- A user was given the opportunity to verify their identity on their new iPhone
- They shouldn’t have had to since their local laws didn’t require this
- The culprit was their iPhone, which was imported from the UK
Apple has just raised its prices across the board, and while the iPhone is safe for now, many users are wondering if it’s only a matter of time before Apple’s top iPhones feel the weight of price increases. If this sounds familiar, you might have bought a used iPhone in an attempt to get ahead of the game – only to find yourself falling apart with an annoying, unforeseen consequence.
That’s exactly what happened to the Reddit user who said their new iPhone forced them to verify their age, despite living in Bulgaria, an EU country where age verification is not required by law.
Understandably, they were reluctant to upload their ID documents, describing the process as a “huge privacy black hole.” However, due to their refusal to do so, they were unable to access “certain types of content, social apps, GTA games and other things I’ve paid for.” As they put it: “Content and privacy restrictions, scanning of my chats, FaceTime calls and gallery photos have been imposed on me without my will and consent.”
The case appears to be confusing since Bulgarian users are not subject to ID verification laws that require them to verify their age before accessing certain apps and services. But there is a country nearby, there do has laws like this, and it turned out to be the key to unlocking the mystery.
Check the model number
The United Kingdom has passed laws requiring users to verify their identities to access certain apps and services on their devices, with the stated aim of protecting children from online harm. But the rules — specifically the Online Security Act — have caused much controversy among privacy advocates and resulted in a wave of angry users downloading the best VPNs to protect their identities and bypass the requirements.
Back on Reddit, the age verification mystery was solved when the Redditor discovered where their iPhone originally came from. This is something you can find in the Settings app by going to General > About and looking in the Model Number section.
The iPhone’s model was MFYP4QN/A, and this holds several clues about its origins. For example, “MFYP4” refers to the iPhone 17 Pro Max in Deep Blue with 256GB of storage. The “QN” part of the code, meanwhile, relates to the regions where this model is sold: “Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, UK, Israel.”
In other words, even if the Redditor bought their iPhone in Bulgaria, the device was probably imported from the UK. As a fellow Redditor noted, there is no official Apple presence in Bulgaria, making an import the likely answer. As they put it: “If it’s a British model, it will behave like a British model” – which would explain why the device asked the user to confirm their identity, even though local Bulgarian laws did not require it to be done.
With different regions enforcing different privacy and age verification laws, the risk – as seen on Reddit – is that you could buy a used iPhone in a country that doesn’t force you to verify your identity, yet be forced to do so by an imported iPhone. It’s all a bit of a mess.
If you’re considering buying a used iPhone and you’re even able to check it out in person, make sure to note its model number first in the Settings app. As explained by The Apple Wiki, if the code contains the letters B, KN, QN, Z, ZD, ZF or ZM just before the forward slash – for example MFYP4ZD/A – then it may be a UK device and therefore may act as if it is subject to UK law, regardless of where you bought it. And it can have major consequences if you are not prepared.
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