iOS 27.2 Can Now Verify Your Age with Only a Quick Selfie
deagreez / Adobe Stock
Toggle Dark Mode
Apple released iOS 27.2 to the public earlier this week, and the update offers several new features. Among them is a new feature that allows iPhone owners to use a selfie for age verification, reports 9to5Mac. Let’s take a look at how it works.
If you’ve been paying attention to the news, an increasing number of countries and regions around the globe are requiring age verification to access certain websites, to download and use certain apps, or even to change select settings.
As noted by Apple, these requirements can apply to users located in Australia, Brazil, Singapore, South Korea, the UK, and the United States (Texas).
As MacTrast points out, these mandates have raised concerns about user privacy — specifically worries about photos, driver’s licenses, and credit card numbers being abused or stolen. However, Apple says it’s come up with a privacy-first way to confirm a user’s age.
iOS already included ways to perform age verification before the release of iOS 27.2, such as scanning your driver’s license or using a credit card, but iOS 27.2 adds a simpler option: taking a selfie.
In a new support document, Apple tells users:
In some states, countries, or regions, you might be asked to confirm that you’re an adult before you can take certain actions on your Apple Account. One way to confirm that you’re an adult is to take a selfie. An age-estimation model will then evaluate the images of your face.
While the selfie option isn’t yet available in all regions, you may have the option to use a selfie if you’re asked to confirm you’re an adult.
Here’s how it works:
- Choose the option to take a selfie, then tap Get Started.
- Hold your device in front of you and center your face in the frame.
- Capture all four angles of your face by moving your head slowly right, left, up, and down. Follow the onscreen guidance to complete confirmation. It might take a moment to estimate your age.
All in all, the process sounds similar to how you capture your face to use Face ID on your iPhone or iPad.
Apple also offers tips on how to take the best selfie:
- Make sure you’re in a well-lit area with even lighting. Indoors works best.
- Move closer to the camera so that your face is clearly visible.
- Remove anything that might cover your face, such as masks, hats, or sunglasses.
- Make sure only your face is in the frame.
Plus, anytime you are taking your selfie, you can tap Accessibility Options to receive spoken instructions, reduced directions, or other adjustments.
Apple reassures users who may have concerns about what happens to their photo afterward, noting that privacy is protected by on-device and Private Cloud Compute age-estimation models.
The company says the selfie “isn’t accessible to anyone, not even Apple.” Plus, as soon as your age has been confirmed, the selfie is automatically deleted and “isn’t retained in any form.”
If you’re interested in learning more about iOS 27.2’s new selfie age-verification feature, the full support document can be perused here.
