Move follows government pressure on smartphone makers to do more to protect children online.
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Apple begins age checks in the UK with latest iOS update
- Thread starter JournalBot
- Start date
As I posted in the other thread, I can confirm that if your Apple ID is beyond a certain age it'll probably work. Mine did, and mine dates back to the iPhone 3GS era (possibly before).
It's still a nonsense, mind.
It's still a nonsense, mind.
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Luckily I got a message upon starting the process to say my Apple account was old enough not to need ID or CC verification 
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Except security updates so your devices aren't increasingly trivially vulnerable.
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I really, really hate this push of further taking control away from the owners of devices about what their actual function is.
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ubercurmudgeon
Ars Tribunus Militum
So... is this coming to macOS in about a year's time? That's the usual time lag for "features" they want to roll out across all their platforms.
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I'm surprised it hasn't made an appearance on macOS. What content can you view on a phone that you can't on a computer?
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Just a heads-up, the equivalent laws in a few US states, such as NY, fail to take into account open source OSs and by law send all the data to private company clearing houses run by Meta. The lobbyists are all Meta funded, naturally. It's a cash grab.
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(a) Present your ID or (b) have your data checked even more. Eh... okay... eenie meenie miny moe...
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Driving license.
Passport.
NOT SATISFIED! NEED MORE!
Size of your boxers.
Nutsack circumference.
Circumcision status.
Do you love Donald John Trump?
Passport.
NOT SATISFIED! NEED MORE!
Size of your boxers.
Nutsack circumference.
Circumcision status.
Do you love Donald John Trump?
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I don't think it will, although that may be down to just how stupid the UK Government is.
My reasoning here is that iOS is locked down - Apple are, in effect, in complete control of it. Therefore they are ultimately responsible for how it is used.
macOS isn't locked down, so Apple aren't responsible for the software running under it. For the same reason (if I'm right, which is a big 'if') I don't think Windows will see this, and quite possibly not Android.
But since the whole 'why' of it is murky, who knows?
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I didn't have any indication and wasn't aware they were doing it with the release, or the public beta for that matter, but I assume that's because I've had an account of some sort for about 25+ years. My partner on the other hand, who's had an account for at least ten years (though no credit card associated with it) got the age prompt after updating but was given the option to log in with Face ID and I'm not entirely sure what I think about that.
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Does this mean a user can't voluntarily be in non-adult mode if their account is of a certain age?
I know a number of adults who don't want any way to ever see explicit content on their phone. For them, refusing to show an ID means enabling a feature they want; win-win. Having account age automatically bypass it means they can't do that.
(Yes, I understand many Arsians wouldn't want this, I'm just saying that a market segment exists that does want it).
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I don't think it's for that. I don't think it acts as a web-content filter. I think it's mostly to do with apps on the App Store that are rated 18+ for whatever reason (and presumably music as well, maybe?)
You raise a good point but, in fairness, it just means iOS keeps on acting the same as it did before.
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The entire purpose of these laws is to tie real identities to all digital accounts and end anonymity on the internet. "Think of the children" is just a pretext (as always).
I wish these articles would be more honest about what is actually going on, and why.
I wish these articles would be more honest about what is actually going on, and why.
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Does this mean a user can't voluntarily be in non-adult mode if their account is of a certain age?
You do realize that "explicit content" isn't even the main officially stated target of this horseshit, right?
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I guess there's no point in switching to Android if (when) this comes to the US. As someone else already mentioned, this has nothing to do with protecting children and everything to do with control. Unless there is a miraculous change of course, I foresee a largely unplugged future for myself.
That said, if this bullshit is inevitable, I have always been a proponent of age verification on-device, rather than per-service. I appreciate that Apple is taking the age of the Apple ID into account, which just makes sense. Now if they could make it so other services could somehow check a yes/no marker on the device rather than requiring more invasive verification, we'd be in relatively good shape. That way, any device on which you are logged into your Apple account can send that yes/no marker toPornhub the service, and you're free to, ahem, browse.
That said, if this bullshit is inevitable, I have always been a proponent of age verification on-device, rather than per-service. I appreciate that Apple is taking the age of the Apple ID into account, which just makes sense. Now if they could make it so other services could somehow check a yes/no marker on the device rather than requiring more invasive verification, we'd be in relatively good shape. That way, any device on which you are logged into your Apple account can send that yes/no marker to
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Good point about the music -- there are so many modern songs rated Explicit for language. (Some genres naturally use more 'R-rated' language than others.) If they are going to use the user's age to restrict music access, I guess 'radio edits' are going to get way more popular.
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I updated to 26.4 just to see what would happen.
And not a huge amount.
I’ve had my account since before the 3G was released, it is also the organiser for the family account. So it is a reasonable assumption that I am older than dirt.
In my profile though I get to choose if I share my fossil status at least for apps.
I was not asked to verify a thing.
And not a huge amount.
I’ve had my account since before the 3G was released, it is also the organiser for the family account. So it is a reasonable assumption that I am older than dirt.
In my profile though I get to choose if I share my fossil status at least for apps.
I was not asked to verify a thing.
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I hate to break it to you, but this is already confirmed to be coming to ALL operating systems (that wish to operate in California, Colorado and Brazil - see California (AB-1043)).
From January 1st 2027, OSs will need to provide what is essentially a signed yes or no to the user being over 18 to websites and applications running on the device that require age verification. It starts off basically using the honour system of a user saying yes or no when prompted by the OS, but this of course paves the way to mandatory verification via Government IDs. Other jurisdictions will inevitably follow and this will become the norm.
This shift of responsibility from the application/website on to the OS is of course lobbied for by Meta as they want to avoid all legal responsibility and costs. They can just say hey we were told by the OS that this user was over 18 we can't get in trouble.
See also the surrounding controversy to do with systemd for Linux, and the rise of 'rebel' distros that have vowed to not enforce age verification. We'll see how that turns out once California issues them with the $7,500 fine per child that was allowed access to 18+ content.
Scary times ahead.
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Probably the most sensible approach to these moronic age verification laws.
Hopefully Steam can do the same when the Man comes knocking.
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According to this post on Reddit it is a web content filter. The downside of every web browser on iOS needing to be webkit based.
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I'm on iOS 26.3.1 (a) and got the same age range confirmation request when I clicked on my profile just to check if I'd set a date of birth when I set up the account.
The account is old so I may have avoided any additional checks.
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if that's the case, it has certainly failed with apple. would have thought the whole point of this is that all other sites and apps will know you are 18+ and nothing else because apple says you are.
apple knows you are 18+ because your credit card issuer says you are (assuming that card is actually yours), which they already do if you use same card in apple pay/wallet already anyway, or your id says you are. though the id but not passport thing sort of sucks since i don't drive and so have no use for driving license and only have my passport as a means of id. aside from credit cards in this case... can't remember if i needed to use my passport to get the credit card since it's been decades, but pretty sure i need passport as id to open bank account nowadays.... especially if it's a bank i don't have an account in.
there is an uk gov app that allows you to use the passport chip to verify your id for certain gov things.. wonder why apple doesn't allow you to verify via your passport that way..
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chaos215bar2
Ars Praefectus
Especially when it isn't even technically mandated.
What does Apple think they're doing here?
They fight tooth and nail when the EU wants them to open up their App Store and other aspects of the platform under terms more fair to third party developers, but then they just volunteer their customers' private data in the UK without even being technically required to do so?
This is the kind of thing that should have customers deeply worried and running for any competitor they can find. It seems we're sliding at light speed into an era where device makers are all too happy to prostrate themselves before governments and fully exercise control of their closed platforms to surveil their customers if only it'll hold off scrutiny of their unethical, monopolistic business practices a little longer.
And I'm confused what even happens if a nude photo is detected in messages, say. The entire point of that feature was supposed to be that it would notify parents of a potential concern when configured to do so as part of a family account. (Without sharing the actual photo, of course.) Are they now notifying the UK government every time a teen or even an adult who doesn't want to give Apple their private information sends a nude photo? That's disturbing on many levels.
What is going on here? This is the kind of behavior that has me questioning whether I ever want to purchase a single Apple product again.
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chaos215bar2
Ars Praefectus
What is California going to do exactly when the license says you're not allowed to download or use the OS in the state?
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chaos215bar2
Ars Praefectus
It is, though.
Apple may give you permission to do as you please, for now, but all the same machinery exists as on iOS since the move to Apple Silicon. It would be extremely easy for Apple to implement exactly these same restrictions on macOS, and to, for instance, block you from even installing an alternative OS unless you have an age-verified user account configured in macOS.
After what's happened here, I would not assume that isn't coming.
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This is insane!
The assumption that you either have a credit card or a driver's license seems very US-centric.
In my case, I'm British with a UK-based Apple account - but I left the country 7 years ago.
I still kept my UK-based account as my main one because switching it to another country is extremely clunky and painful (I'd have to wait until all of the subscriptions linked to this account expire, spend all of the store credit, migrate all of my family members, and most importantly lose access to hundreds of purchased movies / songs / apps that are only available in the UK market).
So after the update to 26.4 I've spent several scary minutes trying to find a way to verify my age: my main ID - my British passport - didn't work, then I discovered that only UK issued credit cards work for this process - so I was out of luck for that as well, and finally my local 'Brexit' (EU article 50) residency permit card worked...
It's great to know that the British government is fully capable of fucking me over even here.
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Oh come on. Most adults using iPhones have an Apple account with a registered credit card, meaning it is already tied to their "real" identify.
I'm not a fan of this age verification non-sense, but lets not start making stuff up.
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Passports are explicitly not supported as ID, with the exception of US government issue digital passports stored in an Apple Wallet.
By all accounts it’s nigh impossible to prove age in the UK unless you have either a credit card, a drivers licence, or an Apple ID that was created more than 18 years ago.
They say that “national ID” is supported, although no such thing exists yet. Presumably that is good news for the government’s goal of getting all UK citizens to use a government controlled digital ID for as many purposes as possible.
By all accounts it’s nigh impossible to prove age in the UK unless you have either a credit card, a drivers licence, or an Apple ID that was created more than 18 years ago.
They say that “national ID” is supported, although no such thing exists yet. Presumably that is good news for the government’s goal of getting all UK citizens to use a government controlled digital ID for as many purposes as possible.
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Outside the US, many people use debit cards and don’t have credit cards because they don’t need a line of credit. People with credit cards may not choose to associate them with their Apple account and use debit instead.
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Parental controls being a component of an OS makes sense, even being forced by law I'd even accept, but forcing everyone into age verification is complete and utter bullshite. Not surprised the UK and Apple are on the forefront of this draconian nightmare.
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Talked to a relative that told me that when they called Apple Support in the UK about this they were given over to an Apple Support site elsewhere in Europe. They were told the number of people calling in because they didn't have the required ID item or refused to provide it was so large it was overloading the Apple call center that normally supports the UK. Apparently the system fails to take in to account the very large number of people in the UK who do not have any one of the 3 acceptable items (Credit Card with UK billing address, UK driving license, UK CitizenCard), none of which are you legally required to have in the UK. Apparently someone just assumed everyone will have one of these and many people do not.
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No, that's just wrong. You do not need to have any type of payment method attached to your Apple account. There is not now and never has been such a requirement. Most people I have talked to that have iPhones are not even aware they have an "Apple Account", which, yes, I personally find odd, but that does seem to be the way it is. And as an aside, even if you want to have a payment method attached to your Apple Account there are arguably better things to use than a credit card. For example, using Apple Gift Cards, purchased at discount at any number of places, as a payment method is a nice way to save some money while also moderating your spending - and if you set things up correctly is can help retain at least some anonymity.
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