Pornhub reinstates UK access for Apple users following new child safety laws
The move follows a February ban on new UK users after regulators mandated proof of age for adult content consumption.
Pornhub has announced the restoration of access for UK adults who verify their age through Apple devices. The decision comes from the site's parent company, Aylo, which confirmed that users on iOS devices and iPads can now view content again. This reinstatement specifically relies on Apple's iOS 26.4, a system that Aylo describes as a device-based age verification solution designed to better protect children.
The access restoration follows a ban implemented in February that blocked new UK users from accessing the platform. This restriction was a direct response to new child safety provisions rolled out in July, which mandate that adults viewing pornography must prove they are not minors through ID checks, face scans, or other verification means. At the time, Pornhub could not verify new users without the specific device-level integration now being utilised.
Aylo stated that the new iOS 26.4 verification method offers superior security compared to previous approaches. The company has long advocated for device-based age verification, arguing it is more secure than relying on third-party web-based solutions or verification sites. In November, Aylo lobbied Apple, Google, and Microsoft to implement such measures, claiming Apple's existing safety settings for users under 18 represent some of the strongest protections available against minor access.
Consequently, the announcement confirms that UK users on iOS devices and iPads can now access the site provided they utilise the age verification features within Apple's device settings. However, the restoration is currently limited to these specific hardware platforms. MacBooks are explicitly excluded from the rollout because they utilise a different operating system that does not support the same verification mechanism.
The regulatory landscape driving this development remains significant, with around half of US states having enacted similar age verification laws. In response to those broader regulations, Pornhub previously pulled content from the majority of those jurisdictions. The current move in the UK highlights the ongoing tension between strict child safety mandates and the technical challenges of verifying adult status without intrusive third-party intermediaries.
