Apple is putting its Texas compliance plans on hold after a federal judge blocked the state’s new app store age verification law, a measure that would have reshaped how people download apps and make purchases on iPhone and Android devices.
The law, known as SB2420 or the App Store Accountability Act, was designed to require major app marketplaces to verify every user’s age. For anyone under 18, it would have mandated parental consent before downloading apps or making purchases, including in-app transactions. The proposal also went a step further by requiring that age-related information be shared with app developers, a provision that drew significant attention in the debate over privacy and child safety.
This week, a federal judge halted enforcement of SB2420, citing First Amendment concerns. The law had been scheduled to take effect in January, but the court’s decision prevents it from moving forward for now. Texas officials have indicated the legal fight isn’t over, and the state attorney general’s office has said it plans to appeal, meaning the rules could resurface depending on what happens next in court.
In response to the ruling, Apple said it will pause the changes it previously announced for Texas while it tracks the “ongoing legal process.” However, the company also confirmed that its developer-facing tools built around age assurance will remain available for testing and use.
Before the injunction, Apple had laid out a set of Texas-specific App Store requirements aimed at aligning with the upcoming law. The plan included requiring all users under 18 to be placed into a Family Sharing group, where a parent or guardian would approve App Store downloads, app purchases, and in-app spending. Parents would also have the ability to revoke permission for an app at any time, creating a more centralized parental approval system tied to the Apple ecosystem.
Apple also planned updates to its Declared Age Range API, technology introduced as the company prepares for a growing wave of age assurance regulations worldwide. Those updates would have supported new age categories for newly created accounts in Texas, and Apple also intended to release additional developer tools that could request renewed parental consent if an app went through a significant update.
Even while emphasizing that it supports the goal of improving online safety for children, Apple has pushed back against laws like SB2420 on privacy grounds. The company’s concern is that broad age verification mandates can force the collection of sensitive personally identifiable information for all users, even in cases where someone simply wants to download a basic, low-risk app such as a weather or sports app.
Although the Texas rollout is now paused, Apple says its age assurance-related developer tools remain available. These include the Declared Age Range API, the Significant Change API under PermissionKit, a new age rating property type in StoreKit, and App Store Server Notifications. Apple also noted that the Declared Age Range API continues to be available worldwide across iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26, and later.
For now, the Texas app store age verification law is effectively frozen, but the broader issue is far from settled. With appeals expected and similar laws on the horizon in other states, app store age verification, parental consent requirements, and user privacy protections are likely to remain at the center of the conversation in 2025.
