Apple is launching new tools to comply with the growing number of age-verification laws in the U.S. and abroad. As part of these changes, Apple will block the downloads of apps rated 18+ in Brazil, Australia, and Singapore. The company is also rolling out other features to comply with laws in Utah and Louisiana.
Apple informed developers on Tuesday that it is expanding its set of “age assurance” tools. This includes an updated Declared Age Range API, now available for beta testing. These tools allow developers to obtain a user’s age range without accessing personal information like their date of birth. The need for this technical solution arises as more governments create laws to block or restrict certain apps, like social media, to adults 18 and up.
In Brazil, developers can use the Declared Age Range API to obtain a user’s age category, if the user or their guardian chooses to share it. Additionally, Apple will block users in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore from downloading apps rated 18+, starting today, until they confirm they are adults. The App Store will perform this age confirmation automatically, though developers may still have separate compliance requirements.
Also in Brazil, developers whose games contain loot boxes will see their apps’ age ratings updated to reflect an 18+ audience. Loot boxes are a gambling-like mechanism that lets players spend money for random in-game rewards, which lawmakers believe should not be available to children.
In the U.S., new users in Utah and Louisiana will soon have their age categories shared with developers’ apps through the Declared Age Range API. Apple stated it has expanded its other tools around age ratings and permissions to meet compliance obligations.
New signals are now available through the API, including whether age-related regulatory requirements apply to the user and if the user is required to share their age range. The API will also inform developers if they need to get a parent or guardian’s permission for significant app updates for a child.
Apple last October worked to comply with similar age-assurance requirements in Texas but put some plans on hold in December as the state’s law is being challenged in court. The company also updated its age ratings system last year with more granular age ranges and added new questions for developers submitting apps for review.