via an update after approval. Previously, such apps disguised themselves as harmless tools — photo editors, utilities, or entertainment services — and turned on the malicious feature only after passing review. Now, such tactics will result in exclusion not only from the App Store but also from the Apple Developer Program, effectively stripping the developer of the right to publish any apps within the company's ecosystem. ### The Grok Case and Closing the Loophole for AI Chats The update also closes a specific loophole for AI chat bots and generative assistants. According to sources, Apple previously threatened to remove xAI's Grok due to its ability to generate nude deepfakes, and only after xAI added appropriate safeguards did the company receive approval for the updated version. This effectively set a precedent: similar requirements to prevent and remove non-consensual nude content have now been extended to all application categories, rather than just select controversial services. ### Expanding the Ban to Alternative Marketplaces In addition to restrictions within the App Store, Apple has extended the ban on applications facilitating human trafficking and child exploitation to alternative app marketplaces. This means that even third-party distributors operating within mechanisms permitted by Apple will not be able to host services associated with such violations. Thus, the company is closing not only the 'internal' distribution channel but also external entry points through which the strict rules of the main store could previously be bypassed. ### Context: Legislative Initiatives in Europe Apple's move fits into a broader international trend of regulating AI 'undressing' services. Back in November 2025, British authorities announced their intention to ban mobile device applications that 'undress' people from photographs, as reported by Politico. The combination of Apple's corporate restrictions and legislative initiatives in Europe creates a dual pressure loop on developers: on one hand, technical and platform barriers within the App Store; on the other, the risk of legal bans at the national regulator level. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Apple запретила в App Store приложения, «раздевающие» фото с помощью ИИ](https://www.ixbt.com/news/2026/10/18/apple-zapretila-v-app-store-prilozeniia-razdevaiushhie-foto-s-pomoshhiu-ii.html) - Primary source: guideline 2.5.19, ban on AI 'undressing' images, combating deceptive feature activation, Grok/xAI case, expansion of the ban to alternative stores. - [В Британии запретят приложения, «раздевающие» людей по фото](https://www.gazeta.ru/social/news/2025/11/07/27128660.shtml) - Used as context: UK legislative initiative (November 2025) to ban AI 'undressing' apps, according to Politico. A separate track from Apple, but thematically related. ## FAQ ### What exactly is prohibited in the App Store under the new guideline 2.5.19? Applications that use AI to create realistic nude images of real people without their consent are banned. Developers must prevent the appearance of such content and remove it. ### What happens to developers who hide the feature during the review stage? If the 'undressing' feature is hidden during moderation and added after approval, the developer risks being expelled from both the App Store and the Apple Developer Program. ### How is the update related to xAI's Grok? Apple previously threatened to remove Grok over nude deepfakes, and only after adding safeguards did xAI receive approval for the updated version. Similar requirements are now tightened for all app categories. ### Does the ban apply to third-party stores? Yes, Apple has extended the ban on apps facilitating human trafficking and child exploitation to alternative application marketplaces.