Google Play users must now verify their age to keep downloading certain apps

What you need to know

• Google is rolling out age verification on the Play Store, requiring users to prove they're 18+.
• Users can verify their age using ID, selfie, credit card, or a third-party service.
• Some users are concerned about data privacy and reports of being locked out after verification.

Google has recently been using AI to ask users for age verification across several of its services, and now the company has reportedly started rolling out the age verification tool for the Google Play Store, requiring users to prove that they're 18 or older.

Just a couple of months after YouTube began asking users to verify their age, it appears Google is now implementing the same for the Play Store. As spotted by Artem Russakovskii on X, Google has started rolling out age verification checks for the Play Store.

According to Russakovskii, Google Play won't let you download "many apps" until you verify your age. To do so, Google is offering multiple methods, including uploading an ID, taking a selfie, using a credit card, or verifying through a third-party service called verifymy.io.

It appears that the rollout has just begun and is still expanding to users. It's unclear where the checks will be enforced first, but it appears the feature will soon arrive in the U.S. You can manually verify your age using a provided link without waiting for Google to prompt you. However, not all verification methods are available in every region.

You might soon need to prove you're 18 on Play Store

As for why Google is implementing these checks, it's largely to comply with newly passed regulations in several U.S. states, including Texas, Utah, and Louisiana, that require app stores to verify users' ages before allowing them to download age-sensitive apps. Similar regulations are also set to come into effect in Texas and California.

While the move aims to protect minors from inappropriate content, many users on Reddit and X have expressed concerns about sharing their personal data with Google and the potential for leaks or misuse. There have also been reports of some users being locked out of Google Search for failing the verification check, raising further privacy worries.