Apple and Google reluctantly comply with Texas age verification law

Apple yesterday announced plans to comply with a Texas age verification law and warned that the changes required by the law would reduce the privacy of app users.

“Effective January 1, 2026, a new Texas state law, SB2420, introduces age-guarantee requirements for app marketplaces and developers,” Apple said in a post to developers yesterday. “While we share the goal of strengthening children’s online safety, we are concerned that SB2420 could impact user privacy 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.”

Texas’ App Store Accountability Act requires app stores to verify users’ ages and places restrictions on those under 18. Apple said developers will need to “adopt new features and change behavior within their apps to meet their obligations under the law.”

Apple’s post says similar laws will take effect later in 2026 in Utah and Louisiana. Google also recently announced plans to comply with tri-state laws and said the new requirements reduce user privacy.

“While these new verification laws concern us when it comes to user privacy and trust, Google Play designs APIs, systems, and tools to help you meet your obligations,” Google told developers in an undated message.

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

New Features for Texas

Both Apple and Google announced new features to help developers comply.

“Once this law takes effect, users located in Texas who create a new Apple account will be required to confirm whether they are 18 years or older,” Apple said. “All new Apple accounts for users under 18 will be required to join a Family Sharing group, and parents or guardians will be required to provide consent for all downloads, app purchases, and App Store transactions using Apple’s in-app purchasing system by the minor.”