Apple introduces mandatory age verification for Texas users

Apple began enforcing mandatory age verification for new Apple accounts in Texas on June 4, after a federal appeals court overturned an earlier ruling that had blocked the state's App Store Accountability Act from taking effect.

The reversal came when a federal appeals court overturned Pitman's decision in late May 2026, allowing the law to proceed. Apple moved to comply within days, launching the verification requirement on June 4.

What does Texas's SB 2420 require?

Under Texas law, when setting up a new Apple account, you must be 18 or older. If you can't meet that age requirement, you have to join a Family Sharing group, where your parent or guardian will need to okay app downloads, in-app purchases, and big changes to settings.

Parents in this set-up can change their minds anytime and remove that permission. When they do, the App Store lets affected developers know through a server notification.

It's not just families handling this; developers in Texas now need to follow these rules too. They have to use Apple's Declared Age Range API to figure out a user’s age group and make sure their apps are suitable for that age.

The law, SB 2420, had an initial start date of January 1, 2026, but US District Judge Robert Pitman put the brakes on it, saying it was probably unconstitutional. As soon as he made that ruling, both Apple and Google said they wouldn't make the planned updates to their app stores after all.

The company has continuously opposed age-verification laws for privacy reasons, arguing that making users provide personal info to download even totally harmless apps, like those for weather or sports scores, poses risks that aren’t worth it.

Two months before SB 2420’s January deadline, Apple expressed public concerns, saying they “remain worried” about laws that might compromise user privacy, not just for minors. Their stance hasn’t changed; they’re only complying due to a court order, not because they were convinced.