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Apple's age verification tools restrict underage app downloads legally
Apple has introduced new age verification features, similar to other companies
Similar to others, Apple has introduced age verification features in response to new mandates for age checks in various areas.
On Tuesday, the company shared information about its resources that developers can utilise to “fulfill their age verification duties under impending US and regional legislation, including in Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Utah, and Louisiana.”
One major change is that individuals in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore can't access apps rated for 18 and over unless their age is verified using “reasonable methods,” which the App Store can authenticate automatically.
Apple highlights that developers might still “carry separate responsibilities to individually ensure that their users are adults.” T
hey can use Apple’s Declared Age Range API, launched last year, to permit app developers to request users’ age range information for assistance.
Additionally, Apple is revealing that for new Apple Account users starting May 6 in Utah and July 1 in Louisiana, “age categories will be communicated with the developer’s app upon request through the Declared Age Range API.”
Also, developers will now have access to “new signals” via the Declared Age Range API, “which include determining if age-specific regulatory measures apply to the user and if the user is obligated to disclose their age range,” according to Apple.
“The API will further inform you if you are required to get parental or guardian consent for crucial app updates for a minor.”