Apple, like many others, has had to launch age verification features in response to new age verification requirements in many regions, and on Tuesday the company announced new details about its tools that developers can use to “meet their age obligations under upcoming US and regional laws, including Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Utah and Louisiana.”
One of the big updates is that users in Australia, Brazil and Singapore can’t download 18+ rated apps unless their age has been verified by “reasonable methods” that the App Store can confirm automatically. Apple notes that developers may still have a “separate obligation to independently verify that their users are adults,” and can help by using Apple’s Declared Age Range API, which was introduced last year to allow app developers to request information about a user’s age range.
In addition, Apple says that for new Apple Account users in Utah starting May 6 and Louisiana starting July 1, “age ranges will be shared with a developer’s app when requested by the Declared Age Range API.”
Developers also have “new signals” 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 says. “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.”