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Apple iOS Now Age Restricts Websites in Australia (thelemmy.club)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by to c/privacy@lemmy.world
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Apple iOS now requires age verification to access websites it deems 18+. Not even using another browser like Firefox works, it's blocked at the OS level.

I was putting off switching to Graphene or e/os until prices improve, but looks like my hand is forced.

Edit: VPN doesn't even work because Apple knows your GPS location. I haven't tried location spoofing yet because that's a bit more annoying to setup.

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[–] 76 points 2 days ago (13 children)

FYI, there are no alternative browsers on iOS. Every single one is Safari with a skin, even Firefox. This is also a requirement by Apple, and one of the many reasons why I'll never own an iPhone. It's my device; I should be allowed to use any browser I want, install anything I want.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 day ago (2 children)

    How does that work? Do you have any links with more information?

    I use Orion browser on an iPhone. I'm not sure what to search to find info about how this all works on that browser. All my searches are returning are sites that compare features between the two. I'm not a tech person (unless you ask non-Millennials), and this is the first time I've heard that every iOS browser is actually Safari in disguise. I need to know more!

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  • [–] 8 points 1 day ago (1 child)

    https://www.theregister.com/software/2026/06/17/apples-webkit-performance-tax-leaves-ios-browsers-stuck-in-the-slow-lane-says-microsoft/5257384

    due to Apple's platform rules, every browser that runs on iOS is WebKit-based, so there are few opportunities for competitive differentiation outside of interface elements.

    "Even in the EU and Japan, where Apple is now required to allow browser vendors to use their own engines, the barriers it has put in place ensure browser vendors are prevented from porting their own engines to iOS. Given that Apple has now had more than two years to produce a compliant solution, the European Commission needs to open a specification proceeding to instruct Apple, in precise terms, how these barriers must be removed."

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  • [–] 6 points 2 days ago (2 children)

    Yep, thats one reason why i went to e/OS. Never went back.

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  • [–] 13 points 2 days ago (2 children)

    What the fuck? How is that legal.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 days ago (2 children)

    This has actually not been the case, in most regions, since iOS 17.4. Chrome and Firefox now use Blink and Gecko, respectively. There are exceptions where WebKit is still to only engine including the EU.

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