Can't confirm age in UK

I did that. They said that this was a beta version and that this would be fixed soon. So, completely useless.

Sounds like we all off to Apple shop in our areas to see if fix can happen as the stores must I hope have answer to our issue

The UK government requirements are a separate issue. It’s Apple’s implementation that I find fault with. I have numerous forms of ID that satisfy the Government requirements but Apple don’t currently accept those.

lobsterghost1 wrote:

I get the frustration, but this is a user to user only forum. We can't help you with this. And Apple isn't here, so they won't see your post.

Leave feedback for Apple here --> Feedback - iPhone - Apple

I realise that. However, the forum has always been a place where people can share their experiences and views and often benefit from solutions identified by other users. If nothing else we can sympathise with others.

Well when I spoke to Apple twice today they said it’s not up to them. What verification you you can use it’s up to the government obviously this is another way to push national ID cards through and they told me that my passport would not work. Unless it’s an American account because you need your passport to open a bank account there.

I am writing to raise a concern regarding the age verification process introduced in iOS 26.4.

My son is 18 years old and is trying to verify his age on his Apple ID. He does not have a credit card or a driving licence yet, but he does have a valid UK passport. From our understanding, a passport should be accepted as an official form of identification for age verification.

However, when attempting to complete the process, the system does not properly accept the passport. In some cases, it appears to request information that a passport does not provide (such as scanning a “back” of the ID), or the verification simply fails without clear explanation.

My son is 18 and currently not in full-time work, which means he is unable to apply for a credit card. This makes it even more important that alternative identification methods, such as a passport, work correctly.

In the United Kingdom, we do not have a standard government-issued digital ID or national ID card system. While there are some third-party ID services available, these are not officially recognised in the same way as passports or driving licences. This creates a significant issue for young adults like my son, who may only have a passport as valid identification.

Additionally, modern UK passports support NFC (chip) technology, which allows secure digital verification of identity. Therefore, iOS 26.4 should be capable of accepting and verifying a UK passport using NFC, rather than relying on methods that are more suited to other forms of ID such as driving licences.

This has left us unable to complete the required verification, despite having valid documentation. It is also unclear what alternative options are available for users in this situation.

It’s disgraceful, I’ve had Apple for years, and now they are starting this

Apple did not start anything. They are trying to abide by the new laws in the U.K.

i can’t understand cause you have to be an adult to set up Apple ID s

Not correct. You have to be 13 to set up an Apple ID.

Thanks for the info.

Age estimation using facial scanning is a valid form of age verification under the Online Safety Act. I’d think that an ‘Apple-like’ way to implement checks would be to use such a technique locally on the device. This is similar to how a cashier has to confirm that an individual visually looks over 25 in order to allow the purchase of alcohol (without further ID checks) in the UK.

julied53 wrote:

I don't have a credit card - almost impossible to have one in Guernsey - and the confirmation process doesn't recognise my Guernsey driving licence - I have tried multiple times. As things stand, I can't confirm that I'm over 18!

Then you’ll just have to live being restricted from using certain websites and services as a minor. Call your MP to complain.

LD150 wrote:

Deanl34 wrote:

But what about people who don’t drive, don’t have photo id and don’t have a credit card ?

Email your M.P.

Government ones will be embarrassed, opposition ones will jump on it.

There are a lot more ways to identify age allowed under the Online Safety Act than the limited set that Apple uses. Visual identification is a valid method and doesn’t require a government issued ID.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

And then there's Apple's privacy concerns. Visual identification requires sending your information to a third party. Given how outraged people are that Apple is sending driver's license information to the government (which issued the license in the first place), I can only imagine the uproar sending facial identifiers to a third party would cause.

You make some good points. Apple are often not the first to a given idea but are often the ones that bring an innovative solution. I am surprised that they don’t use on-device approximate age determination. That would have been a game changer for privacy whilst still offering compliance. It would have been a win for Apple in terms of child protection whilst assuring all but the most nervous about government surveillance.

GlasgowDave wrote:

IdrisSeabright wrote:

And then there's Apple's privacy concerns. Visual identification requires sending your information to a third party. Given how outraged people are that Apple is sending driver's license information to the government (which issued the license in the first place), I can only imagine the uproar sending facial identifiers to a third party would cause.

You make some good points. Apple are often not the first to a given idea but are often the ones that bring an innovative solution. I am surprised that they don’t use on-device approximate age determination. That would have been a game changer for privacy whilst still offering compliance. It would have been a win for Apple in terms of child protection whilst assuring all but the most nervous about government surveillance.

It's very hard for any of us to know why Apple did what they did or their plans for the future. It's certainly within the realm of possiblity that Apple is or has considered such a system but did not believe it was currently sufficient. I don't know enough about the technology to really guess what's involved, though.

Have you given that feedback to Apple? It wouldn't hurt.

Product Feedback - Apple

lukairure46 wrote:

As I was reading through the recent exchange, I was actually going to make a very similar suggestion. It would be straightforward to modify their current faceID biometric algorithm - a feature that operates on-device - to identify faces that clearly fall in the 18+ classification. As long as they define the cutoff minimum age estimate sufficiently high (maybe ~28 yo), any inherent margin of error around the critical 16-22 yo range could be mitigated.

Have you made this suggestion to the people who can do something about it? If not, I urge you to do so.

Product Feedback - Apple

lobsterghost1 wrote:

21dunn wrote:

How can I do my age I’m 63 born 21 February

It's asking you to verify your age, because your government is requiring it. See this to learn how to validate your age --> Age requirements for managing an Apple Account in the UK - Apple Support

The UK government does not require device level age verification. That’s Apple’s choice.

GlasgowDave wrote:

The UK government does not require device level age verification. That’s Apple’s choice.

Hey @GlasgowDave -

This is in line with how I interpret the applicability of the UK mandate as well. And at present, my read on the voluntary nature of implementation on the part of Apple also aligns…if not fully, at least in significant part.

How widespread is this understood and/or discussed among UK residents? I’m in the US, where the rollout of Apple’s age-gating feature has, unfortunately, kinda been flying under the radar.

-Luka