Apple sets new deadline for in-app account deletion requirement

Apple last year announced a change in the App Store guidelines that would require all apps that support account creation to offer an in-app option for letting users delete their accounts. However, this requirement has been delayed twice. Now the company has set a new deadline for developers to update their apps according to the new guideline.

Starting June 30, 2022, all apps available in the App Store that somehow let users create a new account must also offer a way to let them delete that account if they want to. These changes have been detailed in App Store Review Guidelines 5.1.1(v), which explains what apps can and cannot do when it comes to account sign-in.

If your app doesn’t include significant account-based features, let people use it without a login. 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.

In addition to offering a way to let users delete their accounts, Apple says account deletion “should be easy to find” within the app. If the app uses the Sign in with Apple, the developer has to make sure that the user’s tokens have been revoked after the account was deleted.

The rules also make it clear that the app must offer an option to entirely delete the user’s account, not just deactivate it. All personal data associated with that account must be deleted. This, of course, is another way to let users have more control over their data, ensuring even more privacy when using third-party apps.

More details about in-app account deletion can be found on the Apple Developer website.