Apple’s expected iOS 26.4 age verification feature is now live in the UK

Apple has released the iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 stable updates, and with them, they’ve also introduced age verification for folks in the UK. Plenty of iPhone and iPad owners are seeing a prompt pop up right after they update and restart their device, asking them to confirm they are over 18. Apple’s own support page backs this up, noting that adults in certain countries now have to verify their age before they can download apps, tweak some settings, or make other changes tied to their Apple Account.

One Reddit user, SuperWeeble, posted about it on r/iphone and described exactly that experience. After installing the update, the prompt hit them, and they found that skipping it basically locked them into stricter content limits. That could mean trouble if it starts blocking 18-rated apps or prevents you from adjusting age-sensitive settings. A bunch of other people jumped into the thread and shared their experiences.

Apple gives a few ways to prove you’re an adult. It can check your existing account details, ask for a credit card, or let you scan a driver’s license or national ID. The company is clear that debit cards, passports, and gift cards won’t work for this step, at least not in the usual process.

As expected, some people aren’t happy with this. Several Redditors complained they only keep debit cards on hand, while others said scanning their ID took multiple frustrating attempts before it finally went through.

It’s not just for iPhone users either. The same age verification process is live for iPads too, with iPadOS 26.4 in the UK, as highlighted by user screthebag in a post on r/applesucks.

On the privacy side, Apple says it might also look at how long you’ve had your account or whether a credit card is already linked to it as extra signals that you’re old enough. And it promises that any credit card or ID info you share won’t be saved unless you specifically choose to keep it for something else, like setting up payments later.

None of this came as a total shock. Reports from the iOS 26.4 beta testing phase had already hinted that UK age checks were on the way, even though Apple had called an early test prompt an accident. We’ve also seen signs that the same system is starting to limit access to certain websites for UK users.

Even though the whole premise is to protect kids, a lot of chatter around age verification on iOS 26.4 for folks in the UK is mostly negative. Some say they won’t even install the update until Apple sorts this out.

Another thing to note is that this age verification feature is likely also rolling out in Australia. But we aren’t seeing many reports from users in the region yet.

Will you be installing the update on your devices? Let us know in the comments below.

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