A few U.S. states, currently Texas, Utah and Louisiana, have recently passed verification laws requiring app stores to verify users’ ages, obtain parental approval, and provide users' age information to developers. These laws also create new obligations for developers who distribute their apps through app stores in these states. The effective dates for these laws, applicable for both developers and Google Play, are quickly approaching and present short implementation timelines across the ecosystem.
While we have user privacy and trust concerns with these new verification laws, Google Play is designing APIs, systems, and tools to help you meet your obligations. Given the significant implications of these changes across the ecosystem, we are working to keep Play a trusted experience for everyone while also providing you information to support your preparations.
Our plan to support you
The first verification law, Texas's SB 2420 , was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026. However, a Federal District Court has issued a preliminary injunction, preventing enforcement of this law while litigation continues. The preliminary injunction in Texas does not impact age verification bills that are slated to go into effect in Utah and Louisiana in May and July 2026 respectively. Google Play will continue supporting developers with solutions to help meet their obligations under these laws.
These laws impose significant new requirements on many apps that may need to provide age appropriate experiences to users in these states. These requirements include ingesting users’ age ranges and parental approval status for significant changes from app stores and notifying app stores of significant changes. It is important that you review these laws and understand your obligations.
To help you meet your obligations under these laws, we plan to provide:
- A New Play API: For users in these states, your app will be able to receive users’ age verification or supervision status, age ranges, and other applicable signals using the Play Age Signals API (beta) .
- Play Console features: You will have the ability to notify Google Play of a significant change in Play Console without publishing a new version of your app. Additionally, you will also get a report in Play Console showing when a parent revokes approval for your app. If you use Play Billing Library, you can add age ratings to your purchase SKUs.
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Trust & safety requirements: To protect users, your use of this new API must comply with Google Play’s requirements governing how data from the API must be handled.
We will keep updating this page with new information. Check back here for the latest.
Planned dates and next steps (subject to change)
| Key Dates | Milestone |
| October 2025 | API requirements and a detailed integration guide with example code for the new Play Age Signals API (beta) have been published for you to get started. |
| December 16, 2025 | In-app products can be assigned an age rating value in Play Console or through the Publishing API for the rating to show in a purchase approval flow. |
| January 1, 2026 | Given preliminary injunction of Texas bill, the Play Age Signals API (beta) will not return live responses until further notice. |
| May 7, 2026 | Utah bill goes into effect. |
| July 1, 2026 | Louisiana bill goes into effect. |
If you would like to learn more or have any additional questions, please contact our support team.
Frequently asked questions
Is age verification or supervision going to be required for all Google Play users globally?
What are the developer obligations under these bills?
Which users will be required to be verified?
Will Google Play determine the user's location for age verification?
Can I ask Google Play to block all users in a specific state from downloading my app?
Does Google Play require developers to use the Play Age Signals API? Are developers subject to enforcement by Google Play if they don’t use the API?
What mechanism will Google Play use to require parental approval for eligible supervised users?
How does Google Play handle parental approval requests?
Will Google Play revoke app access or disable an app if a parent denies approval of a significant change?
What is considered a significant change?
When and how do I provide Google Play notice of significant changes requiring parental approval?
How do I add age ratings to in-app products (SKUs) for Texas SB 2420 compliance?
When is the age signal available (for example, on install, first launch, or on-demand)?
What kind of age ranges will the API provide?
What happens if we call the API for a user whose location changes from an applicable location to a region outside of the applicable locations?
Why am I not seeing live responses in the API?
