Nearly eight months after blocking new user access to its adult platforms in the United Kingdom over age verification requirements, Cyprus-based adult content conglomerate Aylo — owner of major platforms including Pornhub, YouPorn and Redtube — announced a limited rollback of its restriction on Tuesday.
The company confirmed it has reopened access to Pornhub exclusively for eligible UK-based adult users who complete Apple’s new native age verification checks, a rollout limited to users with Apple iPhones and iPads that have been updated to the latest iOS 26.4 operating system.
Aylo framed Apple’s new tool as a groundbreaking development in digital safety for minors: the Cupertino-based tech giant has rolled out what it calls the world’s first device-integrated age verification system for UK users, which automatically applies strict default safety settings to accounts belonging to children, teens, and any adult users that have not completed formal age confirmation.
Aylo called the launch “a major first step toward a global solution that stands to better protect children everywhere.”
The original UK-wide block was implemented back in February, when Aylo pulled access citing its obligation to comply with the UK’s landmark Online Safety Act, which mandates that all pornographic platforms implement robust age checks to block underage users. Platforms that fail to comply face severe financial penalties.
From the start, however, Aylo has criticized the UK regulation, arguing that forcing compliant mainstream platforms to block access pushed users toward unregulated, anonymous dark web porn sites that lack any minor protection protocols. The company said earlier this year that the policy “has not achieved its goal of protecting minors” and merely diverted traffic to “darker, unregulated corners of the internet.”
This is not an isolated conflict between adult content operators and regional regulators. Aylo has enacted similar blocks on its platforms in France and multiple US states over identical age verification mandate disputes. At the European Union level, regulators opened a case in March accusing Pornhub and three other major adult platforms of violating EU digital safety rules by failing to block minor access to content, a violation that could result in billions of euros in fines for the companies.
Following Aylo’s Tuesday announcement, Britain’s independent media and digital regulator Ofcom said it will conduct a thorough review of the new access arrangement. The regulator emphasized that the Online Safety Act places full legal responsibility for blocking minor access to adult content on the platforms and applications themselves, and it will ensure all requirements are fully met before approving any permanent change to access rules.