Apple introduces age verification for apps in Utah, Louisiana and Australia

Now that Apple has began blocking customers beneath 18 in certain regions from downloading apps, the corporate has launched new age verification instruments. These will assist builders “meet their age assurance obligations beneath upcoming US and regional legal guidelines, together with in Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Utah and Louisiana,” the corporate mentioned in a news release on its Developer site.

As of February 24, 2026, customers in Australia, Brazil and Singapore will not be capable to obtain apps rated 18+ except their age is confirmed by “affordable strategies.” Apple famous that any apps distributed in Brazil which can be declared to include loot bins shall be up to date to 18+. Whereas the App Retailer can carry out these checks routinely, “builders might have separate obligations to independently verify that their customers are adults,” Apple wrote. For that, builders can make use of the corporate’s Declared Age Vary API (on iOS, iPadOS and macOS) to get “useful indicators” a few person’s age.

In Utah as of Could 6, 2026 and Louisiana on July 1, 2026, “age classes shall be shared with the developer’s app when requested by the Declared Age Vary API.” That API may also present “new indicators,” like whether or not age-related regulatory necessities apply to the person and if the person should share their age vary. “The API may also let if you should get a mother or father or guardian’s permission for important app updates for a kid,” Apple says.

Beneath Utah’s new regulation, customers have to be over 18 to make a brand new account with an app retailer, whereas underage makes use of might want to hyperlink their account to a mother or father’s to be able to get permission to make use of sure apps. Louisiana and Texas additionally handed related legal guidelines and California plans to enact age-based guidelines for app shops in 2027.

These guidelines are designed to guard youngsters from predators, monetary hurt and different issues. Nonetheless, critics have described the legal guidelines as blunt instruments that hurt privateness and web anonymity. “A poorly designed system would possibly retailer this private knowledge, and even correlate it to the web content material that we have a look at,” the Digital Frontier Basis notes. “Within the fingers of an adversary, and cross-referenced to different available info, this info can expose intimate particulars about us.”