The tightening follows sustained criticism of Apple. After X users employed Grok earlier this year to create nonconsensual, sexualised deepfakes, including of minors, Apple told senators it had threatened to pull Grok from the App Store, though it never actually removed X or Grok. Protestors also pressed the company at its WWDC event in June to remove Grok, X and all nudify technology, and in July a San Francisco city attorney ordered Apple to remove 13 nudify apps, which the company said it did.

The revised rules also close a workaround. Apple clarified its ban on bait-and-switch apps, meaning apps that add or change features, including nudification, after they have been approved. Separately, the rules now state more clearly that any apps facilitating human trafficking or the exploitation of children will be removed and blocked from alternative distribution.