Apple reminds developers that apps must support account deletion by June 30 [Update]

Apple App Store Awards 2021 Hero
Apple App Store Awards 2021 Hero (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

  • Apple is reminding developers about its upcoming account deletion requirement.
  • Apps that support account creation must also support account deletion.
  • The requirement kicks in on June 30, 2022.

Update, June 30 (9:00 am ET): Today is the due date for developers to add support for account deletion to apps that allow account creation.

Developers better make sure some of their apps support account deletion in the next month.

In an update on the Apple Developer website, the company is reminding developers who offer account creation within their app that they must also offer users the ability to initiate account deletion. The new requirement goes into effect for apps starting on June 30.

As a reminder, apps that support account creation must let users initiate deletion of their account within the app starting June 30, 2022, as described in App Store Review Guideline 5.1.1(v). This deadline was extended to provide additional time for implementation of this requirement.

App Store

App Store (Image credit: iMore)

Apple has outlined a number of guidelines that developers must follow when adding the feature to their app:

Please keep these requirements in mind when updating your app:

  • The account deletion option should be easy to find in your app.
  • If your app offers Sign in with Apple, you'll need to use the Sign in with Apple REST API to revoke user tokens when deleting an account.
  • 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 provide additional customer service flows to confirm and facilitate the account deletion process.
  • Follow applicable legal requirements for storing and retaining user account information, and for handling account deletion. This includes complying with local laws in different countries or regions. As always, check with your legal counsel.

Developers who are interested in learning more about account deletion and ensuring that they meet the new requirement can check out all of the information on the Apple Developer website.

Update, June 30 (9:00 am ET) — Today is the due date for developers to add support for account deletion to apps that allow account creation

Today is the due date for developers to add support for account deletion to apps that allow account creation.

See above for the details surround the change and links to resources to implement the feature.

Joe Wituschek
Contributor

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.