Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL; DR
- Google has required apps that create user accounts to also enable account and data deletion within the app and across the web. The enforcement deadline for app developers is May 31, 2024.
- Before the deadline, the 'Account deletion available' badge is now live in the Google Play Store in app listings. This explains how you can request that your data or account be deleted.
- This allows you to easily delete app accounts and data without having to reinstall a deleted app.
Last year, Google introduced a new rule for the Google Play Store, focused on apps that allow the creation of app accounts. If an app allows an account to be created, the developer is required to allow the account to be deleted within the app and across the web so that the app remains listed on the Play Store. Google said the Play Store will list these data deletion practices “early next year,” and these changes are now finally going live for users.
Android Authority Contributor Assemble Debug noticed that the Google Play Store is making the “Account deletion available” badge visible in the Data Safety section of the app listings.
Since December 2023, Google has been developers push to include app account deletion information in their store listings. Developers can request an extension until May 31, 2024, after which non-compliant apps could face “additional enforcement actions” in the future, such as removal from the Google Play Store. Now that data erasure badges are live, we're very close to that enforcement deadline, so app developers shouldn't count on any more extensions coming their way.
Google's data deletion policy states that developers must provide data and account deletion options from within their apps and on the web. This way, if a user uninstalls an app, they don't have to reinstall the app to request the deletion of their data or account. App developers that need to retain certain data for legitimate reasons, such as regulatory compliance, must disclose these data retention practices.
Have you seen the new data deletion highlights on Google Play Store? What do you think of them as app users? Let us know in the comments below!