Overview
- Apple, which released iOS 26.4 on Tuesday, now prompts UK users to confirm they are 18 or older before using certain services or making specific account changes.
- Users can verify with a credit card or an accepted ID, and Apple may auto‑confirm based on payment history or account age, while unverified accounts get web filters and nudity warnings switched on.
- UK regulator Ofcom called the rollout a win for child safety even though the Online Safety Act does not cover operating systems, and it is weighing an expansion with a report due in January 2027.
- Early reports from Apple Support forums and Reddit describe failed checks and confusion over documents, with credit cards and driving licences working but debit cards and passports often rejected and some users stuck with restricted devices.
- Privacy group Big Brother Watch criticized the device-level checks as coercive, and Apple has introduced similar requirements in South Korea, pointing to a broader industry shift toward OS-level age signals.