Vapes and tobacco
18 in the UK and Germany, 21 in the US, including liquids and tanks.
Age verification
with Face ID.
OneGuard estimates whether the required age threshold has been reached. An ID check follows only when needed.
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1/3All appointments are in Berlin time (Europe/Berlin).
How Face ID works
Selfie age estimation in under 5 seconds
Face ID estimates from a short selfie whether the required age threshold has been reached. Only when the result is not clear-cut does an ID check with face match and liveness follow. Checkout stays short, and the check still holds up.
1. Take a selfie
The customer opens the check on their phone and takes a selfie. A liveness check detects photos, masks and screen recordings.
2. Estimate the age
OneGuard estimates the age and compares it with the configured threshold, for example 18 for vapes or 21 for alcohol in the US. This step usually takes under 5 seconds.
3. ID only when needed
If the estimate is close to the threshold, an ID check with face match starts automatically. Even then the full verification usually takes under 20 seconds.
- Duration of the Face ID step
- < 5 sec
- Full verification including ID
- < 20 sec
- Checks with a usable result
- > 99.5 %
- Raw data is deleted by then at the latest
- 30 days
Accuracy and limits
An age estimate is not an ID check. It returns an estimate with a margin of uncertainty. That is why OneGuard works with a safety buffer: only people estimated to be clearly above the threshold are released immediately. Everyone else shows an ID, which takes only a few seconds longer.
Whether an estimate alone is enough depends on the product and the law that applies. For vapes, tobacco, alcohol and knives, regulators expect retailers to take all reasonable steps to keep goods away from minors. Combining the estimate with an automatic ID fallback does exactly that without putting every order through a full ID scan.
See the legal requirements by marketPrivacy
The selfie is processed only for the estimate and is never passed on to the shop. The shop receives the result only. ID images, selfies, videos and biometric raw data are deleted after 30 days at the latest.
Biometric data is processed only with the explicit consent of the person being checked (Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR). Details are in the privacy policy.
Read the privacy policy (German)Where Face ID fits
Beer, wine and spirits
Separate thresholds per product, for example 16 and 18 in Germany.
Films and games rated 18
Adult-rated media may only ship with a reliable age check.
Knives and outdoor gear
Age rules only for the products you flag for it.
Face ID FAQ
How does selfie age estimation work?
A model estimates the age from facial features and compares the estimate with the configured threshold. No identity is established and nothing is matched against a database.
How accurate is Face ID?
The estimate carries an uncertainty of a few years. That is why OneGuard only releases people who are clearly above the threshold. Everyone else goes through the ID check. Over 99.5 percent of checks produce a usable result this way.
What happens if the estimate is not clear-cut?
The ID check starts automatically: both sides of the ID document are scanned, the face is matched against the ID photo and liveness is checked. The order stays on hold until the result is in.
Are selfies stored?
Selfies and biometric raw data are processed only for the check and deleted after 30 days at the latest. The shop never sees the images, only the verification status.
Is facial recognition legal?
A 1:1 check with the explicit consent of the person being verified is permitted under the GDPR. It differs from identification against databases or surveillance in public spaces, which the EU AI Act restricts.
For which products is Face ID enough on its own?
That depends on the product, the applicable law and your risk assessment. For vapes, tobacco, spirits and adult-rated media we recommend the combination of estimate and automatic ID fallback that OneGuard uses by default.