iOS 26.4 age verification without credit card or plastic ID

Proving that I am over 18 years old.

As you may be aware the latest update iOS26.4 in the UK requires me to prove that I am over 18 years old, I realise that this is a UK Government requirement and as such Apple UK are only prepared to as little as possible to close this requirement. Here is my issue, the means of identification that has been decided upon are as I am sure you know, either a Credit Card (because you have to be over 18 to have one) or a valid and full plastic drivers licence.

I am 66 years old, I no longer needed a credit card, a decision I took some years ago, so unlike a lot of people I do not have one. I gained my full motorcycle licence in 1985 and my full car driving licence in 1995, I have the same paper licence that was issued to me by the DVLA when I moved into my current address in 1997 (29 years ago).

I was born in December 1959, at the age of 9 in 1969 I watched live as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to step on the Moon. I left school in 1977 after staying on to do my GCE O Levels in sixth form, I have a valid National Insurance Number and can provide my NHS number, I even have a birth certificate that gives the date and further details of my birth. Apple even know my date of birth, its part of the information held by the company to enable my Apple Account. I also have a 66 year old face that I have to use to open my iPhone every time I want to use it, the same face I use for Apple Pay every time I use that and my online banking. Apple have details of my home address and my family, the British Government hold many many details about me that prove that I am over 18 years old, yet because I have chosen not to keep a credit card or unnecessarily update my driving licence or hold a Passport of a Government ID Apple refuse to allow me to prove that I am not a child. Is Apple UK really being as lazy as it appears? After all I am not the only OAP who holds no state recognised form of ID, and why should I? I live in a free country where I am not required to constantly prove my identity.

[Edited by Moderator]

iPhone 16 Pro, iOS 26

Posted on Mar 26, 2026 7:56 AM

Top-ranking reply

TCHDMF

Level 1

134 points

Posted on Mar 26, 2026 8:16 PM

lobsterghost1 wrote:

That's all good and well. But no matter how much you argue what OFCOM this or that is or isn't, isn't helping anyone who can't verify their age. This might be a great Social Media discussion. But this isn't a Social Media site. This is a technical support forum for users to ask how to do something on their iPhone. It simply makes no difference what OFCOM or the UK Government or Apple does here. None of those entities are here, nor will any of those entities comment here. I can imagine if you go to Reddit or Quora, you may find loads of people who will be happy to debate this with you. But this forum isn't the place to debate policies, regulations or laws no one here can change or has any control over.

Maybe I can explain this again in a way you can understand.

The original poster's issue is that he can't complete age verification on his UK iPhone because he does not have any of the three forms of identification Apple chose to implement in their age verification approach.

He was given the advice to call Apple support, which is good because at this time that is his only solution. Call Apple and complain and hope Apple changes the approach they have implemented. (Neglecting the option of obtaining one of the three required ID methods Apple has decided to accept.)

That's it, that's his only option. It is also the only option of the large number of us that have exactly the same issue. That is the correct tech support answer at this time. Which, by the way, he apparently did along with a large number of other people.

He then received incorrect advice to complain to the UK Government (which would be OFCOM in this case) about the problem because OFCOM is responsible because OFCOM picked the acceptable identification documents that Apple implemented. There are a large number of comments like that in this thread.

That advice was wrong.

OFCOM did not pick the acceptable documents or even method of age verification that Apple implemented. OFCOM specified the rules and regulations that must be followed and then they provided guidance to developers and companies as to possible methods of satisfying those rules and regulations. As far as I can find they never said, Apple you must implement age verification by examining Driving Licenses, or Credit Cards, or any other specific for of ID. OFCOM provided a non-extensive list of methods they thought could be acceptable and Apple chose three and created a fourth that they implemented.

So my post explained this and provided the relevant information from OFCOM for several reasons: So the original poster would understand why to call Apple as opposed to OFCOM or his MP or someone else, so that the original poster might have some additional information to relay to Apple with his complaint so they might take some note and escalate the issue, and because when I originally simply said no this is really an Apple issue and not an OFCOM issue without any backing to that statement my post was removed by a moderator.

So, no, I am trying to provide some actual peer-to-peer tech support to the original poster.

I am sorry if my posts aren't clear enough for you to see that. I don't know your motivation for attacking my post. Possibly you think actually explaining the root cause of an issue is somehow irrelevant to someone asking for assistance. If that is how you feel, I disagree with you, particularly when there is currently no actual solution to their problem other than call and complain. Personally I wish there was a solution, a simple do this, do this, then do that. I would do it myself. But unfortunately there doesn't seem to be.

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159 replies

Mar 27, 2026 8:36 AM in response to AJP_850

AJP_850 wrote:

Sadly, provisional driving licences don't help those that can't drive due to chronic medical conditions and certain disabilities.

That is true.

It's also not free. So pay £34 in order to regain what you purchased, potentially for a 4 figure sum of money, when a facial scan would be a perfectly legitimate, fair, and permitted way to do this, as detailed by the many links to what the law actually says. Great.

No one has taken your phone away from you. Yes, you've lost access to some features and that must be really frustrating. But your phone still works.

And FWIW, I cannot find any law that mandates device-level age verification, but please do prove me wrong.

No one here in this user-to-user forum is able (or obligated) to prove anything. Apple has lots of very highly-paid lawyers, though.

AJP_850

Level 1

54 points

Mar 27, 2026 9:17 AM in response to ScrapyardGuitar

Sorry, I can't find the post to reply to a specific post, as it seems to have vanished, but I would like to say something in response to"No one has taken your phone away from you".

A device that cost me £1,200, and another that cost £1,800 are now child's devices that can no longer do what I need them to do, and expect to be able to do.. If I wanted a phone just to make phone calls, I would have spent £50. My phone, and my iPad no longer run (non-adult) apps that I paid for, need, and expect to work. This is not just an irritation.

Mar 27, 2026 9:25 AM in response to ScrapyardGuitar

I would if my phone didn’t update on its own to this iOS 26 and make me loose everything on my phone that was supposed to stay on it anyway I can get it back to like my iPhone 13 was so I can retrieve all my passwords and everything

[Edited by Moderator]

Mar 27, 2026 9:57 AM in response to Dillonuk

Exactly. Ive tried passport about 10times now. Most of the time it says image quality too low. My passport is brand new. And i have the 17max pro. So what we saying?? The camera on the max pro is rubbish now??

lkrupp

Level 7

26,695 points

Mar 27, 2026 10:29 AM in response to Dillonuk

You don't sound like a U.K. citizen with your U.S. colloquial euphemisms like ‘up the creek without a paddle’. Are you just trying to stir up trouble here?

And yes you are up the creek without a paddle. Switching to Android will result in the same experience, maybe already. This will only get worse , not better for those who choose to exist off the grid with no valid way of proving who they are. Is Apple just supposed to take your word for how old you are?

Mar 27, 2026 11:03 AM in response to JackBauer83

JackBauer83 wrote:

Exactly. Ive tried passport about 10times now. Most of the time it says image quality too low. My passport is brand new. And i have the 17max pro. So what we saying?? The camera on the max pro is rubbish now??

What we're saying is you're trying to use an ID that isn't supported.

Dillonuk

Level 1

68 points

Mar 27, 2026 11:32 AM in response to lkrupp

What are talking about.

I’m uk citizen with a valid uk passport please don’t cause trouble on here I’m stuck with this problem.

genuinely asking for solutions.

if I was a us citizen there wouldn’t be a need for me to post on here.

us citizens can use passport to verify who they are.

Zurarczurx

Level 5

5,962 points

Mar 27, 2026 11:52 AM in response to lkrupp

lkrupp wrote:

You don't sound like a U.K. citizen with your U.S. colloquial euphemisms like ‘up the creek without a paddle’. Are you just trying to stir up trouble here?

And yes you are up the creek without a paddle. Switching to Android will result in the same experience, maybe already. This will only get worse , not better for those who choose to exist off the grid with no valid way of proving who they are. Is Apple just supposed to take your word for how old you are?

Up the creek without a paddle probably originated in Portsmouth, England in the 1700s. In the time of Nelson the navy hospital was up Haslar Creek and many sailors who went there didn't come back.

It's not a given that Android will do the same. Microsoft allows checks using face pics and mobile phone number so who knows, maybe Android will too.

Mar 27, 2026 12:11 PM in response to Zurarczurx

Zurarczurx wrote:

lkrupp wrote:

You don't sound like a U.K. citizen with your U.S. colloquial euphemisms like ‘up the creek without a paddle’. Are you just trying to stir up trouble here?

And yes you are up the creek without a paddle. Switching to Android will result in the same experience, maybe already. This will only get worse , not better for those who choose to exist off the grid with no valid way of proving who they are. Is Apple just supposed to take your word for how old you are?

Up the creek without a paddle probably originated in Portsmouth, England in the 1700s. In the time of Nelson the navy hospital was up Haslar Creek and many sailors who went there didn't come back.

It's not a given that Android will do the same. Microsoft allows checks using face pics and mobile phone number so who knows, maybe Android will too.

Actually Google Play, which is Android, has already started implementing the same restrictions, which effectively puts the same onus on Android users in the UK.

Companies like Google and Apple don't have the luxury to ignore laws in the countries they sell products.

Mar 27, 2026 2:31 PM in response to AJP_850

And the Government can also implement a framework where they are responsible for the age verification check, much like what is done in the US for the addition of a Digital ID. Of course it is always much easier to hold someone else accountable without taking any responsibility for a law they implemented in order to be able to fine them. Those are all "coulds" and "shoulds" and really doesn't change the current situation at all.

Mar 28, 2026 2:13 AM in response to ScrapyardGuitar

Subject: iOS 26.4 is a scam to force credit card collection!

"The 26.4 update is a total joke! It refuses to scan my ID document plus Passport no matter how many times I try. It’s crystal clear that this 'ID verification' is just a front to force people into giving up their bank card details.

It is absolutely not normal to claim that providing a bank account proves I’m 18. This is another massive mess from Apple in the UK, kids can have bank accounts at 13 years old! So what exactly are you verifying?

I refuse to hand over my financial data just to satisfy your broken system. Stop blocking valid ID scans just to harvest our card information. Fix this suspicious mess immediately!"

AJP_850

Level 1

54 points

Mar 28, 2026 2:49 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

My phone still works? I can see that your phone hasn't been downgraded. It does not perform the functions I paid for. If I wanted a £50 phone to make calls, or a child's phone, I wouldn't have spent £1,200. What a completely ridiculous argument.

Mar 28, 2026 6:55 AM in response to lkrupp

is that really a US only expression?

I'm British aged 61 size 11 shoes and have used that expression most of my life (usually with a 4 letter epithet starting with "S" inserted between "up& "creek" to replace "the" )

trev240

Level 1

18 points

Mar 28, 2026 7:54 AM in response to ScrapyardGuitar

Success!!!

I read someone said it takes a while to scan the driving licence.

I Had tried quite a few times in the house,I went outside strangely enough for the North east of the UK it is sunny today.

I put the license on a dark brown storage shed roof

it took at least 3 minutes to scan first side of the licence and the same for the other side…..

then another minute or so to validate/ verify

but yes eventually the same information that they already have came up……

sorry this doesn’t help anyone without a credit card or drivers licence

Mar 28, 2026 10:51 AM in response to ScrapyardGuitar

I have the same problem I’m 66 years old was married have children in their 40s, I don’t drive and don’t have a credit card so how can I sign in, they don’t accept passport or debit cards , even use their phones and iPad

iOS 26.4 age verification without credit card or plastic ID