Texas just passed the App Store law that Tim Cook personally tried to stop

After a heavy lobbying campaign that included Apple CEO Tim Cook personally calling Texas Governor Greg Abbott to veto Texas Senate Bill 2420, known as the App Store Accountability Act, the bill was signed into law today. Seven months to comply Now, companies like Apple and Google have until January 1, 2026, to implement changes requiring them to verify the age of all app store users, and obtain parental consent before minors can download most apps or make in-app purchases. The law mirrors similar legislation already in effect in Utah, and represents a growing trend of state-level efforts to regulate kids’ access to online services. It also marks a victory for Meta, which has been waging its own fights against bills that target social media platforms directly, and has aggressively supported efforts that instead shift responsibility to app storefronts. Tim Cook tried to intervene The bill was significant enough that Cook reportedly picked up the phone himself in an attempt to stop ... Read full article.