Apple Imposes Mandatory Age Verification for Texas Gamers, Effective Today

In compliance with the recently lifted injunction on the Texas Age Assurance Law (SB 2420), Apple has announced that it will commence enforcing stringent age-verification and parental-consent measures for new accounts created in Texas, effective today, June 4th. This decision is set to impact minors under the age of 18 who wish to download apps or make in-app purchases.

Initially expressing privacy concerns regarding this legislation, Apple is now obligated to comply with the law. To ensure compliance, Apple will employ several APIs, including the Declared Age Range API, which will determine the specific age bracket of users (Under 13, 13-15, 16-17, or 18+), and a verification method. The Significant Change API (PermissionKit) will prompt a system dialog for parental consent if an app undergoes a major update or experiences a shift in age rating.

A new property type has been introduced in StoreKit, enabling developers to automatically check for changes in their app’s age rating on users’ devices. This feature can then trigger the Significant Change API to request parental consent. Lastly, App Store Server Notifications can be configured to alert developers when a parent revokes consent, thereby preventing app launches.

In a bid to enhance user privacy and security, Apple has introduced new App Tracking Transparency (ATT) guidelines for iOS 14.5. Developers are advised to promptly utilize Apple’s sandbox testing environment to verify these APIs in their applications. This move is aimed at ensuring apps are prepared for the changes that will be rolled out with the upcoming iOS version.

The new guidelines require developers to seek explicit user consent before tracking them across other apps or websites. This shift towards increased transparency and control over data privacy is a significant development in the mobile gaming industry, as it could potentially alter the way developers monetize their games.

The impact of these changes on the gaming industry is yet to be fully realized, but it’s clear that developers will need to adapt quickly to ensure their apps remain compliant and competitive in the evolving digital landscape.