Apple is finally cracking down on apps that don’t let you simply remove your account and data should you decide to leave their service.
Beginning June 30, the business will implement a policy requiring apps that give sign-up or account creation techniques capabilities to also allow users to remove their accounts using that interface.
If your app supports account creation, you must also offer account deletion within the app. Apps may not require users to enter personal information to function, except when directly relevant to the core functionality of the app or required by law.
If your core app functionality is not related to a specific social network (e.g. Facebook, WeChat, Weibo, Twitter, etc.), you must provide access without a login or via another mechanism.
Developer Guidelines
According to the requirements in the Apple app store guideline:
- The account deletion option should be easy to find in your app.
- It’s insufficient to only provide the ability to temporarily disable or deactivate an account. People should be able to delete the account along with their personal data.
- Apps in highly-regulated industries may need to provide additional support flows to confirm and facilitate the account deletion process.
- Follow applicable legal requirements for storing and retaining user account information. This includes complying with local laws in different countries or regions. As always, check with your legal counsel.
Apple first announced this move at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) last year as part of an overhaul of its App Store evaluation guidelines. It gave developers until January 31, 2022, to make changes to their apps.
However, just days before the deadline, Apple announced that it is extending the deadline to June 30, 2022 to give developers more time to make adjustments.
Importantly, app developers are not permitted to provide only a temporary deactivation option. According to the firm, they must “delete the entire account record, along with associated personal data.”
The iPhone maker also stated that apps must keep consumers updated if the account deleting procedure takes a long time.
This is a welcome step by Apple to make it easier for people to deactivate their accounts, a procedure that may often be time-consuming, such as calling customer care or sending many emails. Hopefully, other app retailers will adopt this method as well.
The experienced the distress of being able to sign up for a service or a new app account with a few quick taps in an app or clicks on a webpage, but when you try to delete your account, you have to call a customer service number during inconvenient business hours and wait on hold for a while.
Essentially, this implies that cancelling an account in an app would only require a few taps and possibly an email with a confirmation link. In this remark, Apple says, “allow users to initiate deletion,” which is fairly unclear and might mean that developers merely provide a link that takes you to a web page where you are given a support number to call during busy business hours.
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