Despite Apple's objections, new App Store users in Texas will soon be subject to age verification, as a new state law is set to take effect on June 4.
In May 2025, the Texas App Store Accountability Act made it mandatory for companies like Apple and Google to verify the ages of their Texas-based users. As the law is set to be enforced starting Thursday, Apple has outlined an update to its App Store rules.
On the Apple Developer website, the company explained that new Apple Accounts in Texas will be subject to "age assurance and parent or guardian consent on behalf of minors under the age of 18 for downloads, Apple In-App Purchases, and significant changes associated with an app."
In practice, this means that anyone who wants to create an Apple Account in Texas must verify that they are 18 or older. Those under 18 will need to join a Family Sharing group, and parents will be able to revoke access to previously approved App Store apps.
App developers will be required to use the Declared Age Range API to determine the age of an Apple Account user.
When "significant changes" are made to an app, developers will have to use the Significant Change API, under the PermissionKit framework, to inform parents or guardians. The company added that "it's the developer's responsibility to determine when there's a significant change to their app."
Texas's App Store Accountability Act and a similar bill in Utah are part of a broader push by state legislatures to regulate tech companies in the absence of federal action. They could become a model for similar efforts across the United States, and companies like Apple and Google are aware of this.
Apple itself has made its stance on the matter of age verification clear since the beginning of this situation.
Apple's views on age verification & how we got here
Even before the Texas App Store Accountability Act was signed into law in May 2025, Apple tried to argue against it. These efforts even included a phone call from Apple CEO Tim Cook to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, which obviously led nowhere.
The new law will affect Apple Account users and App Store users.
Apple also deployed six lobbyists in Texas and funded local advertising campaigns, which claimed the bill was "backed by porn websites," among other things.
The company argued the Texas App Store Accountability Act would force it to collect and store sensitive personal data, such as government IDs or other identifying information, from all users, not just children.
As its lobbying and advertising efforts proved unsuccessful, Apple ultimately detailed the changes it would have to make to comply with the Texas age verification law. At the time, the law itself was supposed to take effect on January 1, 2026.
However, in December 2025, Texas Federal Judge Robert Pitman prevented the age verification law from coming into force in the state. He did so via a preliminary injunction.
Judge Pitman criticized the law by saying it would be like requiring bookstores to verify the age of all customers before gaining entry, and requiring parental consent whenever minors want to purchase a book.
The December 2025 injunction against the Texas App Store Accountability Act proved short-lived, though. On June 1, 2026, the preliminary injunction was temporarily stayed by the Fifth Circuit, though a permanent stay has not been granted.
There's always a chance the courts will strike down the Texas age verification law, and its future is not set in stone. Until then, however, app developers and App Store users in Texas alike are bound by the state's age assurance requirements.
