Apple is launching new tools to comply with the growing number of age verification laws both in the US and abroad. As part of the changes, Apple will block downloads of 18+-rated apps in Brazil, Australia and Singapore, and roll out other features to comply with laws in Utah and Louisiana in the US
The company informed developers on Tuesday that it’s expanding its suite of “age assurance” tools, including an updated Declared Age Range API that’s now available for beta testing.
These tools allow developers to obtain a user’s age range without accessing the user’s personal information, such as their date of birth. The need for a technical solution like this has arisen as more governments around the world have created laws to block or restrict certain applications such as social media that can only be used by adults 18 and older.
In Brazil, for example, developers can use the Declared Age Range API to get the user’s age range if the user or their parent or guardian chooses to share it.
In addition, Apple will block users in Australia, Brazil and Singapore from downloading 18+ rated apps, starting today, until they confirm they are adults. In this case, the App Store will automatically perform age verification, but Apple notes that developers may still have separate compliance requirements to meet.
Also, developers whose games contain loot boxes — a gambling-like mechanism that allows players to spend money for a random chance at in-game rewards that lawmakers believe should not be available to children — will see their apps’ age ratings updated to reflect an over-18 audience in Brazil.
In the US, new users in Utah and Louisiana will soon share their age ranges with their developer apps via the Declared Age Range API. The company said it has expanded its other tools around age ratings and licenses to meet its compliance obligations.
“New signals are now available through the Declared Age Range API, including whether the user is subject to age-related regulatory requirements and whether the user must share their age range,” Apple’s blog post says. “The API will also let you know if you need to get a parent or guardian’s permission for important app updates for a child.”
Apple last October worked to comply with similar age verification requirements in Texas, but put some of its plans on hold in December as the state law was fought in court. Also updated the age grading system last year with more detailed age ranges than before and added a variety of new questions for developers submitting apps to Apple for review.
