Mastodawn

Well this is the first time I think I’ve been genuinely bloody livid about an update because of iOS 26.4.

I don’t do credit cards, only debit, which is common enough in the UK, and none of the cards I input were enough to prove I’m over 18, despite the fact I purchased the damn phone, it’s tied to my Apple ID which has my birthdate, and since we don’t have ID cards and I don’t drive, my one method of verification (that being my passport) was not accepted.

As a result I cannot change some settings on the phone I spent my own money on….. What the actual hell is this utter fucking bullshit? Age verification laws strike again. Fan fucking tastic.

Andre Louis 21h ago

I'm definitely not the only one with this problem. Here's an entire page of people with the same iOS 26.4 issue. Some passed it, but many did not: https://www.resetera.com/threads/psa-ios-26-4-introduces-os-level-age-verification-in-the-uk.1472083/

PSA: iOS 26.4 introduces OS level age verification in the UK

iOS 26.4 just went live and I was surprised to see an age verification prompt at boot-up. It was automatic for me because of how long I’ve had my Apple account, but if that doesn’t apply to you then you will need a credit card (or a face scan?) to prove you are 18.

ResetEra

Alex Chapman 21h ago

@FreakyFwoof I entered my credit card info and got through it thankfully.

Chloe Hodges 21h ago

@alexchapman @FreakyFwoof I’m not on 26.4 yet, but will let you know if I do end up updating to said version

Kara Goldfinch 14h ago

@FreakyFwoof Yep, as I thought I can't complete it either.

Steve gibbs 13h ago

@FreakyFwoof @KaraLG84 where do you check if your age verified?

Andre Louis 13h ago

@KaraLG84 That is some serious bullshit. I'm on a family account, I'm listed as a guardian for frig sake. Isn't that enough? I didn't have kids as a 5 year old...

Stephanie Appleby 13h ago

@FreakyFwoof @KaraLG84 Woe! Wait! What? Um? Confused! Wtfh is Apple trying to do? Wtfh are they thinking? How old do they want you to be before they fucking allow stuff like that? 4000000,4000,400,40 years old? Total bullshit!

David Cohen 11h ago

@cub80_appleby @FreakyFwoof @KaraLG84 Don’t blame Apple, blame the UK Government. It is their law.

Pratik Patel 13h ago

@FreakyFwoof @KaraLG84 The whole ID thing is ridiculous. I'm wondering if someone at Apple managed to slow-walk the whole thing so that there would be public pressure. They didn't get the whole public relations disaster thing.

Mark Ellis 11h ago

@FreakyFwoof yeah, its a heap of crap to say the least, I also tried entering my debit card manually. If this is what apple are going to now resort to, then, I'm seriously going to have to consider other options, its absolutely ridiculous! ,

@FreakyFwoof Hope you didn't support these laws.

Andre Louis 1d ago

@serrebi Of bloody course not. I was happy when my son used a VPN to use the proper, non-condom internet.

Big Pawed Bear 1d ago

@serrebi @FreakyFwoof and what kind of response is that? it should be possible with legal forms of ID and as in the UK a credit card is a choice rather than a necessity, as is a passport, it should be possible to verify with other forms of id/other questions such as credit history etc. even gov one login now verifys with govt data rather than passport if you haven't got one, or the app doesn't work, as it has accessibility issues.

@FreakyFwoof Shoot. I'm so sorry you have to deal with that. Truely I am, so what are you going to have to do now?

Andre Louis 1d ago

@Landon205 I have no idea. Probably see if anyone else reports it, or contact Apple support if needed.

@FreakyFwoof Well, I do wish you good luck. I've not had to do the update on my phone yet, plus I don't even have a passport, so I guess that's a little different. But, I still feel bad though.

Ollie 🇪🇺🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇵🇸🇺🇦1d ago

@FreakyFwoof @Landon205 Return it under warranty (assuming it's less than two years old) 🤷‍♂️

Andre Louis 1d ago

@distinctdipole @Landon205 Doesn't exactly solve it though, I still need a phone, and that's where my primary apps are.

@distinctdipole @FreakyFwoof I meen how could you return something that's under warnty that is less then 2 years old lol.

@FreakyFwoof Seems like a bug.
I got “you passed age verification based on how long you've had your apple id” or something similar.

Andre Louis 1d ago

@fabienmarry Well since 2010 should be long enough...

Ra (Freyja) (it/its)𒀭𒈹𒍠𒊩 1d ago

@FreakyFwoof wait what the fuck?

mirabilos 1d ago

@FreakyFwoof what, iOS 26 enforces age check stuff even outside of the USA?

@mirabilos @FreakyFwoof

Well, it's presumably in response to the recent UK legislation.

@[email protected]
AFAIK UK introduced a similar law about the same time or even earlier.

mirabilos 23h ago

@m0xEE ah, so it does that based on the country then?

@[email protected]
I'm not certain how modern iOS operates — especially in this case, but I think it uses your AppStore country. Sometimes you can easily lift some restrictions by switching to a different one — sometimes that requires a credit card issued by a bank of that country. And sometimes you might end up with a slightly different set of restrictions.

In Russia you can easily lift some restrictions by switching to Belarusian AppStore — Apple is Kremlin's good boy and removes VPN clients from Russian AppStore, but they don't do that for Belarus. Most Russian companies are aware of people doing this, so they put their software in Belarussian AppStore too, otherwise it would be probplematic: you'd be able to install VPN software, but not apps people use to order groceries.

Simon Jaeger 1d ago

@FreakyFwoof Not accepting passports is an almost unprecedented level of laziness from Apple. There are plenty of people who don't drive for a multitude of reasons; there's no way that should be the only form of verification.
We have provincial ID cards that aren't always accepted in those verification systems, which is a problem of its own, but my passport has always worked as an alternative. What kind of settings does it lock you out of changing?

Andre Louis 1d ago

@simon I don't even know what I can't do yet, but I guess anything involving certain types of content etc.

JamminJerry 1d ago

@FreakyFwoof oh wow! I have never ran into that before. ... ... ... ... ... ... yet, thank god! I don't know if android gets that bad about stuff like that, but so far, I have been lucky! I feel bad you are going threw that.

Tanya Harrison 1d ago

@FreakyFwoof I just googled this and apparently the age verification request is a bug for users in the UK, so it sounds like a call to Apple Support is in order.

Andre Louis 1d ago

@WirlOfWirls It damn well is indeed.

@FreakyFwoof @WirlOfWirls Would it be worth getting one of those free ID cards the govt issues for folks to vote when they haven't got other ID? Dunno if it would work.

Andre Louis 6h ago

@annehargreaves @WirlOfWirls Don't think we have them here.

@FreakyFwoof @WirlOfWirls Oh sorry I thought you were in UK.

Andre Louis 5h ago

@annehargreaves @WirlOfWirls I am, but I haven't heard of this, so that's news to me.

@FreakyFwoof @WirlOfWirls

It's this, for peeps with no photo ID. https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate

Apply for photo ID to vote (called a ‘Voter Authority Certificate’)

Apply for photo ID to vote (Voter Authority Certificate) in some elections and referendums in Great Britain if you do not have an accepted form of ID.

GOV.UK

Andre Louis 3h ago

@annehargreaves @WirlOfWirls Aah thanks, hadn't herd about that. Still, wonder whether it would even be accepted for this.

@FreakyFwoof @WirlOfWirls Now I look at it again it does say you can't use it to prove age. What Apple would think idk.

Andre Louis 3h ago

@annehargreaves @WirlOfWirls Then nope. Sadly.

Michael Marshall 1d ago

@FreakyFwoof I feel your pain.
Lucky where I am in Australia, we have a government card that you can get but still, I think it’s ridiculous the debit cards are not accepted.

Steven Scott 1d ago

@FreakyFwoof I got the message to confirm but it just did it. I guess because I have a credit card on there.

Alex Chapman 23h ago

@stevenscott @FreakyFwoof Thank god I have a credit card for that reason, well, I got it before these stupid verification laws came in, but now there's another use for it lol.

Kara Goldfinch 23h ago

@FreakyFwoof I'm probably going to be in the same boat. Great.

Michael Marshall 23h ago

@KaraLG84 @FreakyFwoof I love how governments assume that every single one of us has a passport.
not everyone has bloody passports either.
In Australia, drivers licenses are king.
I have what's called a proof of age card which is supposed to be an equivalent to a drivers license but it's always the first thing they ask for. This or your passport and I have neither.

Big Pawed Bear 23h ago

@FreakyFwoof now confirmed as far as I can Onj, a UK passport is not recognised by the verification at all.

Brandon Tyson 19h ago

@FreakyFwoof That's super frustrating. I'm not super up on this, is this happening in the US as well or just some other countries? I'm frustrated too on your behalf, that's absolutely ridiculous. I use my iPhone because I need a phone, but I can't say I'm happy with it, I don't enjoy using it anymore and I don't like Android either. But I need a phone.

Georgiana Brummell 18h ago

@FreakyFwoof I can certainly understand that. This is utterly ridiculous. I'm in America, so I have no idea if this will affect me, but I am on 26.2, and I stopped automatic updates, until things are properly resolved. No one should have to go through this.

David Cantrell 🏏7h ago

@dandylover1 @FreakyFwoof automatic updates are a terrible idea anyway. One of the reasons that all my computers always "just work" is that I let other people beta-test updates for me.

Killa Koala 6h ago

@dandylover1 It won't affect you, yet. It's all about the UK Online Safety act, so a UK-only problem at the moment. But age-verification laws are spreading like Covid all over the world atm, so you're sure to encounter something like it pretty soon, but probably at the state level (see what CA passed re OSs gathering age info last year for example, and Colorado are about to pass something similar I believe ).

Allison Meloy 18h ago

@FreakyFwoof Oh my goodness I’m so sorry

James H 17h ago

@FreakyFwoof I'm sorry, but how in the 7 levels of hell is your passport not accepted? I mean that's not the only ID I have, but sometimes that's the only ID I use. I suspect your government might eventually maybe possibly potentially probably not get around to saying something about that.

@FreakyFwoof Wait, your passport was rejected? What the fuck? Thankfully I already have a credit card associated with my Apple ID, so I didn't have this at all.

Philipp Alexander Vollmer 12h ago

@FreakyFwoof does that work with virtual cc which only exists in your wallet?

Andre Louis 12h ago

@laemmerbiss Didn't work with a PayPal card either, which is only virtual, so not sure...

Keri Svendsen 10h ago

@FreakyFwoof ugg wtf.

Tim Appleby 10h ago

@FreakyFwoof Oh, good grief, your government needs their heads examined big time! They should have consulted their citizens before implementing this law. I'm sure that there will be loads of backlash from the disabled community, especially, the blind/vision impaired portion of the citizenry.

@FreakyFwoof Yup, I got it last night. Literally the only form of ID I have is a debit card, which I got when I opened my bank account at 21, which I had to prove when going into the bank. But no, my phone just vibrates at me and says verification failed every fucking time. I remember when phones had physical buttons, flipped up and down and didn't have a screen reader built in. That age verification enough for ya? Fuckin' skeevy pricks!

Alex Chapman 6h ago

@cubic @FreakyFwoof Yeah I had to manually enter my fucking credit card details in to get past it, fucking stupid it is.

Tom Grant 9h ago

@FreakyFwoof OK I'm staying on iOS 26.3 then. Do you know a way I can lock the phone to the iOS update you're on? Whenever I've tried to just leave and leave and leave it it eventually thinks stuff you and updates anyway.