Apple is rolling out a wider set of age-verification and age-assurance tools across its platforms, moving to align with a growing patchwork of child safety and age-restriction laws in the U.S. and around the world.
The company has notified developers that it is expanding its “age assurance” features, including an updated Declared Age Range API that is now available for beta testing. These tools are designed to let apps know a user’s age category without exposing specific personal details like a full date of birth.
One of the most immediate changes affects how adults-only apps are distributed in certain markets. Apple will now block users in Australia, Brazil and Singapore from downloading apps rated 18+ unless they confirm they are adults. The age confirmation process will be handled automatically by the App Store, though Apple notes that developers in those regions may still face additional compliance steps under local law.
In Brazil specifically, the new rules go a step further for games that include loot boxes a mechanic that lets players spend money for a chance at random in-game rewards and that lawmakers increasingly see as inappropriate for children. Developers whose titles use loot boxes will have their App Store age rating updated to 18+ for Brazilian users.
Beyond download blocks, Apple is enabling developers in Brazil to take advantage of the Declared Age Range API. If a user or a parent or guardian on their behalf chooses to share an age category, an app can receive that age range without gaining access to more sensitive personal data. That approach is meant to help developers comply with local rules that restrict certain services, particularly social apps, to users 18 and older.
In the U.S., Apple is also responding to state-level age-assurance laws. New users in Utah and Louisiana will soon have their age categories shared with apps via the Declared Age Range API. Apple says it has expanded its tools around age ratings and permissions to meet its obligations in these states.
The company outlined several new “signals” that developers will be able to access through the updated API:
- Whether age-related regulatory requirements apply to a given user.
- Whether the user is required to share their age range.
- Whether a parent or guardian’s permission is needed for “significant app updates” when the user is a child.
These signals are intended to help app makers react programmatically to differing legal standards, such as when to request parental consent or when to restrict access to certain features for underage users.
Apple has already been adjusting its systems in response to similar laws. The company previously moved to comply with age-assurance rules in Texas last October but later paused some of those efforts in December as that state’s law became the subject of a court challenge. Separately, Apple updated its overall age ratings system last year, adding more granular age bands and introducing new questions for developers during app review to better capture how their apps should be classified.
By expanding its age-verification infrastructure globally and tying it directly into App Store ratings and permissions, Apple is positioning its tools as a way for developers to navigate increasingly complex regulatory demands without directly handling sensitive identifying data.