App Store Connect (June 18, 2026): Brazil alternative distribution support, age rating updates, and Intel Mac drop support

Original release notes (source): Apple Developer - App Store Connect release notes (June 18, 2026)

• https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/release-notes/

What changed (in plain English)

Apple’s App Store Connect release notes for June 18, 2026 include a few items that are easy to miss, but painful to discover mid-release.

1) Alternative distribution, marketplaces, and payment options (including Brazil)

Apple notes updates to:

• alternative distribution
• alternative app marketplaces
• alternative payment options

…and explicitly calls out support for Brazil.

If you ship there, this is a signal that “where and how you can distribute” is no longer just an EU discussion, it is spreading. Even if you never use it, you will need a viewpoint for comms, support, and measurement.

2) Age ratings updated in Australia and Vietnam

Two practical changes:

• Australia: the 15+ rating has been updated to 16+.
• Vietnam: App Store Connect now supports Vietnam’s age rating system (00+, 12+, 16+, 18+) based on your content descriptor selections.

If your business depends on being available to a teen segment, or you operate in regulated categories, this is worth checking before you hit “Submit for Review”.

3) You can drop Intel-based Macs (with a constraint)

If your universal macOS app has a minimum system version of macOS 13+, Apple says you can remove the x86_64 architecture, then upload and submit to the Mac App Store.

This can reduce build complexity, but it is also the kind of change that quietly impacts support (edge devices, enterprise users, schools).

The useful takeaways

• Distribution options are becoming a multi-market concern. Your “policy posture” should be written down, not improvised when a stakeholder asks.
• Age rating changes are a localisation task, not a legal footnote. They affect who can see your listing and how your app is presented.
• Platform support decisions are support decisions. Dropping Intel is not just a build setting, it is a promise to users.

What to do next (tiny wins)

• If you ship in Australia or Vietnam, do a 5-minute check of your current age rating outcome in App Store Connect, then decide if any marketing claims or audience targeting needs adjustment.
• If you ship a universal macOS app, list your top 3 user groups that could still be on Intel, and decide if you are comfortable telling them “no”.

Read the release notes: https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/release-notes/