Apple is introducing new tools to adhere to the increasing number of age-verification laws worldwide. As part of the updates, Apple will restrict the downloads of apps rated 18+ in Brazil, Australia, and Singapore, while also introducing features to comply with regulations in Utah and Louisiana in the U.S.
The company notified developers that it’s expanding its “age assurance” tools, including a revised Declared Age Range API now available for beta testing.
These tools enable developers to acquire a user’s age range without accessing their personal information, like their birth date. This technical solution arises as more governments worldwide have established laws to block or restrict apps like social media that are meant for users 18 and older.
In Brazil, for instance, developers can employ the Declared Age Range API to determine the user’s age category, if shared by the user or their parent or guardian.
Moreover, Apple will prevent users in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore from downloading apps rated 18+, starting today, until they verify they are adults. In this scenario, the App Store will automatically perform age confirmation, though developers may have separate compliance requirements to meet.
Additionally, developers with games featuring loot boxes—a gambling-like mechanism allowing players to spend money for a chance at in-game rewards, which lawmakers believe shouldn’t be accessible to kids—will see their apps’ age ratings updated to an 18+ audience in Brazil specifically.
In the U.S., new users in Utah and Louisiana will soon have their age categories shared with developers’ apps via the Declared Age Range API. The company has expanded its tools around age ratings and permissions to fulfill compliance obligations.
“New signals are now available through the Declared Age Range API, including whether age-related regulatory requirements apply to the user and if the user is required to share their age range,” states the Apple blog post. “The API will also indicate if you need to obtain a parent or guardian’s permission for significant app updates for a child.”
Apple sought to comply with similar age-assurance requirements in Texas last October but paused some plans in December, as the state’s law faces court challenges. It also updated its age ratings system last year with more detailed age ranges and added a range of new questions for developers submitting apps for Apple’s review.