EU age-verification app ready

The European Commission says its age-verification app is ready, with downloads expected in coming weeks and national versions due later in 2026. (politico.eu) Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on April 15 that the app is “technically ready” and will soon be available for citizens to use. A senior European Union official told reporters the first Europe-wide apps should be ready to download in the coming weeks. (iapp.org) (politico.eu) The system is meant to let a site check whether someone is old enough without taking their name or full date of birth. The Commission’s blueprint says the proof can be issued from national electronic identities, passports, identity cards, some pre-installed apps such as banking apps, or offline activation through a third party such as a post office. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) The basic flow is simple: a user gets a proof of age, then presents an anonymous proof to an online service, and the service checks whether it is valid. The Commission says the link between the user and the proof provider is cut after issuance, and the proof itself does not include identity data that can trace the user. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) Brussels is pushing the app as part of its child-safety campaign under the Digital Services Act, which requires platforms used by minors to take “appropriate and proportionate measures” to protect them. The Commission’s age-assurance work began in a Digital Services Act task force in June 2024, and member states pressed for a bloc-wide system in May 2025. (iapp.org) The Commission published its blueprint and started a pilot in July 2025. Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, and Spain are using the technical solution to prepare customized national apps, while Cyprus and Ireland were also part of recent testing, according to European Union officials. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) (politico.eu) The app is also being released as open-source software, which means governments and companies can inspect and reuse the code. Von der Leyen said users will be able to prove age “without revealing any other personal information,” and Commission officials said platforms would not need to keep user identity data to run the check. (iapp.org) (politico.eu) European Union officials are still trying to avoid a patchwork of national systems. Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s executive vice-president for technology, said the bloc needs accreditation for national solutions so Europe does not end up with “27 different ones.” (iapp.org) The next step is rollout: Commission-backed apps first, then country-specific versions tied to national digital wallets later this year. That would turn age checks from a platform-by-platform choice into a common European tool. (politico.eu)