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App Store age verification tools upgraded to comply with emerging laws
Apple's App Store age verification system has been updated to ensure compliance can be maintained in places like Louisiana, Utah, Australia, Brazil, and Singapore.Apple has updated its assortment of age assurance tools related to the App Store.In response to increasingly strict age-assurance laws, like Utah's App Store Accountability Act, Apple has updated its requirements for apps distributed in specific countries. iOS applications made available to users in Australia, Brazil, Singapore, Louisiana, and Utah will have to abide by the modified App Store age requirements.Specifically, users in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore will be blocked from downloading applications rated 18+, unless the users are confirmed to be adults through "reasonable methods." The App Store can automatically confirm whether or not a user is an adult, and the change is already in effect as of Tuesday, February 24. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
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App Store age verification tools upgraded to comply with emerging laws
[Marko Zivkovic's profile picture]
Tue Feb 24 2026, 04:46 PM EST
2 minute read
Apple has updated its assortment of age assurance tools related to the App Store.
Apple's App Store age verification system has been updated to ensure compliance can be maintained in places like Louisiana, Utah, Australia, Brazil, and Singapore.
In response to increasingly strict age-assurance laws, like Utah's App Store Accountability Act, Apple has updated its requirements for apps distributed in specific countries. iOS applications made available to users in Australia, Brazil, Singapore, Louisiana, and Utah will have to abide by the modified App Store age requirements.
Specifically, users in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore will be blocked from downloading applications rated 18+, unless the users are confirmed to be adults through "reasonable methods." The App Store can automatically confirm whether or not a user is an adult, and the change is already in effect as of Tuesday, February 24.
However, in an update posted on the iPhone maker's website, Apple notes that "developers may have separate obligations to independently confirm that their users are adults." The company explains that its Declared Age Range API can assist with this task by offering developers a "helpful signal" about an App Store user's age.
Developers offering apps to users in Brazil, meanwhile, can also use the Declared Age Range API to obtain a user's age category. Still, this is only possible when the user (or their parent or guardian, if applicable) agrees to share the requested age category.
Also unique to Brazil is the automatic classification of an application as 18+ if it contains loot boxes. Developers are able to specify whether or not their app contains loot boxes as part of an age rating questionnaire.
For users with new Apple Accounts in Utah and Louisiana, as of May 1 and July 1, respectively, Apple has rolled out a more limited change. Apple explains that, for users in these states, age categories will be shared with the developer's app when requested through the Declared Age Range API.
Additionally, the iPhone maker says its new assortment of tools will help developers achieve regulatory compliance in Louisiana and Utah. The Declared Age Range API will let developers know when users of their apps are required to share their age range.
The API will also inform developers of the need to obtain a parent or guardian's permission for significant app updates, when applicable.
With the Significant Update Action, currently in beta, developers can provide significant update notifications to adults in Utah and Louisiana.
Apple has previously complied with regulatory requirements coming from Utah. For instance, iPhone maker already limits age-inappropriate websites for minor accounts in Utah, to ensure compliance with a law passed by the state in 2021.
Apple is obviously not the only company forced to announce or implement new age verification measures in 2026, either. Discord, for instance, has released a new age assurance feature, though it isn't required for all users of the social media platform.