Summary
- Google announced app deletion option mandate, rolling out data deletion badge for compliant apps on Play Store listings.
- Deadline for app developers to adhere to account deletion process by May 31, 2024, or face removal from Play Store.
- Google’s app deletion badge initiative inspired by Apple’s App Store, promoting user privacy and simplified account deletion process.
In April 2023, Google announced a significant Play Store policy change, mandating apps requiring account creation to provide a straightforward way to delete the said account. This should be available through the app itself and a web-based portal. To make it easier to find apps that offer such functionality, Google noted that it would roll out a new data deletion badge on the Play Store listing. More than a year later, the feature appears to be finally rolling out.
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Android Authority contributor AssembleDebug spotted the new “Account deletion available” badge on some Play Store app listings. This appears to be a staged rollout from Google, as the badge has not yet gone live for me on the Play Store. The company’s support page about the change still mentions “early 2024” as the timeline for the app deletion badge to roll out.
Google says it will take additional enforcement actions against non-compliant apps after May 31, 2024, including removing them from the Play Store. With the deadline just days away, the company might be in the middle of rolling out the app deletion badge before it boots non-compliant apps from the store.
Google is unlikely to extend the deadline further, so if you are an app developer, you must adhere to the account deletion process by May 31, 2024. For the badge to appear on your app listing, you must also have an approved Data safety form, which includes answering all data deletion questions on the Play Store. If you are retaining any user data, you must inform the user about it.
Google’s app deletion badge is inspired by the iPhone’s App Store
Apple already has a similar requirement for its App Store, with developers mandated to provide a straightforward account deletion option in their apps. This is an Apple-inspired change on Google’s par. Still, it is a welcome change as it values user privacy and enables them to delete accounts from apps or services they only used briefly and no longer want to be a part of.
Once Google starts enforcing this new Play Store change, you can even delete an app account and associated user data from a developer-provided web portal without re-installing the app on your phone.