Microsoft met players halfway: Xbox simplified age verification

The age verification system in the Xbox ecosystem has long been controversial.

A year ago, Microsoft began gradually introducing mandatory age verification, first in the UK, and then in other countries.

Users had to provide documents or use third-party services, which was not popular with privacy-conscious players.

Now, Microsoft has unexpectedly started sending messages to many users stating that verification is no longer required. Notifications on consoles and in the app explicitly state that no further action is needed from the player.

The new system assesses age based on account tenure. If a profile has existed for many years, the algorithm automatically assigns it adult status.

However, these changes are not yet active in all countries. For example, in Australia, document verification is still mandatory due to local legislation.