Apple today said App Store rules in Texas are changing due to the enforcement of SB 2420, a law that adds age assurance requirements for app marketplaces and developers. Apple users located in Texas will soon be required to confirm whether they are 18 years or older when creating an Apple Account. Apple Accounts for users under 18 must be part of a Family Sharing group, and parents need to provide consent for all App Store downloads, app purchases, and in-app transactions. Developers need to adopt the Declared Age Range API to provide the required age categories for new account users in Texas, and they are responsible for implementing the correct age restrictions. Developers must get parental consent for a minor to download an app, and are required to re-obtain consent if there is a "significant change" to an app. It is up to developers to determine when a significant change has been made to an app. Parents in Texas are able to revoke consent for any app they previously approved for their child, a system that developers also need to support. Apple has several APIs for developers who need to implement these features, including the Declared Age Range API and the Significant Change API. Developers could face civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation. Apple first outlined the changes it was making to support SB 2420 in October 2025, because it was supposed to go into effect on January 1, 2026. In December, a Texas federal judge blocked the age verification law and said it was "more likely than not unconstitutional" and a violation of the First Amendment due to the burden of age verification. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit temporarily stayed the injunction that was blocking the law from being enforced, so SB 2420 will go into effect on June 4, 2026. Legal proceedings are still ongoing, and the Fifth Circuit has not decided on whether it will issue a permanent stay of the injunction during the appeals process. The courts still need to determine the constitutionality of SB 2420 and whether the state has the authority to impose age verification requirements on app marketplaces. When SB 2420 is live, Apple will need to confirm user age when a person creates an Apple Account, an action that the company has not wanted to take. Apple is required to use "commercially reasonable methods to identify an individual's age" during account creation. Existing accounts are not affected. Google's Play Store is also subject to the law. Apple fought against age assurance requirements in Texas and other states because of the data collection required to determine user age. Apple says SB 2420 forces users to share personally identifiable data to download any apps, even a simple app for checking weather or sports scores. Apple introduced the Declared Age Range API to minimize data collection where possible. Apple CEO Tim Cook attempted to persuade Texas Governor Greg Abbott to veto the legislation, but Abbott went ahead and signed it into law . More information on Apple's age assurance frameworks can be found on its Developer website . Tags: App Store , Texas This article, " Apple Bringing App Store Age Verification to Texas as SB 2420 Takes Effect June 4 " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple will be permanently closing three of its retail stores in the U.S. on the evening of Saturday, June 20, according to its website. Apple Towson Town Center The locations that are closing: Apple Trumbull in Trumbull, Connecticut Apple North County in Escondido, California Apple Towson Town Center in Towson, Maryland In April, Apple said it made the "difficult decision" to close the stores due to "declining conditions" at the shopping malls in which they are located. Notably, the staff at the Towson Town Center location became Apple's first retail employees in the U.S. to unionize in 2022 . They belong to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE), and they signed a collective bargaining agreement with Apple in 2024 . The union and the store's employees have been protesting the planned closure , and some lawmakers in Maryland have voiced their support . The union is upset that Apple is allowing non-unionized employees at the Trumbull and North County stores to transfer to nearby locations, but not extending this offer to unionized employees at the Towson location. For its part, Apple said it is simply honoring the terms of the collective bargaining agreement that the employees agreed to. According to Apple, the contract states that in the event of a store closure, Apple would transfer or rehire employees if the company opened a new store within 50 miles of the current location at Towson Town Center. In any other circumstance, the union negotiated for employees to receive severance, which is being provided. Apple said it has no current plans to open a new store in the area, but if it were to do so within 18 months after the collective bargaining agreement was ratified, the affected employees would have the right of first refusal. Nevertheless, IAM has accused Apple of potential union busting and said that the agreement "requires equal treatment." "Apple workers in Towson voted to join the IAM, fought for and won a contract, and are now being punished for it," said IAM President Brian Bryant. "Apple signed a collective bargaining agreement that requires equal treatment. It is time for Apple to honor that agreement and do right by these workers before June 20." Towson Town Center is genuinely in a state of decline and has lost many other major retailers in recent years, so it is very likely that Apple is exiting the shopping mall at least partly due to the worsening conditions. Nevertheless, the situation could benefit Apple by warning employees at other stores that joining a union does not always work out. However, we may never know Apple's true and full intentions behind its decision. Tag: Apple Store This article, " Apple is Permanently Closing Three U.S. Stores This Month " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
