For testing permission response we can use the sandbox account
However, when testing permission requests using the AskCenter API, none of the ask API works for me in xcode 26.2 rc and iOS 26.2 rc.
For SignificantAppUpdateTopic, I got errors like "The user is in a region that does not support this type of ask" in the console log, but I've already set my billing address to Texas.
For CommunicationTopic, the console shows several XPC-related errors, and I’m not sure which of them are relevant.
Both of them show an alert view of "Can't ask, An unknown error occurred"
Can someone help to guide us how to test the request flow?
Thanks
Declared Age Range
RSS for tagFor creating age-appropriate experiences in your app by asking people to share their age range.
Posts under Declared Age Range tag
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For other permission prompts in the iOS ecosystem, we have the option to configure the text shown in the prompt via keys in the Info.plist. This does not appear to be the case with regards to the age range permission prompt. The text of the prompt implies the app includes a differentiated experience for child or teen content and that confirming age unlocks more features (making it seem optional for using the app).
Is there a plan for app developers to be able to update that permission prompt similarly to how we can configure others?
If so, is there any timeline we can expect that on?
I'm making a wrapper library to abstract away some of the 'missing platform support' of DeclaredAgeRange until hopefully it expands to additional platforms.
When I'm trying to fully enumerate all of the cases of AgeRangeDeclaration, which they all state available starting 26.0 (mysteriously added in Xcode 26.2 beta), the app crashes due to a missing symbol at launch time. This happens both for Xcode 26.1, 26.2 beta 2, and matching Xcode Cloud builds. So I've isolated it beyond "doesn't work on my machine".
I just made a handful of crashes and attached a sysdiagnose to a fresh feedback.
FB21121092 - DeclaredAgeRange: Eligibility property and new declaration cases unavailable on iOS 26.1 device contradicting documentation - causes runtime symbol not found crash
If anyone is curious what these crashes look like I've attached the DiagnosticPayload.jsonRepresentation() generated from one of my favorite frameworks, MetricKit.
Very clearly articulated in the diagnostic metadata you can see the symbol not found.
"diagnosticMetaData" : {
"platformArchitecture" : "arm64e",
"terminationReason" : "Symbol not found: _$s16DeclaredAgeRange0bC7ServiceV0bC11DeclarationO14paymentCheckedyA2EmFWC\nReferenced from: <1894EDCB-3263-3604-8938-97D465FF3720> \/Volumes\/VOLUME\/*\/PerformanceOrganizer.app\/PerformanceOrganizer\nExpected in: <B8FD2C23-0CC9-3D94-902D-875900307A7A> \/System\/Library\/Frameworks\/DeclaredAgeRange.framework\/DeclaredAgeRange",
"exceptionType" : 10,
"appBuildVersion" : "745",
"isTestFlightApp" : true,
"osVersion" : "iPhone OS 26.1 (23B85)",
"bundleIdentifier" : "dev.twincitiesapp.performanceorganizer",
"deviceType" : "iPhone18,1",
"exceptionCode" : 0,
"signal" : 6,
"regionFormat" : "US",
"appVersion" : "2.0.0",
"pid" : 22987,
"lowPowerModeEnabled" : false
}
DiagnosticPayload.json
This is the offending code in a type I control and make available on other platforms but leave unused.
extension AgeRangeDeclaration {
// A factory or initializer that takes the AgeRangeService.AgeRangeDeclaration and maps to the common AgeRangeDeclaration type
public init?(platform value: AgeRangeService.AgeRangeDeclaration?) {
guard let value else {
return nil
}
switch value {
// Xcode 26.1 visible cases
case .selfDeclared:
self = .selfDeclared
case .guardianDeclared:
self = .guardianDeclared
// Xcode 26.2 visible cases
// This is the first culprit, all of the following symbols would crash, this is just the first
case .checkedByOtherMethod:
self = .checkedByOtherMethod
case .guardianCheckedByOtherMethod:
self = .guardianCheckedByOtherMethod
case .governmentIDChecked:
self = .governmentIDChecked
case .guardianGovernmentIDChecked:
self = .guardianGovernmentIDChecked
case .paymentChecked:
self = .paymentChecked
case .guardianPaymentChecked:
self = .guardianPaymentChecked
@unknown default:
// Apple added new cases in Xcode 26.2 betas that were available in iOS 26.0,
// so it is probable that this could happen again. If it does, assert to let developers
// bring it to my attention.
assertionFailure("Invalid or out of date knowledge of age range declaration \(value)")
self = .unknown
}
}
}
For what it is worth, the same is also true for isEligibleForAgeFeatures which I suspect was also added to Xcode 26.2 somehow but not made available to real devices running [26.0 - 26.2).
As a side note, thank you for this property, it will let me check what states I need to perform extra checks for in a clean way, I just will need it to now not crash my app on 26.0 and 26.1 runtime devices. :)
Edit:
DTS did confirm on a comment I had in another thread that this is a bug. Now just to wait for an Xcode beta update. https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/807906?answerId=867205022#867205022
In any case, this is a great example of how MetricKit totally rocks capturing things other off the shelf crash tools might not have a chance to get. I did have to roll back my TestFlight to an earlier build, but MetricKit was there to send me the previous crashes as soon as the app could launch. Thanks MetricKit team!
Topic:
App Store Distribution & Marketing
SubTopic:
General
Tags:
MetricKit
Beta
Xcode
Declared Age Range
We are using AgeRangeService.requestAgeRange(ageGates:in:) with an age gate of 18 to verify adult users.
The system prompt always displays the lower-bound wording (“17 or Younger”), even when the app’s requirement is to verify users who are 18 or older. We understand the UI is system-controlled; however, this wording causes confusion for users, QA, and product teams, as it appears to indicate a child-only flow even when requesting adult verification.
Based on the demonstration video, it appears that they have another more coherent message.
In Apple's example, it is different, and it is correct that we need to specify 18 years or older in the implementation.
A little more context might be helpful, but we are creating a kind of wrapper with React Native that receives that value as a parameter, which is 18.
Hello,
I’m currently reviewing and implementing age assurance and parental approval flows using AgeRangeService and PermissionKit (AskCenter) in the context of Texas regulatory compliance requirements.
While the high-level APIs are clear, there are several technical aspects where the intended usage patterns are not fully explicit in the documentation. Clarification on these points would help ensure our implementation aligns with system expectations and regulatory obligations.
⸻
Querying the current approval state for SignificantAppUpdateTopic
AskCenter.ask(...) returns Void, and AskCenter.responses(for:) provides an AsyncSequence of approval events.
Is there an official or recommended way to determine whether a SignificantAppUpdateTopic has already been approved when the app launches, or is listening for future responses events the only supported mechanism?
⸻
Behavior of AskCenter.responses(for:) regarding past approvals
When subscribing to AskCenter.responses(for:):
• Does the stream replay previously recorded approval or decline decisions?
• Or does it only emit events that occur after subscription?
This affects whether the listener must be registered early in the app lifecycle.
⸻
Recommended lifecycle timing for registering a responses(for:) listener
What is the intended or recommended time to register a responses(for:) listener?
• At application launch
• Immediately before calling ask(...)
• When entering a specific gated feature
Clarification on the expected lifecycle usage would be helpful.
⸻
Repeated calls to ask(...) after approval
If AskCenter.ask(...) is called again for the same SignificantAppUpdateTopic after parental approval has already been granted:
• Is the request ignored?
• Is a new approval request sent to the parent?
• Or is the call handled idempotently by the system?
⸻
Delivery of approval results when the child app is not running
If a parent approves or declines a SignificantAppUpdateTopic while the child app is not running:
• Will the approval decision be delivered as a responses(for:) event on the next app launch?
• Or is the app expected to persist approval state locally?
⸻
Persistence of approval state
Is the approval decision for SignificantAppUpdateTopic persisted by the system at the OS level, or is the app responsible for storing approval state?
Additionally, does the approval persist across:
• app restarts?
• app deletion and reinstallation?
⸻
Meaning of activeParentalControls.significantAppChangeApprovalRequired
How is activeParentalControls.significantAppChangeApprovalRequired determined?
• Is this value explicitly configured by a parent (for example via Screen Time)?
• Or is it automatically determined by the system based on region, age, or regulatory requirements?
⸻
Relationship between significantAppChangeApprovalRequired and AgeRangeService
When activeParentalControls contains significantAppChangeApprovalRequired, is it still expected that apps call AgeRangeService.requestAgeRange(...)?
Or can the presence of this flag be treated as sufficient indication that the user is a minor for gating purposes?
⸻
Recommended interpretation of AgeRangeDeclaration
Is the intended usage of AgeRangeDeclaration to handle each case individually, or is it acceptable and recommended to interpret the values as different trust levels (for example, self-declared vs. government ID or payment verified)?
⸻
Clarification on these points would help ensure that implementations of age assurance and parental approval flows are consistent with system behavior while meeting regulatory compliance requirements.
Thank you for your guidance.
Hello,
I’m currently reviewing and implementing age assurance and parental approval flows using AgeRangeService and PermissionKit (AskCenter) in the context of Texas regulatory compliance requirements.
While the high-level APIs are clear, there are several technical aspects where the intended usage patterns are not fully explicit in the documentation. Clarification on these points would help ensure our implementation aligns with system expectations and regulatory obligations.
⸻
Querying the current approval state for SignificantAppUpdateTopic
AskCenter.ask(...) returns Void, and AskCenter.responses(for:) provides an AsyncSequence of approval events.
Is there an official or recommended way to determine whether a SignificantAppUpdateTopic has already been approved when the app launches, or is listening for future responses events the only supported mechanism?
⸻
Behavior of AskCenter.responses(for:) regarding past approvals
When subscribing to AskCenter.responses(for:):
• Does the stream replay previously recorded approval or decline decisions?
• Or does it only emit events that occur after subscription?
This affects whether the listener must be registered early in the app lifecycle.
⸻
Recommended lifecycle timing for registering a responses(for:) listener
What is the intended or recommended time to register a responses(for:) listener?
• At application launch
• Immediately before calling ask(...)
• When entering a specific gated feature
Clarification on the expected lifecycle usage would be helpful.
⸻
Repeated calls to ask(...) after approval
If AskCenter.ask(...) is called again for the same SignificantAppUpdateTopic after parental approval has already been granted:
• Is the request ignored?
• Is a new approval request sent to the parent?
• Or is the call handled idempotently by the system?
⸻
Delivery of approval results when the child app is not running
If a parent approves or declines a SignificantAppUpdateTopic while the child app is not running:
• Will the approval decision be delivered as a responses(for:) event on the next app launch?
• Or is the app expected to persist approval state locally?
⸻
Persistence of approval state
Is the approval decision for SignificantAppUpdateTopic persisted by the system at the OS level, or is the app responsible for storing approval state?
Additionally, does the approval persist across:
• app restarts?
• app deletion and reinstallation?
⸻
Meaning of activeParentalControls.significantAppChangeApprovalRequired
How is activeParentalControls.significantAppChangeApprovalRequired determined?
• Is this value explicitly configured by a parent (for example via Screen Time)?
• Or is it automatically determined by the system based on region, age, or regulatory requirements?
⸻
Relationship between significantAppChangeApprovalRequired and AgeRangeService
When activeParentalControls contains significantAppChangeApprovalRequired, is it still expected that apps call AgeRangeService.requestAgeRange(...)?
Or can the presence of this flag be treated as sufficient indication that the user is a minor for gating purposes?
⸻
Recommended interpretation of AgeRangeDeclaration
Is the intended usage of AgeRangeDeclaration to handle each case individually, or is it acceptable and recommended to interpret the values as different trust levels (for example, self-declared vs. government ID or payment verified)?
Clarification on these points would help ensure that implementations of age assurance and parental approval flows are consistent with system behavior while meeting regulatory compliance requirements.
Thank you for your guidance.
Share Age Range Permission is set to 'Ask First'.
Application requested for AgeRange via requestAgeRange API.
System presented a consent window where user has to make a choice.
User did not acted.
Application was pushed to background.
Our Application supports PushToTalk Framework and we have successfully joined the channel already.
User tapped on the blue-pill , SystemUI will get presented.
User tapped on the SystemUI, A New Full Screen SystemUI will get presented.
User chosen 'Leave' option and our application left the active channel.
10 User brought the application to foreground and the previous "Share Age Range" system window disappeared.
11. After Step 10, We need to terminate and launch our application in order to get the "Share Age Range" system window.
Is "Share Age Range" system window getting disappear is expected here or a BUG
After reading the news below, we are currently working on updating our app in preparation for the enforcement of Texas SB 2420.
https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=2ezb6jhj
Based on the information in the announcement, we understand that parents will be able to revoke their consent for apps.
However, we are unsure how an app is supposed to obtain or verify the parent’s consent status in the first place.
We reviewed the Declared Age Range API and PermissionKit’s Significant Change API, but could not find any functionality related to this.
If anyone with expertise on this topic has insight, we would greatly appreciate your guidance.
Thank you in advance.
After reading the news below, we are currently working on updating our app in preparation for the enforcement of Texas SB 2420.
https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=2ezb6jhj
Based on the information in the announcement, we understand that parents will be able to revoke their consent for apps.
However, we are unsure how an app is supposed to obtain or verify the parent’s consent status in the first place.
We reviewed the Declared Age Range API and PermissionKit’s Significant Change API, but could not find any functionality related to this.
If anyone with expertise on this topic has insight, we would greatly appreciate your guidance.
Thank you in advance.
As per the US state law including SB2420 in Texas.
We are suppose to meet their compliance.
We have following queries
Could you please confirm whether the provided Declared Age Range API framework is available for sandbox testing
How does the API respond for a region other than Texas
We are integrating Apple’s DeclaredAgeRange SDK. To comply with relevant regulatory requirements, our understanding is as follows:
The app is only required to obtain the declared age range for users located in Texas.
For users outside of Texas, we should not proactively request age range information.
Accordingly, we would like to confirm the following:
Are we required to present the age range request prompt to all users in the United States?
If yes, we are concerned that this may significantly impact the overall user experience.
If it is permissible to request age range only for Texas users, how can we reliably determine whether a user is located in Texas on the client side?
For example, does Apple provide an API or recommended method for accurately identifying a user’s region (specifically Texas)?
#1) The docs for the significantAppChangeApprovalRequired option (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/declaredagerange/agerangeservice/parentalcontrols/significantappchangeapprovalrequired) are a bit unclear of the meaning. If this is set to true, does that mean (a) its an indication from Apple that the user is in a jurisdiction that requires approvals for significant app changes or (b) the App store has detected a significant app change and the app needs to use PermissionKit to re-obtain approval.
#2) In section Sec.A121.053 of SB2420, it states "The
developer of a software application shall provide notice to each app store through which the developer makes the software application available before making any significant change..." and there are several subsections that define what constitutes a signficant app change that include items like "change of personal data stored", etc.
How can developers notify the app store that a significant change has occurred and how can the app then query the app store to detect these changes?
Our team is in the process of updating our apps to comply with Texas's new state law.
In order to minimize user confusion and provide the most ideal flow to access the app as possible, we have a few questions we would like answered.
Summary of questions:
Is isEligibleForAgeFeatures intended to be accurate and accessible before the user has accepted the Age Range permissions prompt?
As other US states and/or other countries adopt a similar law going forward, will this instance variable cover those locations?
Will the runtime crashes on isEligibleForAgeFeatures and other symbols in the DeclaredAgeRange framework be addressed in a future RC or in the official release?
Details and Investigations:
With regards to isEligibleForAgeFeatures, our team has noticed that this value is always false before the age range prompt has been accepted. This has been tested on the XCode RC 26.2 (17C48).
Assuming the request needs to be accepted first,
isEligibleForAgeFeatures does not get updated immediately when the user chooses to share their age range (updated to true, when our sandbox test account is a Texas resident). Only upon subsequent relaunches of the app does this return a value that reflects the sandbox user's location. Is isEligibleForAgeFeatures intended to be accurate and accessible before the user has accepted the Age Range permissions prompt?
This leads to our follow-up question to clarify whether isEligibleForAgeFeatures explicitly correlates to a user in an affected legal jurisdiction–if future US states and/or other countries adopt a similar law going forward, will this instance variable cover those locations?
Can we also get confirmation about whether the runtime crash on isEligibleForAgeFeatures and other symbols in the DeclaredAgeRange framework will be addressed in a future RC or in the official release?
Thank you.
操作步骤:1:调用let eligible = try await AgeRangeService.shared.isEligibleForAgeFeatures,返回YES后,再次调用 let response = try await AgeRangeService.shared.requestAgeRange(ageGates:18, in: viewController)
switch response {
case .declinedSharing:
DispatchQueue.main.async {
completion(.declinedSharing, nil, nil)
}
case .sharing(let swiftRange):
DispatchQueue.main.async {
let model = ARAgeRange(swiftRange: swiftRange)
completion(.sharing, model, nil)
}
[MTAgeRangeService requestEligibility:^(BOOL eligible) {
if (eligible) {
//您应用程序的用户所在的地区,需要执行特定年龄相关义务
[MTAgeRangeService requestAgeRangeWithAgeGates:18 in:[ViewU getCurrentVC] completion:^(enum ARResponseType responseType, ARAgeRange * _Nullable ageRange, NSError * _Nullable error) {
[weakself.ageRangeLoadingView dissmiss];
self->_ageRangeLoadingView = nil;
if (responseType == ARResponseTypeSharing) {
//用户同意并分享了年龄范围
if ([ageRange.lowerBound intValue] >= 18) {
//满18岁可以注册
}else{
//不到18岁不能注册,提示一下
}
}else{
//用户拒绝或者其他未知错误,需要提示
}else{
}
}
}] ;
}else{
}];
I’m trying to fully understand the purpose of the ageGates parameter in the AgeRangeService.requestAgeRange API.
The official documentation includes the following statement:
“The system may return geo-specific age ranges that override your provided age gates based on the person’s location and applicable regulations.
When geo-specific ranges are required, the returned age range reflects regulatory requirements rather than the bounds of your age gates.”
Based on this, it seems that even if my app provides specific age thresholds through the ageGates parameter,
the system may override those boundaries depending on regional laws or regulations, and return a completely different lowerBound / upperBound than what my age gates would suggest.
My current understanding is:
ageGates indicates the thresholds my app uses to define its internal feature tiers,
but the actual age range returned by the OS is determined by legal or regional requirements (e.g., COPPA, GDPR-K, AADC, SB2420),
meaning the returned age range may not align with the age ranges implied by my ageGates values.
I’d like to confirm whether this interpretation is correct.
Additionally, if different regions may produce different lowerBound / upperBound values due to regulatory requirements,
then it seems that:
developers shouldn’t rely on fixed age buckets, and
instead must implement feature gating logic dynamically based on whatever age range the OS returns.
So my questions are:
Is my understanding correct that ageGates is simply a hint that describes my app’s tier thresholds, and the OS may override those boundaries to comply with local regulations?
If lowerBound / upperBound can vary across regions, what is the recommended way for developers to design their feature-gating logic?
Should we avoid hardcoded age buckets and instead build flexible logic that adapts to whatever range the OS returns?
I’d appreciate clarification so I can design our age-based policies appropriately and in a regulation-compliant way.
We are in the process of preparing our app to support the new Texas law (SB2420) that takes effect 1/1/2026.
After reviewing Apple's recent announcements/docs concerning this subject, one thing isn't clear to me: how to associate an app install with an App Store Server RESCIND_CONSENT notification that could be delivered to our server.
Our app is totally free so there isn't an originalTransactionId or other similar transaction IDs that would be generated as part of an in-app purchase (and then subsequently sent as part of the payload in the notification to our server during an in-app purchase scenario).
So my question is: How do I associate an app (free app) install with an App Store Server RESCIND_CONSENT notification that is sent to our server?
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Notifications
Tags:
App Store Server Notifications
Declared Age Range
I'm developing for compliance with Texas law in the United States.
Currently, I'm encountering an issue where I want to test the feature point "when the app undergoes significant changes, a supervised user initiates a request." However, during actual testing, the app pops up an error message: "Can't Ask, An Unknown error occurred."
Additionally, I see the following error message in the Xcode Console: "Error Domain=AskToCore.ATMessageComposeValidationError Code=4 'The user is in a region that does not support this type of ask.' UserInfo={NSLocalizedFailureReason=The user must be in a supported region to use this feature., NSLocalizedRecoverySuggestion=Please ensure the user is in an eligible region., NSLocalizedDescription=The user is in a region that does not support this type of ask.}"
I am indeed not in the Texas region.
I want to conduct full-process testing before the feature is released to the App Store.
What should I do?
Apart from Sandbox testing (which, in fact, doesn't show any pop-ups either), how can I test under real-world conditions?
Hi Team,
We are planning to implement the age verification logic in our iOS app and our app rating in AppstoreCoonnect is 16+. Our app is like eComm Application. Our customer can login into our application and order the products. Now we want to introduce the Age verification logic when user tries to purchase products from App. Could you suggest which API we should use to adhere the Age verification in our Application?
Hello, we get in touch as we need some guidance from Apple regarding age verification for minors in our app.
Our app supports iOS 17 and above.
The Declared Age Range API is available only starting on iOS 26, but we must comply with legal requirements (e.g., Texas SB 2420) and ensure that minor users cannot access certain sections of the app, regardless of the version of the operating system.
Our question:
What is the correct and Apple-approved approach for handling age verification and restricting access for minor users on iOS versions prior to 26, given that the Declared Age Range API is not available on those systems?
We want to ensure that our implementation aligns with the regulations, the App Store Review Guidelines and platform expectations.