Apple is launching new tools to comply with the growing number of age verification laws in the US and abroad. As part of the changes, Apple will block downloads of 18+-rated apps in Brazil, Australia and Singapore, while introducing additional features to comply with laws in the US states of Utah and Louisiana.
The company informed developers on Tuesday that it is expanding its “age assurance” toolset, including an updated API for declared age ranges, which is now available for beta testing.
These tools allow developers to obtain a user’s age group without accessing the user’s personal information such as their date of birth. The need for a technical solution like this arose when multiple governments around the world created laws to block or restrict certain applications, such as social media, that only adults over 18 can use.
For example, in Brazil, developers can use the Declared Age Range API to get a user’s age range if the user or their parent or guardian chooses to share it.
Additionally, starting today, Apple will block users in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore from downloading 18+-rated apps until they verify that they are adults. In this case, the App Store will perform age verification automatically, but Apple notes that developers may still have separate compliance requirements to meet.
Developers whose games include 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 have their apps’ age ratings updated to reflect Brazil’s 18-plus audience in particular.
In the US, new users in Utah and Louisiana will soon have their age ranges shared with their developer apps via the Declared Age Range API. The company said it has expanded its other age rating and authorization tools to meet its compliance obligations.
“New signals are now available through the Declared Age Range API, including whether a user is subject to age-related regulatory requirements and whether a user is required to share their age range,” Apple said in a blog post. “The API will also let you know if you need to get permission from a parent or guardian for major app updates for a child.”
Apple last October worked to comply with similar old-age insurance requirements in Texas, but put some of its plans on hold in December as the state law is being fought in court. It also updated its age rating system last year with more detailed age ranges than before and added a series of new questions for developers who submit apps to Apple for review.