Spotify age verification checks could see accounts deleted
It means that the Online Safety Act could put users accounts at risk of being deleted if they fail to verify their age.
Will Spotify require age verification?
The music streaming app announced in partnership with Yoti, a digital identity company, that age verification will be carried out via facial recognition or the use of ID documents.
Your Spotify account is getting deleted unless you do age verification pic.twitter.com/QZTJW1tIZN — Calgie (@christiancalgie) July 30, 2025
Those who chose not to disclose their age via this process will have their accounts deactivated, with the option of reinstating their account within 90 days by completing the process via a link sent to their email.
Spotify says: 'You may be presented with an age check when you try to access certain age restricted content, like music videos tagged 18+. Some users will be asked to perform an age check when accessing certain age restricted content.
'You can do this by going through our facial age check. If this shows inaccurate results, you can always correct that with an ID verification.
'If you cannot confirm you're old enough to use Spotify, your account will be deactivated and eventually deleted.'
How do I confirm my age on Spotify?
In the UK, Spotify users must be 13 or over. If the age verification checks confirm the user is under 13, they will have their account deleted.
Spotify, which has a staggering 696 million users worldwide, has stressed Yoti will delete users' data once the verification process is complete.
What have people said online about the new age checks?
Disgruntled Spotify users took to social media to share their thoughts.
One said on X: 'The time for quitting Spotify is now. Who's with me?'
'Age verification on Spotify is insane - time to leave,' another said.
While a third added: 'Age verification for pornographic material is what it was sold as.
'It's turned into age verification for Spotify, Xbox…it's got nothing to do with protecting children.'
Others also felt that now was the time to re-visit old iPods and CDs for music, instead of streaming apps, with one person commenting: 'Age verification on Spotify?!? Time to buy physical music again!'
Does Xbox have age restrictions?
Xbox have said that they are also 'investing in technologies and tools to ensure players have age-appropriate experiences on their platform', while sending notifications to UK users to verify their age.
Via a statement on their website, the gaming brand said that from the beginning of next year, age verification will be required to have 'full access' to the console's social features, such as voice or text communication and game invites.
Tips to Spot Fake Online Reviews
Recommended Reading:
Does the UK require age verification?
Age verification under the Online Safety Act came into force in the UK on July 25.
Since then, websites face being fined up to £18million if they do not check users are aged over 18 before letting them access potentially 'harmful' material.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Government defends Online Safety Act after X claims it threatens free speech
The Government has defended the Online Safety Act after Elon Musk's X said the legislation was threatening free speech. In a post titled What Happens When Oversight Becomes Overreach, the platform, formerly known as Twitter, outlined criticism of the act and the 'heavy-handed' UK regulators. The Government countered that it is 'demonstrably false' that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech and said it is not designed to censor political debate. Under rules that came into effect on July 25, online platforms must take steps to prevent children accessing harmful content such as pornography or material that encourages suicide. This includes a new duty for online providers to reduce the risk that users encounter illegal content as well as age verification measures in the UK to access pornographic content. 'As a result, the act's laudable intentions are at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach. Without a more balanced, collaborative approach, free speech will suffer,' X said. It accused regulators of taking a 'heavy-handed approach' and said that 'many are now concerned that a plan ostensibly intended to keep children safe is at risk of seriously infringing on the public's right to free expression'. Ofcom said this week it had launched investigations into 34 pornography sites for new age-check requirements. The company said 'a balanced approach is the only way to protect individual liberties, encourage innovation and safeguard children'. A Government spokesperson said: 'It is demonstrably false that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech. 'As well as legal duties to keep children safe, the very same law places clear and unequivocal duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression. Failure to meet either obligation can lead to severe penalties, including fines of up to 10% of global revenue or £18 million, whichever is greater. 'The Act is not designed to censor political debate and does not require platforms to age gate any content other than those which present the most serious risks to children such as pornography or suicide and self-harm content. 'Platforms have had several months to prepare for this law. It is a disservice to their users to hide behind deadlines as an excuse for failing to properly implement it.' Technology Secretary Peter Kyle became embroiled in a row with Nigel Farage earlier this week over Reform UK's pledge that it would scrap the Act if the party came into power. He said the Reform UK leader of being on the side of 'extreme pornographers'.
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
The app that might be draining your phone battery the most
A surprising culprit could be causing your phone battery to flatline 😨 Sign up to the weekly Cost Of Living newsletter. Saving tips, deals and money hacks. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Running out of battery on your phone can be a nightmare. Certain apps might be draining your power quicker than others. But what can you do to make your battery last longer? Mobile phones have increasingly become the centre of our universe. From remaining in touch with family and friends to banking and even boarding planes, they can do pretty much everything. It means that running out of battery quickly can be an absolute nightmare and could really leave you in the lurch. However you might not realise that some of the apps on your phone might be using more of your power than others. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Thomas Davy, CEO and co-founder of optimizing cloud performance site , has identified some of the biggest culprits when it comes to draining your battery. Mistakes that could be killing your phone battery. Photo: STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images | STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images He said: 'The good news is users can make simple adjustments to their settings without losing core functionality.' Facebook Facebook and its partner app Instagram drain batteries faster than almost any other apps, according to the expert. These platforms constantly update content, check notifications, and track location even when you're not using them. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Social media apps like Facebook and Instagram consume battery by constantly refreshing in the background,' Davy said. 'They download new content, videos, and advertisements regardless of whether you're actively using the app.' But how can you stop it draining your battery so much? The expert recommends turning off background app refresh in your phone settings. 'This small change can extend your battery life by even two hours per day in some cases without affecting your social media experience when you actually open the app,' he told users. Another tip is to disable location services for these apps. 'Facebook doesn't need to know where you are 24 hours a day. Location tracking is a massive battery drain.' Davy added. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Other big culprits are navigation apps - like Google Maps - because they require use of GPS, mobile data and other features all at once. Netflix, YouTube, and TikTok can also place high demands on both processors and network connections, causing your battery to deplete quicker than you would like. Find out what will happen next after a petition to repeal the Online Safety Act passed 300,000 signatures. Plus discover why a cap could be introduced on Wikipedia in the UK.
Metro
9 hours ago
- Metro
Why is Sony trying to kill the concept of the video game console?
A reader worries that Sony's plans to make more of their games multiformat will destroy the entire concept of consoles, as they follow the same path as Xbox. At this point I think it's clear that Xbox is dead. They're the biggest publishers in the West but at such a terrible cost it's almost poetic. No one's buying their hardware and no one is ever likely to again. All the famous Xbox exclusive franchises are not only about to be not exclusive but they're just one more disaster away from being dead franchises. Xbox basically doesn't exist anymore, the way it used to be. All it is, is the combination of Activision Blizzard and Bethesda. Everything else is an insignificant extra, that will probably end up being shut down in short order. It's a classic example of being careful what you wish for but disturbing because, like all rich bullies, Microsoft is now pretending that, actually, they meant to do that and rather than feel bad about turning the industry on its head they're just going to carry on and make things worse. And I'm afraid that Sony is now doing the same thing. Given Microsoft is many times their size, Sony should never have had a chance against them, if they were run by competent people. Call me naïve, but if I were Sony and I saw my long-time rival on the ropes I'd give them the old one-two and finish them off for good. As we've seen though they've done the opposite. It almost seems like they're trying to copy Microsoft, except without the infinite funds and not owning two of the biggest publishers in the world. Suddenly, Sony doesn't care for exclusives and they're embracing multiformat releases, even though that makes absolutely no sense for their business. Sure, they will make more money in the short term, but in the long term… there will be no long term if they destroy the whole concept of a video game console. If you want to play Xbox games now you've got two choices: buy a dying console that Xbox aren't even bothering to sell in some countries now or play them on PC or streaming. Microsoft make money out of this, of course, but they have no control over those formats and so they become just like any other publisher, like EA or Ubisoft. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. There are two basic reasons to buy a console: the lack of fuss and bother (and generally lower price) compared to a PC and the exclusive games. I have long said that Sony releasing their exclusives on PC is a mistake because while you get some short term cash from it you're eating away at the reason anyone would buy a console in the first place. But now we hear that the August release of Helldivers 2 on Xbox Series X/S is not going to be a one-off, that Sony wants to release more games on Xbox and Nintendo Switch. Anything to make the smallest amount of extra money now, even if it means destroying their future forever. Is Sony short of cash or something? Are their financials so bad they have to do the corporate equivalent of going to the pawn shop to make it to the end of the week? Not as far as I know, but that's what they're doing anyway. There seems no point me even complaining at this point, as not only are they obviously not going to listen to me or any other fan but it seems to late. Sony had two choices when Microsoft messed up: go all out to show how good the PlayStation 5 and its line-up of exclusives is or… just sort of roll up and die for no reason. And yes, I know the PlayStation 5 is still selling well but that's because it's the only game in town at the moment, now the Xbox Series X/S has gone to an early grave. But every year the PC becomes more and more popular and that's only going to accelerate as one of the main reasons to buy a console is removed. It's not the end of gaming or anything – third party games will be unaffected – but the sort of exclusive games that Sony used to make are going to become rarer and rarer. They already are but when they don't need them to show off their console, and act like a killer app, they'll just keep reducing the budgets and the number of them they make until they don't bother at all. More Trending In the end, Sony will become a third party publisher too and even more choice and variety will be removed from the games industry. By reader Dunbar The reader's features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@ or use our Submit Stuff page and you won't need to send an email. MORE: The Nintendo Switch 2 is the closest thing to a modern day Commodore Amiga – Reader's Feature MORE: Star Wars Outlaws is Ubisoft's best game and you should get it now it's cheap - Reader's Feature MORE: It is madness that Konami still hasn't made a new Castlevania - Reader's Feature
