SocDecl · Waitlist

Answer Apple’s social media age questions right — before Time Allowances bury your app

Multi-select your features (post wall, repost/amplify, UGC gallery, discovery/recommend feed, public comment interaction, etc.), whether social is off for under-13, and Declared Age Range API status. Get a suggested App Store Connect answer, 13+ / Social Media Time Allowance / content-descriptor impact, a pre-submit checklist, and parent-facing copy skeleton. Not an ASC API, not a compliance agency — a decision-readiness layer before September 2026 mandates and every submit after.

Join Waitlist See how the social-media age mapper works

Market-validation page · Free waitlist · No fake user counts

Problem

September 2026 mandate

From September 2026, App Store Connect’s age-rating questionnaire must ask whether your app has social media capabilities — redistribute, amplify, or interact with UGC via a social feed or similar discovery. Answer “yes” → Social Media content descriptor on the product page, parental Time Allowances land in Social Media (independent of App Store category), usually a 13+ minimum. If you turn social off for under-13, that age band stays out of the Social Media bucket but you must at least use the Declared Age Range API. Games, creative tools, and utilities with discovery feeds sit in a gray zone; a wrong check means wrong age rating, odd visibility under parental controls, or compliance risk. Apple published definitions and duties — not a feature-fact → suggested answer + consequence matrix.

Before

Read Apple News / trial-and-error in ASC
Unclear if games/tools count as social media capability
Miss Declared Age Range API or parent-facing context

After

Features × under-13 off × API → suggested answer + matrix
Feature map against Apple’s UGC feed/discovery definition
Under-13-off gate + checklist + parent copy skeleton

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Solution

What SocDecl does

A Social Media age-declaration decision-readiness layer for product / compliance / eng leads preparing App Store submits or alternative-distribution notarization: features × under-13 off × Age Range API → suggested ASC answer + 13+ / Time Allowance / descriptor impact + pre-submit checklist + parent copy — not another Apple News post or compliance agency.

WHO

Product, compliance/growth, and eng leads preparing new apps/updates for App Store or notarization for alternative distribution on iOS/iPadOS/macOS — especially games and non-social-category apps with UGC, feed, discovery, or share/amplify.

PROBLEM

From Sept 2026 every submit must answer social media capabilities. Yes → descriptor, Social Media Time Allowance (category-independent), usually 13+. Under-13 off needs Declared Age Range API. Games/tools are fuzzy; docs don’t map your features to one answer + consequence matrix.

SOLUTION

Multi-select features + under-13 plan + Age Range API status → suggested yes/no, consequence matrix (13+ / Time Allowance / descriptor), pre-submit checklist, parent-facing copy skeleton. MVP: no App Store Connect API.

RESULT

Align the check and consequences before the Sept 2026 mandate — and before every submit after — instead of discovering Social Media Time Allowances after trial-and-error in ASC.

Features

Marketing points from the product hypothesis — for demand validation, not a formal spec promise.

🧭

Feature → answer mapper

Multi-select post wall, repost/amplify, UGC gallery, discovery/recommend feed, public comments, etc. → map against Apple’s redistribute/amplify/interact-via-feed-or-discovery definition → suggested yes/no with uncertainty flags.

📊

Consequence matrix

Yes → descriptor, Social Media Time Allowance (category-independent), usually 13+. Yes but under-13 off → that band stays out of Social Media bucket, Declared Age Range API required, overall rating may be under 13+; Games/Entertainment buckets may still apply.

🔒

Under-13 off + Age Range API gate

Call out the minimum API duty and parental-control context when you choose the under-13-off path — so you don’t turn features off and still miss the API.

✅

Pre-submit checklist + parent-facing copy

Checks before submit/notarization; short product-page / parent-visible copy skeleton (not legal advice).

📄

Static MVP, no ASC API

Form + suggested answer + consequence matrix + checklist. Explicitly not App Store Connect API, form-filling, review proxy, or compliance endorsement.

How it works

A three-step loop matching the waitlist-stage product hypothesis.

1
Multi-select features & under-13 plan
Post wall / amplify / UGC / discovery feed / public comments; social off under 13?; Age Range API status.
2
Get a suggested ASC answer + consequence matrix
Suggested yes/no (with uncertainty flags); 13+ / Social Media Time Allowance / descriptor / under-13-off path.
3
Checklist & parent-facing copy
Pre-submit / notarization checks and parent-facing copy skeleton — not ASC API, not a compliance agency.

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Use cases

Who it’s for

If these situations sound familiar, join the waitlist to help us validate.

Utility with UGC gallery / public comments

Confirm whether you hit social media capability so you don’t mis-check “no” and face parent/review challenges.

Game with friend feed / amplify / discovery

Primary category is Games, but you may still land in Social Media Time Allowance — see the matrix before deciding under-13 off.

Already planning social off under 13

Confirm Declared Age Range API duty; 13+ users can still enter the Social Media bucket; overall rating may be under 13+.

Alternative distribution notarization

Same Sept 2026 mandate as App Store submits — same declaration decision.

Near Sept 2026 / every major submit

Need checklist + parent copy skeleton so legal/product aren’t trial-clicking under deadline pressure.

Public signals

Public signals from Apple

Public reporting from Apple / 9to5Mac only — not customer testimonials or invented metrics.

FAQ

How is SocDecl different from Apple Developer News / the questionnaire?

Official docs are the rules. We turn features × under-13 off × Age Range API into a suggested answer and consequence matrix.

How is it different from trial-and-error in ASC?

Trial clicks lack a pre-submit consequence matrix and checklist. We are a decision-readiness layer — we never connect to your ASC.

How is it different from Notion / legal meetings?

Those are hand-maintained. We structure the Sept 2026 mandate and Time Allowances into a feature mapper.

Do you connect to App Store Connect or fill the questionnaire for us?

No. MVP is a static form + suggested answer + consequence matrix + checklist.

Does answering “yes” always mean 13+?

Per Apple: social capabilities usually imply a 13+ minimum. If social is off under 13 and you use Declared Age Range API, overall rating may be lower than 13+; users 13+ can still land in the Social Media Time Allowance bucket.

Are Time Allowances the same as App Store categories?

No. The Social Media Time Allowance is based on capabilities, independent of primary/secondary App Store category.

What’s in MVP scope?

Static form + suggested answer + consequence matrix + checklist + parent copy skeleton. ASC API, filling forms, and legal opinions are out.

When is early access?

Waitlist invites go out in batches by email. No fake launch date.

Waitlist

Join the waitlist

Leave your email for SocDecl early access and launch notes. We will not invent a ship date.