Google expands age-assurance API to Android developers worldwide

Google is expanding its answer to Apple’s age-assurance tools, saying Wednesday that it will bring its Play Signal API to users worldwide by the end of 2026. The technology, already available in Brazil, lets Android developers identify younger users of their apps so they can provide safer, age-appropriate experiences.

The expansion will first bring the API to Australia and Canada by mid-August, before rolling out to all markets globally by the end of the year.

The move comes as lawmakers and regulators worldwide increasingly push app stores to better protect minors. Apple, for instance, launched its own age-verification tools globally in February to comply with a growing number of age-verification laws.

Like Apple’s approach, Google’s technology lets developers obtain a user’s age range without accessing personal information such as a date of birth. Instead, it lets parents share their child’s age range directly with apps, and lets adults share their own age when an app developer prompts them, enabling customized experiences. Parents won’t have to share this information app by app, either: Google centralizes the controls inside its parental-controls dashboard, Family Link, and any developer that opts to use age-range information can then access that signal to adjust their app accordingly. Google notes that age ranges are not shared by default — parents must opt in by entering the information themselves.

The feature joins other safety tools on Google Play, including options that let developers restrict a child’s ability to discover their apps. Parents can also keep using Family Link to manage a child’s screen-time limits, approve app downloads, or set PIN-based content filters for specific apps.

Why it matters

Age-assurance infrastructure is becoming table stakes for any platform serving minors, and Google centralizing it through Family Link gives it leverage over how third-party Android developers build compliance into their apps.