What you need to know about age assurance changes in the App Store, and what it means for your mobile product

From how user age is verified, to managing parental consent, to shifting burdens of responsibility between platforms and app developers; there’s a lot to unpack.

With changes already underway and further enforcement milestones approaching in 2026, organisations with an app available in the US App and Play Stores need to understand what’s changing, what action is required and the potential impact of inaction. 

What’s driving the change

Several US states have introduced legislation designed to strengthen protections for children online. Laws such as Texas SB2420 and Utah’s App Store Accountability Act will place new obligations on app marketplaces to verify user age and manage parental consent for children.

These new regulations are still evolving and have yet to come into full effect, with each state taking its own approach, but Apple and Google are considering these laws alongside wider privacy policies and are aiming to stay ahead of the curve. 

It’s also worth noting that on a wider global level, child protection acts such as the UK's Online Safety Act and the recent headline-grabbing Under-16 Social Media Ban in Australia also signal shifts that may soon impact apps in these regions.

If your product is available in multiple countries and regions, acting now may keep you ahead of these changing global regulations.

In response to changes in the US, Apple has updated how age ratings work on the App Store and is introducing system-level support for age assurance. This includes:

• More granular age-rating categories

• Platform-level age range signals shared with apps

• Support for parental consent workflows where required

While Apple and Google are handling age verification at the store level, individual apps are still responsible for how they respond to age and consent signals, with age range and consent information needing to be readily available on request from the moment a user opens an app. This is where brands and product teams need to act.

Why this matters for brands and businesses

1. Age assurance isn't just for kids...

These changes aren’t solely focused on apps designed for kids, they’re for any app which:

• Includes social features or user-generated content

• Enables communication between users

• Offers in-app purchases or subscriptions

• Contains content unsuitable for certain age groups which may be affected

Even apps aimed primarily at adults must be able to correctly handle users under 18, if the platform identifies them as such.

2. App onboarding and UX flows may need to change

The new approach means apps can receive age-range information and parental consent status directly from the operating system. Brands must ensure their onboarding, registration, and feature-access flows respect this information.

This may require:

• Conditional onboarding paths based on age range

• Feature gating for children

• Adjusted purchase flows when parental consent is required

• Clear, compliant messaging for users and parents

Apps that ignore or override these signals risk non-compliance during App or Play Store review.

3. Increased risk of App Store rejection or removal

Failure to align your app’s behaviour with declared age ratings and platform age signals could lead to:

• App update rejections

• Delays to releases

• Complete removal from the U.S. Store

As Apple and Google tighten enforcement, age assurance will increasingly be treated as a baseline requirement, in the same way as privacy and data protection. 

4. Legal and reputational exposure is growing

While Apple and Google aim to minimise the collection of sensitive personal data, developers remain responsible for:

• Applying age restrictions correctly

• Respecting parental consent requirements

• Ensuring content and features align with age declarations

Non-compliance could expose businesses to regulatory scrutiny under state law, as well as reputational damage if users or parents feel safeguards are inadequate.

What brands should be doing now

1. Audit your current age-related assumptions

Many apps rely on implicit assumptions about their audience. Now is the time to challenge those assumptions by reviewing:

• Your App Store age rating and content declarations

• Whether age is collected, inferred, or ignored in-app

• How age-restricted features are currently enforced

If your app cannot adapt its behaviour based on age signals, it is likely not ready for the new requirements.

2. Review feature-level risk, not just content

Age assurance goes beyond obvious content restrictions. Brands should examine:

• Messaging and social features

• Discovery and recommendation algorithms

• Commerce and subscription journeys

• Data collection and sharing practices

Any feature that could present risk to children may need additional controls or safeguards.

3. Plan for platform-level integration

Apple’s declared age range and consent signals need to be treated as first-class inputs into your product logic. This often requires:

• Updates to app architecture

• UX and UI refinements

• Backend support for consent-state handling

• Cross-functional collaboration between product, legal, and engineering teams

Leaving this work too late increases the risk of rushed, fragile implementations and increased friction.

How Apadmi helps clients stay compliant and confident

At Apadmi, we work with brands to navigate platform change without compromising product quality or user experience. 

We conduct compliance-focused product audits to assess how your app currently handles age, consent, and restricted features to identify gaps between existing behaviour and emerging App Store requirements.

Our mobile experts also help clients integrate Apple’s age-assurance mechanisms, ensuring platform age signals are correctly interpreted, UX flows adapt appropriately and consent states are respected across devices and sessions. We ensure these are introduced without unnecessary friction for users.

Rather than applying blanket restrictions, we help brands take a risk-based approach, aligning safeguards with real product risks while preserving commercial outcomes.

Age assurance regulation in the US is still evolving, with current deadlines looking to be set for June, but with state-specific regulations constantly changing. We provide ongoing support to help clients:

• Monitor new state or federal developments

• Prepare for future platform changes

• Maintain compliance as their apps scale and evolve

Age assurance is a strategic product concern; it has direct implications for product design, user trust, and long-term platform viability.

Brands that act early will be better positioned to adapt smoothly, protect their users, and avoid costly disruption. Those that delay risk enforcement action, damaged trust, and lost momentum.

If you’d like to understand how to prepare your app for the upcoming age-assurance changes, get in touch.