Account deletion in your app: what Apple and Google Play expect

Short answer: If people can create an account in your app, both Apple and Google Play expect them to be able to start deleting it from inside the app. Google Play also wants a web page where someone can request deletion without reinstalling the app. Deactivation alone does not count, and the flow should be easy to find, clear about what happens to data and subscriptions, and backed by a real deletion process on your server.

Account deletion is one of the most common reasons an otherwise finished app bounces at review, and it is often discovered late because nobody listed it in the original scope. This guide sets out what each store asks for, as stated on their own pages in November 2026, then shows how to design and build it.

What each store asks for

Apple App Store

Apple's support page on offering account deletion explains App Review Guideline 5.1.1(v). The main points:

Apps that support account creation must let people initiate deletion within the app.
The option should be easy to find, typically in account settings.
You must offer to delete the entire account record and associated personal data. Offering only temporary deactivation is not enough.
If deletion has to be finished on a website, link directly to that page, not to your homepage.
Tell people if the deletion will take time, how billing for in-app purchases is handled, and what information you must keep, if any.
Apps outside highly regulated industries should not make people phone, email or go through a support chat to delete.
You may add confirmation and re-authentication steps, such as a code sent to the email on file, but making deletion unnecessarily difficult fails review.
Accounts created automatically, sometimes called guest accounts, also need a deletion option.
Apps using Sign in with Apple should revoke the user's tokens through the Sign in with Apple REST API.

For auto-renewing subscriptions, Apple suggests telling the person that billing continues through Apple and asking them to cancel before they continue, and it points to tools for checking subscription status and opening the subscription management screen.

Google Play

Google's Play Console help page on account deletion requirements says that if your app lets users create an account, you must:

provide an in-app path to delete the account and associated data, and
provide a web link where users can request account and data deletion.

The web page must load without errors, make the deletion pathway prominent and easy to find, and reference the app or developer name as shown on your store listing. Users must be able to request deletion there without being sent back to reinstall the app. A link that starts deletion, a form or a customer service email can all serve as that pathway.

When you delete an account, Google expects you to delete the associated user data too, while acknowledging that some data may be kept for legitimate reasons such as security or fraud prevention. Your answers in the Data safety form in Play Console must match what the app actually does, because parts of them appear on your store listing.

One line on the legal side: retention rules vary by industry and place, so check what applies to you before deciding what to keep.

Designing the flow

A sensible flow for a typical small business app, such as a booking or loyalty app, looks like this:

1. Entry point. Settings → Account → "Delete account". Use those words. Do not bury it under "Privacy" with no label.

2. Explanation screen. One short screen that says:

what will be deleted (profile, booking history, saved addresses, loyalty points)
what you keep and why (for example, transaction records you are required to hold)
how long deletion takes if it is not instant
what happens to subscriptions, with a button to manage them

3. Confirmation. Ask the person to type "DELETE", re-enter their password, or confirm with a code. One step is enough.

4. Final state. Sign them out, show a confirmation, and send a short email confirming the request was received.

Things to avoid: a "Are you sure? You will lose everything!" screen repeated three times, a retention offer they must decline before seeing the delete button, or a form that asks why they are leaving and will not submit without an answer. An optional feedback question after confirmation is fine.

Implementation checklist

Hand this to your developer, or use it to check the work:

App (both platforms)

[ ] Visible "Delete account" entry in account settings
[ ] Explanation screen with data, retention and subscription information
[ ] Re-authentication or code confirmation
[ ] Handling for guest or auto-created accounts
[ ] Link to manage store subscriptions before deleting

Web

[ ] A deletion request page that names the app as on the store listing
[ ] Works without installing the app
[ ] Linked in the Play Console Data safety section and from your privacy page

Backend

[ ] One deletion routine that both the app and the web page trigger
[ ] Deletes or anonymizes the user's records across the database, file storage (profile photos, uploads) and any search index
[ ] Removes the user from email marketing lists, push notification tokens and analytics where you can identify them
[ ] Revokes Sign in with Apple tokens, and signs the user out of other login providers
[ ] Deals with third-party systems that hold copies, such as a CRM or support desk
[ ] Logs that the request was completed, without keeping the deleted data
[ ] Handles backups sensibly: deleted data should age out of backups rather than be restored later

Review prep

[ ] Demo account in your review notes so the reviewer can test deletion
[ ] Data safety answers updated in Play Console
[ ] App privacy details reviewed in App Store Connect

FAQ

Can deletion happen later instead of instantly?

Yes, as long as you tell people. A short delay, such as processing within a set number of days, is common when several systems are involved. Say so on the confirmation screen.

Does a web-only deletion form satisfy Apple?

Apple wants the deletion to be initiated in the app. The app can hand over to a web page to complete it, but it must link straight to that page.

What if my app has no sign-up, just optional login with an existing account?

The requirement is tied to account creation. If accounts are only created elsewhere, such as at your front desk, read both stores' pages carefully and keep a deletion route available anyway; it costs little to add.

Do I need to delete orders and invoices?

You may need to keep some records. Explain what you keep and why, delete or anonymize everything else, and stop using the retained data for anything else.

If your app still lacks a proper delete-account flow and an update is due, we can scope the work with you.