According to MacRumors, Apple has announced changes to Texas users and developers in accordance with the APP Store accountability law (SB2420).
From January 1, 2026, Texas Apple users will have to establish their age (18 years old or more) when creating an account. The accounts created by young users from the age of 18 will be obliged to join the joint family use group, and parents will have to consent to all the downloads of the App Store, the purchases of the appendix and transactions within the application.
Developers will also be obliged to change their applications to suit the law. To help developers, Apple plans to update the announced age range API to provide the age categories required for new Texas users. Apple also develops APIs that will allow the system to re-agree. Parents will also be able to cancel the previous consent, thus hindering the use of the appendix by minors.
Apple used to oppose the requirements of age inspection in Texas, as well as in Utah and Louisiana, citing the need to collect data to determine the age of the user. The company claims that SB2420 will make users provide personal information to download any app, even if they just want to check the weather or sports accounts.
Although it is a common goal to raise children's online security, Apple is concerned that the SB2420 affects the privacy of users, demanding the collection of sensitive personal information to download any app.
SB2420 requires that the app store platforms use "Commercial Reasonable Test Method" to determine the age of the user when creating an account. Texas law does not specify what is considered a commercially reasonable inspection method, and Apple has not yet mentioned how the age test will be carried out.
Translation of: Euromedia24.com
