Pornhub to be made accessible again for some UK users
After access was restricted for most people in the UK back in February, Pornhub is somewhat opening back up a little more... for Apple users, at least.
Since access was restricted earlier this year due to the UK Online Safety Act's (OSA) rules, only people who had previously made an account with the site and verified their age have been able to access the X-rated website.
At the time, Pornhub's parent company Aylo hit out at the introduction of tougher age checks, saying the Online Safety Act (OSA), which requires age verification, had ‘not achieved its goal of protecting minors’. It claimed the act had ‘diverted traffic to darker, unregulated corners of the internet’.
The parent company said back in October that the change in law had caused traffic to Pornhub to fall by 77 percent.
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But now, those with Apple devices might be able to get themselves back onto the porn service.
'A major first step'
The latest version of iOS (iOS 26.4) introduced age checks for those with iPhones in the UK. And the same goes for iPads with up-to-date iterations of iPadOS.
Head of brand and community at Aylo, Alex Kekesi, says Apple’s introduction of the ‘world’s first ever device-based age verification solution’ marks a ‘major first step towards a global solution that stands to better protect children everywhere’.
And in support of this being the ‘most effective and privacy-protecting approach’ in helping to prevent minors from accessing explicit content, Aylo is welcoming those who confirm their eligible age using this ‘back to Pornhub’.
“Starting today, Aylo is taking a measured step to restore access to Pornhub for eligible adult users in the UK who have confirmed their age through Apple’s UK age-verification process,” Kekesi said.
“Aylo was pleased to see Apple’s trailblazing announcement and subsequent deployment of the latest version of its operating system, which applies certain safety settings automatically to kids, teens, and adults who have not confirmed their age.”
“Moving forward, age-verified iOS users reaching Pornhub will be served a standard adult user experience,” Kekesi concluded.
Prior to this, users in the UK were just getting ‘safe for work’ content rather than the more explicit videos that are more commonly expected on Pornhub.
How do the Apple age checks actually work?
Apple’s iOS update came back in March, with iPhone users being prompted to complete age checks.
A voluntary measure implemented by the tech company, ages are verified by looking at how long the user has had an account, by scanning ID or by using information from their connected payment accounts.
Ofcom praised this update as a ‘real win’ in helping to heighten child safety online.
Jess Battison