Apple Reminds Developers That Apps Offering Account Creation Need to Add Account Deletion by June 30

Apple today reminded developers that all apps that support account creation need to have functionality for account deletion starting on June 30, 2022. That means if an app allows a person to sign up for an account, there must be an in-app way to delete said account later on.

The account deletion rule was implemented as part of App Store changes that were introduced in June 2021, and Apple initially planned to require developers to support account deletion by January 31, 2022. That deadline has now been pushed back to give developers more time to make changes, and the rule will officially be enforced at the end of June.

According to Apple's guidelines, apps must make it easy for users to find the account deletion option, and it is insufficient for an app to offer to temporarily disable or deactivate an account. An account must be able to be deleted, along with all personal data.

Apple says that some apps in highly regulated industries can use customer service flows for confirming the account deletion, but apps outside of those industries should not require people to make a call, send an email, or otherwise jump through hoops to delete an account.

Developers can find more information about the account deletion requirements on Apple's website.