As global regulations around online safety tighten, Apple has announced new age verification and age assurance updates for the App Store in select regions. In an official blog post, the company said it is “providing an update on the tools available for developers to meet their age assurance obligations under upcoming US and regional laws.”
The changes apply to select regions, including Brazil, Australia, Singapore, and the US states of Utah and Louisiana. Apple is also expanding its age assurance tools to help developers meet these requirements. This includes an updated Declared Age Range API, now available in beta.
For developers distributing apps in Brazil, Apple said they can use the updated Declared Age Range API to receive a user’s age category. This information will only be shared if the user, a parent, or a guardian agrees to share it. The API will also return a signal from the user’s device showing the method used for age assurance, helping developers understand how the age was verified.
Apple also clarified that if a developer identifies their app as containing loot boxes in the age rating questionnaire, the app’s rating on the Brazil storefront will automatically be updated to 18+.
Starting February 24, 2026, Apple will block users in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore from downloading apps rated 18+ unless they are confirmed to be adults through reasonable methods. According to Apple, “The App Store will perform this confirmation automatically.” The company added that developers may still have separate legal obligations to independently verify that their users are adults.
The Declared Age Range API will be available on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, giving developers an additional signal about a user’s age category.
Apple is also expanding age-sharing tools in the US. For users with new Apple Accounts in Utah starting May 6, 2026, and in Louisiana starting July 1, 2026, age categories will be shared with a developer’s app when requested through the Declared Age Range API.
To support compliance, Apple has expanded previously announced tools. These include the Declared Age Range API, the Significant Change API under PermissionKit, a new age rating property type in StoreKit, and App Store Server Notifications. New signals will indicate whether age-related rules apply to a user and whether age sharing is required. The API will also notify developers if parental permission is needed before releasing significant updates to a child’s app.
Developers can also use the Significant Update Action, now in beta, to notify adults about major app updates. Apple said developers must follow Human Interface Guidelines and provide a meaningful update description.
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