Apple has added a selfie option for adults who need to confirm their age on an Apple Account, using an age-estimation model that evaluates images of the user’s face. The option requires iOS or iPadOS 27.2 and is available only in some regions.
Where required by law, Apple’s age confirmation requirements apply to Apple Accounts in Australia, Brazil, Singapore, South Korea, the UK and Texas. Adults in those places must confirm they are 18 or older to create a new Apple Account, use certain services or features, or take certain account actions. Apple lists those actions as including software updates, changes to some safety settings and downloads or purchases of apps rated 18+.
The selfie method is available in Australia, Brazil, Singapore and the UK. Users can also confirm their age with a credit card in their name or by scanning a driver’s license, government-issued ID or passport, with passport scanning offered in Australia, Brazil, Singapore, the UK and Texas. Debit cards and gift cards are not accepted.
To complete the check, users center their face in the frame and capture four angles by slowly moving their head right, left, up and down. Once an adult has confirmed their age, they do not have to confirm again.
Apple says the selfie is analyzed by age-estimation models that run both on the device and on Private Cloud Compute, its cloud processing system, with the results combined on the device. According to Apple, the selfie is not accessible to anyone, including Apple, during the analysis, and it is deleted once the user’s age is confirmed and is not retained in any form.
Apple’s age confirmation is already used by some services. In the UK, Pornhub operator Aylo began restoring access for iPhone users who had confirmed their adult status through Apple’s process, an arrangement whose implementation Ofcom is investigating under the Online Safety Act.
Users who cannot complete the selfie check can use another method. Users who are not adults may need to join a Family Sharing group with an adult who has confirmed their age before downloading apps or changing certain safety settings, and some actions may not be available until they turn 18.
Sources: Apple Support, Apple, 9to5Mac
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
