Apple Activates App Store Age Verification in Texas

Starting Thursday, June 4th, Apple is introducing age verification requirements in the App Store for anyone in Texas creating a new account. The timing follows a federal appeals court decision that permitted the state's App Store Accountability Act to take effect during an ongoing constitutional challenge, as first noted by MacRumors.

Texas residents must verify their age when creating new Apple accounts. New account holders will reportedly need to confirm they are over 18 by submitting a credit card or government ID. The company may also automatically determine eligibility based on how long the account has existed and whether a credit card is already linked.

Users under 18 must join a Family Sharing group. Those who have not cleared the age check will need to become part of a Family Sharing group so that a parent or guardian can approve app downloads and in-app purchases.

Developers face new rules for underage users. App makers are required to deliver suitable experiences for anyone under 18 and may rely on Apple's Declared Age Range API to determine a user's approximate age bracket.

Apple is implementing age checks in multiple locations. Although the company has resisted mandatory age verification at the app-store level, it has disclosed plans to add such measures in order to meet regulations in Utah, Louisiana, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, and the UK. Google must also update the Play Store in comparable ways and is releasing its own age-checking tools for developers.

The Texas law cleared a recent court hurdle. A judge blocked the App Store Accountability Act (SB 2420) from enforcement last December, but an appeals court has since overturned that ruling while the constitutionality case continues.

Federal legislation could expand the requirements nationwide. A similar federal bill bearing the same name continues to advance in Congress and, if passed, would require age verification across app stores throughout the United States.