Apple pauses app store changes in Texas after court blocks age-assurance law
After a federal judge on Tuesday blocked Texas from implementing a new age-verification law for app stores, Apple announced it will pause previously announced plans for the state as it continues to monitor the “ongoing legal process.”
Apple said its previously announced developer tools for age assurance would remain available for testing and use.
The law, SB 2420, or the App Store Accountability Act, would have required app stores, like those run by Apple and Google, to verify user ages and require parental consent for those under 18 to download apps or make purchases. In addition, it would have required the age data be shared with developers.
A judge, citing First Amendment concerns, blocked the law’s enforcement that was set to take effect in January. The ruling was a win for tech giants and a setback to Texas lawmakers, who said the legal fight will continue. The Texas attorney general’s office noted in a court filing that it plans to appeal the decision, a report from Reuters noted.
To comply with the coming law, Apple had announced in October a series of new requirements for apps in Texas, which included all users under the age of 18 would have to join a Family Sharing group, where parents or guardians would provide consent for all App Store downloads, app purchases, and in-app transactions. Parents would be able to revoke their consent for an app at any time.
Apple also said its Declared Age Range API, a technology the company debuted to help it comply with the growing number of age-assurance laws worldwide, would be updated in the months ahead to provide the required age categories for new account users in Texas. Apple had planned to launch new APIs for developers to request parental consent again if their app was significantly updated.
Apple had objected to this law, and similar laws arriving next year in Utah and Louisiana, on the grounds of privacy, not kids’ protection.
“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,” Apple explained in a developer announcement earlier this year.
Apple on Thursday announced other developer tools for complying with new age-assurance laws will remain available for testing, including its Declared Age Range API, Significant Change API under PermissionKit, New age rating property type in StoreKit, and App Store Server Notifications. In addition, the Declared Age Range API is still available worldwide across iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26, and later.
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