(Not sure if this is worldwide or only in some countries)
Updating to iOS 26.4DB2 will put your phone into a parental-restricted mode with adult websites blocked on all browsers, warning prompts every time you try to send or receive an explicit image on a messaging app, and all social media apps blocked on the App Store (in Australia)
The settings to disable this mode are locked off until you verify your age either with a credit card, photo ID, or though information Apple already has (like the age of your account).
I’ve been an apple user my entire adult life but this might finally be the thing that forces me off the platform. Do any other long term apple users have some tips about migrating? I’ve heard Ashai Linux is pretty good on mac hardware these days and I’ve been thinking about GrapheneOS for a while.
Could someone share a non alarmist take here? I have seen posts elsewhere that apple’s “using information we already have to assign you an age-range” is better than other more invasive methods.
I (regrettably) acquiesced when prompted to use this method in order to access health insurance app. Am I cooked? permanent all powerful spyware time?
It’s likely that Apple already has age data on you because they collect all kinds of data including payment details from you. If you use any paid apple service (pay for apps on the app store, pay for music, or cloud services, use the air tags etc), it’s likely they already know your age.
The reason to be worried about this isn’t because now apple has this information, but because of the progression of this information being demanded, shared, and horded by less secure age verification services.
Anyone hoarding personal identifying information is a target for criminal enterprises that want that information.
Apple can be hacked, but you have to evaluate your threat model and what information you’ve already given them, as well as what information is already out there on the internet about you.
Extant information is safer than just uploading an id (which is what the laws want). No one needs to know your birthdate or identity if your account is 18 years old. No one needs to know your birthdate or identity if you have a cc on file (you gotta be an adult to have a credit card and therefore to have credit card on file).
This is the best possible solution, where there isn’t a requirement to upload a scan of a government issued id.
Presumably if there’s a switch to turn it on then there’s also a switch to turn it back off again.
yeah that’s a fair thought. it was more of a push notification than a switch.
i had a cursory look around and didn’t find it but i could ask apple support
Not necessarily. Write once memory, fuses, etc. can make that a one way Street
What if you sell your phone?
I’m not saying that it’s been thought through for this particular use case… Just saying that you can make one way changes