Today, we’re releasing more details about the tools we’re making available to developers to help them meet their compliance obligations under upcoming US state laws, including SB2420 in Texas. While we provide these tools to help developers navigate the evolving legal landscape, Apple remains concerned about the potential implications of laws like SB2420 in Texas. Specifically, we worry that they could undermine the privacy of all users by requiring the collection of sensitive personal information just to download an app – even those that provide simple weather forecasts or sports scores.
Starting January 1, 2026, new Apple accounts in Texas will be subject to new requirements. This includes age verification and parental or guardian consent on behalf of minors under the age of 18 for downloads, purchases and significant changes associated with an app. Parents or guardians can also withdraw their consent for any app they have previously approved.
To meet their obligations under the law, developers may need to adopt new capabilities to obtain age information, trigger consent for a significant change, and learn when a parent or guardian revokes their permission for a child or teenager to use their app. Developers can use the following APIs available in the beta versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 to help them meet their obligations. Sandbox testing is also available to test the user experience when implementing these APIs to comply with Texas State law.
Age category information
Developers can use the updated Declared Age Range API to get a user’s age range, which is defined by Texas state law as under 13, 13-15, 16-17 or over 18. Age ranges for users with new Apple accounts in Texas starting January 1, 2026, will be shared with a developer’s app when they share the app. The API will also return a signal from the user’s device about the method of age verification, such as credit card or government ID, and if consent is required if there is a significant change to an app.
Obtain consent for significant changes
Certain types of changes to an app can be considered significant changes under age insurance laws, such as Texas SB2420. It is the developer’s responsibility to determine when there is a significant change to their app.
If a developer determines that they have made a significant change to their app, they must use the Significant Change API under the PermissionKit framework to request the parent or guardian’s consent for the child or teen to continue using the app or new features within the app. When the API is called, the child or teenage user will see a system dialog asking for parental consent and developers can restrict access until consent is obtained.
Texas state law considers a change in the age rating of an app to be a significant change, and developers should keep their age rating selection current in App Store Connect. When a developer updates the app’s age rating, the rating will be updated on all user devices when the version is live. Developers can use a new property type in StoreKit to automatically check if their app’s age rating has changed on a user’s device and then use the Significant Change API to request parental consent.
App consent withdrawal
A parent or guardian in Texas can revoke consent for any app that blocks the launch of the app on the child or teen’s device. The App Store will provide a notification server that developers can configure to receive notifications that a parent or guardian has revoked consent for their app on a child or teen’s device.
Sandbox testing
Sandbox testing is now available for the Declared Age Range API and Significant Change API in the beta versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2.
Next step
- Review documentation and implement the following:
- Use Apple’s sandbox testing environment to validate that the APIs have been implemented correctly.
- When the release candidates of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 are available, submit your apps to App Store Connect so that users can update their devices with your updated apps with the client releases.
- Stay tuned for additional communication about upcoming tools to help developers meet the upcoming legal obligations in Utah, Louisiana and Brazil.