Apple and Google Reluctantly Comply With Texas Age Verification Law

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Apple yesterday announced a plan to comply with a Texas age verification law and warned that changes required by the law will reduce privacy for app users. 'Beginning January 1, 2026, a new state law in Texas -- SB2420 -- introduces age assurance requirements for app marketplaces and developers,' Apple said yesterday in a post for developers. 'While we share the goal of strengthening kids' online safety, we are concerned that SB2420 impacts the privacy of users by requiring the collection of sensitive, personally identifiable information to download any app, even if a user simply wants to check the weather or sports scores.'

The Texas App Store Accountability Act requires app stores to verify users' ages and imposes restrictions on those under 18. Apple said that developers will have 'to adopt new capabilities and modify behavior within their apps to meet their obligations under the law.' Apple's post noted that similar laws will take effect later in 2026 in Utah and Louisiana. Google also recently announced plans for complying with the three state laws and said the new requirements reduce user privacy. 'While we have user privacy and trust concerns with these new verification laws, Google Play is designing APIs, systems, and tools to help you meet your obligations,' Google told developers in an undated post.

The Utah law is scheduled to take effect May 7, 2026, while the Louisiana law will take effect July 1, 2026. The Texas, Utah, and Louisiana 'laws impose significant new requirements on many apps that may need to provide age appropriate experiences to users in these states,' Google said. 'These requirements include ingesting users' age ranges and parental approval status for significant changes from app stores and notifying app stores of significant changes.'

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